Grey Thorns

Chapter 13- His Tattoo

"Where are you taking me?" I ask as I look over at him with one hand on the wheel going 50. He grins to himself.

"Somewhere. Just watch." he says.

"Tell me." I urge.

"Okay, but you have to wake up first." he smiles as he looks over at me. "Huh?" I ask and then I look infront of us and a dark cloacked figure stood in the middle of the road.

"Max." I hear my name and jolt awake. I reach up and clear my paranoic head of clammy sweat.

I see Liam standing next to my bed and feel stupid that he had to come all the way to my dorm to wake me up. "What are you doing here?" I ask and sit up.

He sits down on the bed next to me. "I um... have to take you somewhere." he says rather awkwardly. The word that made me curious was Had.

"Have?" I question and he glances away and nods. "My father wants to meet you. It has nothing to do with us so don't worry." he says.

He looks like he hasn't slept all night. His eyes carried shadows underneath him and he hasnt shaved. He actually look slightly older and more appealing with a small amount of facial hair. Maybe I'm just weird, I don't know.  "Is it bad?" I ask adjusting myself so my legs can hang over the bed. He shrugs. "I don't know. He just told me to bring you to him." he says.

I study his face for some sort of clue. But found nothing but tiredness. "Why do you look so tired?" I ask.

He looks down at the floor and shakes his head. "Its nothing, now come on." he says standing up.

I stand up and he looks me up and down. "You should change first." he says and I nod. I'm sure greeting a King in shorts and a ripped up old shirt isn't the best way to make a good expression.

I put on a black sweater and white pants hoping it was classy enough. Liam didn't really give me a look of approval, or really acknowledged me in a positive way. He was by the window looking out. With the sun framing his tired profile but his hair, that looked sort of messy, reflected the sun making his black hair almost gold. I admired him.

He looks over at me in the bathroom doorway and opens the window, with a subtle motion of his head, signalling that he wants me to go first.

So I swing my leg over and grab a tree limb to ease my dismount on my jarred ankles. He just sits on the window seal and slides out, 2 stories up with an unaffected landing. He made my landing look redicilous. "Come on. Follow me." he says and I wasn't sure if I wanted to walk next to him. So I followed behind him, admiring the way he walked up the hill. He takes me through a dense forest, that he made through more easier than I did, and up a lot of hills until I saw a building in the distance. It looked about a mile away which wasn't a releif on my calves but I pulled myself together and fought it. He comes to a stop and doesn't turn to look at me. Once I catch up he continues to walk so I guessed he wanted me next to him. When we get closer to the building he squared his shoulders up and looked defensive. "Hold onto my arm." he orders.

"Why?" I ask. "Just do it, Max." he demands harshly so I give in and grab his upper arm.

He opens the front doors and guides me in with his hands in his pockets. I could feel his arm flex when someone steps out. "Liam. How nice of you to return." the boy said. He was around my size, looked young in the face but his hair was solid white, not blond. His muscles were prominent through his white muscle shirt. "It's not nice being here." Liam answers with a bit of gravel in his voice. "Why so harsh? A prince should be blessed in his kingdom." he says after we pass him. I could hear a low growl under his throat as he pushes the next door open with force.