The Royalty

Chapter 11

Trying to calm myself, I sat down on my bed and closed my eyes. I squeezed them shut tightly and rubbed the bridge of my nose. A headache was starting to make my head pound. There was a stab of pain on my upper arm and it felt like there was a warm, thick liquid dripping down my skin. I leaped to my feet and sprinted into my bathroom, pulling off my shirt as I ran to the mirror. The searing pain in my arm worsened as I stared at the reflection of my arm. There was blood spilling from a wound that was just like the ones Erika made when I resisted her. I turned on the water and splashed it over the cut. I grabbed a towel and held it to my arm. My headache and the pain in my arm hurt more and more as flashes of Erika and her golden knife passed through my mind. Tears formed in my eyes from the burning sensation.

After a minute or two, the pain decreased and I pulled the towel away. I did a double take. The white towel was spotless, not a speck of blood on it. I looked to my arm and there were no new cuts and no blood. I blinked in surprise and rubbed the skin on my bicep. There wasn't a twinge of pain. How could a cut just appear and disappear in a matter of minutes? Was it even really there in the first place?

I'm going crazy. I've officially lost my mind.

I slid to the tiled floor of the bathroom, cradling my head in my hands. I was sure there was something wrong with me. Hallucinations? Anxiety? What normal person has those? This wasn't good. How could I be prince of a country when I was psychotic? How could I do anything, knowing that the state of my sanity was deteriorating with every passing second?

I took a few deep breaths and got to my feet again. The clock said that America would be here within the next few minutes. She was exactly what I needed right now. If she just held me, I knew that I would feel better. I'd be shaken out of this psychosis and everything would go back to the way it was. Yes, as long as I had America, everything would be okay.

I made sure I didn't look too awful and disheveled before opening my bedroom door and leaning against the frame of it, waiting for her arrival. The hall was lined with guards to the extent that it almost looked ridiculous. The men were so close to each other that some of them even touched shoulders. I chuckled to myself, feeling a little better and less disoriented from the hallucination.

America turned the corner, followed by a group of guards, and I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth. Her eyes sparkled when she saw me. I felt my pulse speed up, but not from anxiety this time. "Thank you, gentlemen. I think I've got it from here," I said smoothly. America quirked an eyebrow at me. She walked into my room and I closed the door behind us.

I moved to the window and looked outside, lost in thought. Would I tell America about what happened after she left? She was my fiancée and I should be honest with her, but I feared that she'd be scared off by the truth and I couldn't have that. If she left, there was no way I'd make it through this. I'd have nothing to live for.

A hand touched my back and I started in alarm. I was about to whip my head around and fight the person touching me, when in realized it was America's slender hand. "Maxon," America said worriedly. "Are you okay?" I let out air I didn't know I'd been holding inside of my lungs.

"Yeah," I replied. My hand ran through my hair to attempt to settle my still ruffled nerves. I cleared my throat with a cough. "Yeah. I'm- I'm fine. Just a little jumpy is all. Nothing to worry about."

America stared at me like she was trying to figure out a perplexing math problem and she would go to whatever lengths necessary to find the answer. I hoped she would move on and stop trying to find out was wrong. It scared me to think of how she'd react if she found out how messed up I really was. America shook her head as if to clear her head, and took my hand in hers.

She led me to the bed and we sat next to each other. I gazed down at her. America's hair fell over her face and her eyelashes fluttered as she looked up at me. The moment her keen, azure eyes met mine, all of my thoughts drifted away. I couldn't fight the urge to be closer to her. I put my forehead against hers, our noses rubbing lightly. Her breaths were hot on my lips and tickled my face. A few strands of her hair fell on my cheeks, sending sparks over my skin. It took all of my strength not kiss her right there and then. We looked into each other's eyes and I felt hypnotized by her. It seemed impossible that someone like her could exist. Beautiful, yet flawed in all the right ways.

America's desire was almost palpable. It was too much for me to take. I couldn't bear the distance for a second longer. I leaned in and kissed her roughly. Her breathing stopped for a moment, before she exhaled a content breath through her nose. She ran her hands along my shoulders and her fingers tugged at my hair lightly. I suppressed a moan as she ran her fingertips lightly over my cheek, over my scars. I expected her to pull away at how revolting the scars were, but America just stroked my face tenderly, not caring about my imperfections. My eyelids fluttered open for a moment to steal a glance at her. Her eyes were closed and her cheeks were flushed and hot. America's long lashes raised and she opened her eyes. The expression in her eyes made me feel like I was needed. Maybe not by the world, but by her. It was the most amazing, astounding, astonishing feeling.

We closed our eyes as I brought her even closer to me. I laid back on the bed, resting her on top of me. We never broke apart as we embraced. America leaned into me as I drew patterns on her back with my fingers. She ran her nails along my hairline, causing me to shiver in delight.

America kissed me for a second more, before moving off of me and on to my comforter. She turned to me, her breaths unsteady and ragged. America looked at my face for a while. Our eyes drooped from sudden exhaustion. With a satisfied look on her face, she turned her back to me and snuggled up to me affectionately. I wrapped her in my arms protectively. "I love you," I murmured into her ear.

America drifted off and eventually I did too.