Shatter: A Jonah Clemence x MC Romance (Ikemen Revolution)

19: The December Masque Pt.1

(Alice's P.O.V)

With only one letter left to read, I found myself caught, unable to finish it until after Jonah left me for the evening.

Despite only being able to speak a few words at a time, he insisted on taking me all the way to my bedroom. My complaints about being tired and a little overwhelmed had clearly worried him enough to warrant his company -

But in truth, what he didn't yet know was what was hurting my heart the most.

I tried to keep us chatting lightly as we walked away from the library, hoping I could keep my mind off of the chaos that had been those letters. Once we finally stopped outside my bedroom door, I leant against the panel entrance and met his eyes.

I could see he was worried.

"Guards....will stand by....all night...."

I wasn't surprised that I wasn't staying in Jonah's room tonight. The December Masque was literally hours away, beginning with the pre-preparations in the morning. This meant that the Queen of Hearts would not only need whatever sleep he could get, but presumably wouldn't get much in general since he had to help ensure everything went off without a hitch, what with the possible threat of Levie attending.

And that wasn't even all. He needed to get to his appointment with Kyle sooner or later to see if Harr could heal more of his jaw. Without it, he'd hardly be able to speak during the Masque.

All in all, tonight just wasn't the night for him to be on guard duty for me.

I rose my hand and softly stroked his cheek.

"I promise I'll be okay. Don't worry about me. You have alot on your mind; you need to focus on that."

I felt my heart ache as I watched him ever so slightly lean into my touch. He gave a soft sigh, then nodded as his eyes once again found mine.

"Take it easy. Don't....stay up too late."

Before I could really think about what I was doing, I acted on instinct and pulled him in for a soft hug.

He'd done so much for me. I couldn't possibly thank him enough for all the care and effort he'd put into keeping me as safe and comfortable as possible since I'd gotten back.

Jonah stiffened instantly in response, but after a few moments, learned to calmly settle into my arms. He loosely put his hands around my middle, careful not to squeeze too hard.

"Alice....I need you to....remember what I'm....about to tell you...."

The Queen of Hearts seemed stern even as he uttered in my ear. When I attempted to pull away to give him my full attention, he held on and refused to let me go.

"Is it...something I have to keep between us..?" I uttered back softly.

"Yes. Don't....say a word."

His response told me all I needed to know. To keep up appearances, I settled even further into his hug.

"Okay, I'm listening."

"The Masque....it's tomorrow. Disciples.....will be everywhere. Whatever you do......don't....ever...let your guard down."

I wasn't expecting a warning. The thought a possible threat sent a chill up my spine.

"They are....dangerous?"

"You...will be protected. But....don't trust them. Any....good will they have....towards you....it could be a trap..."

He pulled back and placed his forehead against mine. Our eyes met and locked onto eachothers.