Fix Me Up (Unknown Succubus Series book 2)

Caffiene Crash

Dinner was served in my bedroom after I'd sent a request to the kitchen. There were too many things to think over for me to mingle with my own court. Sasha dropped off a huge stack of paperwork for me to sift through. My time away had certainly garnered a lot of work for me to accomplish. I spent my evening working but barely made any progress. Christian came to visit me around the time I'd finished a fourth mug full of coffee. He sat on my bed and watched with a frown as I flicked through each paper. Some required a signature others a full response. Just as I seemed to be nearing the last few documents Janet burst into my bedroom with an armful of files and letters. She dumped them onto my desk.
"These need urgent attention. I'll send someone to wake you for the meeting in the morning." Janet gave me a concerned smile before leaving me to drown amid the papers. Christian let out a whine and threw himself down onto my mattress. The noise drew my gaze from the desk. I felt guilty as I glanced at the frustrated little boy. He wanted attention and it was my fault he was all alone here. I was all he knew.
"It's late, do you want me to turn on a movie or walk you to your own room for some sleep?" I asked softly when Christian lifted his head up and his eyes met my own. He lit up when he realized he had my attention but his happiness slowly deflated as I spoke.
"Can I just stay here with you? Pretty please, Aspen?" Christian begged so desperately that my heart squeezed painfully in my chest. I bit my lip as I debated how I should answer. It was late and he needed to sleep. He looked so tired already but all he'd asked for was to stay. Christian climbed down off of my bed and ran across the room to stand beside me. He reached out and grasped my hand tightly. The big puppy dog eyes he aimed at me became the last blow to chip away my indecisiveness.
"Alright, but you have to promise me you'll go to sleep and not wait up for me. Okay?" I compromised solemnly. Christian nodded in response and before I could blink he'd climbed onto my lap. His little arms wrapped around me and held on tight. I couldn't push him away with how desperate and lonely he seemed. As Christian sat on my lap and leaned against me I got back to my paperwork.
Three more mugs of coffee later and my hands were trembling with the buzz of caffeine. I scanned through files quickly and sorted them into three piles for the ones I approved, the ones I was unsure of and the ones I wanted to throw out entirely. Once I'd finished that I moved onto the letters. Many were invitations to visit other kingdoms and attend parties or formal dinners. A few were written proposals for arranging a marriage. The rest were congratulations from those who had been unable to attend my coronation.
My handwriting was messy from a combination of exhaustion and caffeine trembles. I wrote responses, rejections and thank you letters. It was almost three in the morning by the time I was confident I'd finished everything. Christian has long since fallen asleep on my lap. Despite being sound asleep his little hands never loosened their grasp from around me. I stood up from my desk and carried Christian to my bed. He didn't stir when I tucked him in.
My limbs were still shaky from the coffee but I needed to change and wash the pen ink off of my hands. I changed into a set of blue cotton pajamas. I washed my face and hands in the bathroom sink before stumbling back into my bedroom. On autopilot I walked back to the desk to double check that I'd finished. The caffeine buzz began to wear off and exhaustion weighed me down. I collapsed onto the chair and laid my head down on my desk for just a moment. I only needed to close my eyes for a minute and then I'd go to bed. But I was just too tired to move.
And just like that I slipped into a light slumber. Something warm touched my cheek and I mumbled waking up slightly. I was still too tired to open my eyes and sleep threatened to drag me back under with each breath. The warmth left my face and shortly after I felt an arm lift under my knees and another around my back. The jostling movement kept me from falling back asleep. My face was pressed against something firm and warm. It lacked the fluffy fur Seriph had and the unusual sensation caused a bubble of concern to rise in my chest. I fought the haze of exhaustion to open my eyes. The lights had been turned off and it was hard to see anything in the darkness.
"Go back to sleep. You're safe." A comforting voice grumbled into my ear. Unable to resist I was pulled back into my dreams just as my back touched a familiar mattress. The caffeine crash hit hard and fast. Drinking that much coffee had definitely had negative effects for my body. I'd never been so exhausted I'd hallucinated before. But that was the only reasonable explanation. Christian has been sound asleep in my bed and I must've stumbled into bed after I'd crashed at my desk. No one would have dared enter my bedroom so late and certainly not to carry me to bed. My exhausted body managed to trudge across the room and sprawl on the bed while I was half asleep.
My desperately needed slumber only lasted a few hours. Just as Janet had said someone came to wake me up for a meeting. It was barely after dawn and the woman was not gentle in her approach. She vigorously shook my shoulder and spoke loudly. When I requested five more minutes she pulled the comforter away from me. She woke up Christian too and I felt so bad that I immediately crawled out of bed. The faster I left the room the better. He'd be able to go back to sleep. I took a shower to help wake myself up. Afterwards, I brushed my teeth and changed into a simple dress. I wanted to avoid any etiquette lectures for the time being. When I arrive to the meeting room I'm offered coffee and instantly decline. Breakfast is served during the meeting and I eat a slice of toast while going over everything I missed. My advisors are efficient and professional throughout the meeting. Sasha addresses the situation with Luke and isn't shy to call me out for bringing Christian back with me.
I held no right to take him or power to keep him here if his blood related family demanded his return. So far that hadn't happened. But if it were I was advised to avoid starting any conflicts. After the meeting it was obvious that my advisors were capable of handling things without me. Nothing important had occurred in my absence but a lot had certainly happened wherever I'd been.
My friends would be arriving later in the afternoon and I was sleep deprived. Christian has eaten breakfast by the time I returned to my room. He hugged me tightly before I collapsed back into bed.
"Don't worry, you can take a nap I'll stay right here until you wake up and we can play together." Christian announced seriously before squeezing my hand in both of his. I mumbled a response already half asleep. Within minutes I was probably already snoring but I was definitely asleep.