A Dance of Princes (The Heir, Book 1)

Chapter 16

I was surprised at how easily I fell asleep last night. Maybe it was because I was cuddled in Octavian's embrace. His body radiated warmth and I felt at peace in his hold. I felt safe, secured, and protected. Nothing would hurt me if I was near him.

When I woke up, I didn't want to move. Octavian was still sleeping. He was sound asleep. I took this opportunity to take in his features. His perfectly bridged nose, his chiseled jaw that complimented his masculine features, and those lips. God those red lips were going to kill me. I wanted to touch them, but I knew that I have to wait for him to make the first move. I slowly moved my arm to plant my hand against his cheek. His skin was flawless, smooth and even. There was a beauty mark next to his eye. My thumb began to brush his high cheekbone while my observant gazed fixated on his closed eyes. He looked peaceful and strong.

He stirred, his body shifting as his eyes opened once he noticed something was next to him. I closed my eyes immediately to pretend to be sleeping because I didn't want to be caught staring at him. What if he thought it was creepy? I would've died of embarrassment! I felt his hand touch my cheek, stroking it softly, the subtle action spurring electricity on my face. I felt my nerves twitch at the contact, but I tried to stay calm and still.

"You're so beautiful," he softly spoke before I felt his lips plant on my forehead. I thought this was the time to 'wake up'. I shifted before opening my eyes, giving him a smile.

"Good morning to you," I greeted. There was a visible blush on his cheeks.

"M-morning to you," he stuttered. I chuckled before I combed his hair with my fingers before sitting myself up against the bed in the infirmary room.

I didn't want to move from his hold but a nurse came in to check on me and see if everything was alright. She lifted the sleeve of my white shirt to check on the bullet wound. I was amazed. There was nothing there; no scars, no marks, just plain skin that didn't even looked like anything punctured through.

"How are you feeling?" The nurse asked me as she carefully examined my arm.

"I feel better, despite last night."

"Can you move your arm, please?"

I did as told. I lifted my arm and waved it around; I even twisted my wrist and stretched my fingers to display that my arm was no longer numb. The nurse told me I could leave, but advised to take it easy for the day just to make sure.

Jason came in a minute later and closed the door when the nurse excused herself from the room. He looked nervous as he hugged his chest and rubbed his arms. He was wearing a gray v-neck and khaki shorts today. Why he was wearing shorts on a cold day, I have no idea. He combed his hair as he took a seat on the couch across the room.

"Jason?" Octavian said, a raised brow arching.

"Jack is fine," he started as his gaze fixed on me. "He's getting some rest in the other room; the Queen told me to check on him and he told me to check on you to see how you're doing."

"I'm fine, thank you."

"I was in the Conference Room with the General and the Queen. There's something I need to tell you both."

"Well don't keep it in," Octavian stressed, "just say it." With the way Octavian was speaking, I had guessed he still wasn't past the kiss from over a week ago.

Jason narrowed his eyes, unappreciative of Octavian's rudeness. He rolled his eyes before he began to speak. "There's a theory that the General came up with. The bullet that was removed from your arm during the cell regeneration process was sent to the forensics lab in the academics district to be inspected. They found that the bullet wasn't just a bullet. It was designed to purposely stun whatever body part it gets lodged into, which means-"