Crown of a Prince (Finn Shelby)

32.

"Finn" She whispered forcing him to look her in the eye "I'm sorry about the other night".

His breath caught in his throat. He couldn't believe she was laying there, after everything she had gone through and apologising for a night that he should be apologising for.

"Ailbhe" he exhaled, trying to stop her from apologising anymore because he felt like he didn't deserve it.

"Finn I'm so sorry I don't know what was the matter with me, it all came out wrong"

She cried, thinking back to how badly she had expressed herself, how she had made it sound like she didn't love him at all when it couldn't be less true.

Finn's heart ached when he saw how upset she was. He ached to touch her and comfort her, to hold her and promise her it was going to be okay but he remembered Ada's warning.

"No Alv, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left like that. I was drunk and I should never have done that to you" he exclaimed, keeping his voice down because he didn't want Ada to hear him downstairs.

Ailbhe wanted more than anything for him to come nearer and to make her feel safe. Feeling like all she wanted was him closer she knew that he was what would make her feel safe.  But he kept his distance. It broke her heart as she thought that it was her fault he kept away.

"He was going to rape me Finn but he didn't. You saved me before that happened so I'm not... I'm not ruined, he didn't do anything to me" She cried, noticing how he had flinched when she told him about what Benito had planned to do to her.

It crushed him when he heard her. She thought he was keeping his distance because he was disgusted by her, repulsed by how another man had tried to have her. When he knew that there was nothing that could put him off, nothing that could change how he felt.

He shushed her, going to her bedside and kneeling down beside her, his hands reaching out and grabbing onto hers when she let him. He heard her instant sigh of relief at his touch.

"Stop apologising, none of this is your fault" He told her, squeezing her hand in his and kissing it "I don't care about any of that. I just care that you're here and you're alive"

She breathed a sigh of relief, pulling his hand joined with hers in towards her chest, her other hand reaching out and cupping his cheek.

"Finn all I kept thinking about today was you" she sighed, her thumb running across his cheek and watching him realise how much he meant to her.

She had been so frightened that the night of her birthday was their last moments together, the last memory Finn would have of her and it broke her heart. But by some miracle and the ferocious way her brothers protected her, she was there with Finn like she never thought she would be again.

"All I ever think about is you Alv" He admitted, almost laughing as he exhaled and leaned in, pressing his forehead against hers.

It was true. She consumed every piece of him and he knew that life wasn't worth living without her.

"Finn" she whispered, her eyes still closed and their foreheads joined.

She pulled away just an inch so she could look in his eyes, his perfect brown eyes that could look cold and dangerous to others but were filled with adoration and kindness for her. She knew that the words were on the tip of her tongue, that she could say them and not be lying right then. Finn knew what she was about to say too. He looked down at her lips, his hand resting on her back over the blankets.

"Ailbhe you don't have to say anything" he told her, trying not to rush her but she cut across his words by leaning in and pressing a kiss to his lips. It was soft and sweet, delicate and almost a little fragile.

"I love you" she whispered, just centimetres away from his lips.

Finn felt every muscle in his body relax, every thought stop and every worry cease. She loved him.

She felt him smiling against her lips as he pushed forward, joining their lips again.

"Fucking hell, I love you" he sighed, his hand sliding up her back to the back of her head and keeping her lips against his.

He never wanted to stop, never wanted to let her go. He didn't want to push her but the way her hand slipped down his neck and kept their lips together, he knew she wanted it too. He kissed her for a moment more, feeling himself start to get excited he pulled away knowing that she was too tired for any extra activity.

She lay still, her fingers tracing his jaw and even smiling tiredly at him. It was a smile of relief, of safety. She had said it and the world hadn't crumbled. He was still her Finn; he was her best friend and her everything.

"Ailbhe, today was one of the worst days of my life" he admitted, running his hands through her long hair and looking at her face as if he was examining a piece of art.

"But I will never let anyone hurt you again. Nobody will ever lay a hand on you again or I will cut it off" He vowed to her, his face hardening as he thought about how the Changretta family had almost taken her away from him.

She reached her hand up, cupping his cheek and making him look at her. Just by looking at her he seemed to relax, the anger and thirst for vengeance fading. He tilted his head, pressing a kiss to the inside of her wrist where the bruises were already forming.

"I trust you Finn, with... with everything" she whispered, leaning in and pressing her lips to his again for just a moment.

She trusted him and he took this trust more seriously than anything else in his life.

"You need to get some rest" he told her, not wanting to leave her but knowing she must be exhausted.

She was pale and her eyes were tired looking.

She nodded, feeling the exhaustion creeping up on her. She nestled down into the bed, letting the blankets swallow her up but she kept ahold of his hand.

"Will you stay with me?" she asked, looking up at him.

As if he would ever look at her and deny her any thing she asked of him. He smiled, nodding at her glad of the chance to stay with her. The thought of going back to his own empty room where he would probably start to get the shakes, to doubt every action he had made that night was extremely unappealing. Especially when this was the alternative.

He pushed his braces off his shoulders, taking off his shirt, undershirt and trousers and leaving them on the floor. He climbed into the bed beside her in his shorts and felt her move and adjust until she was carefully positioned. He lay on his back, his arms around her as she nestled into his chest and wrapped her legs over his.

"I love you Finn" she whispered again, not wanting him to forget it.

He ran his thumb across the soft skin of her back in such a relaxing way she felt sleep coming for her already. She sighed quietly when she felt him around her, knowing that this was her home, her hearth.