Chapter 164

Nolan found Yena was awake when he went back into the bedroom. She was seated cross-legged in a chair at the dining table and devouring a piece of chocolate cake.

“You’re up.” He smiled and made his way over to her, stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. “I’m glad you’re eating. I just heard about how you ran all the way here from the airport.”

Yena finished licking frosting off her fork and set it down. Took a sip of water, wiped her mouth, and smiled. “I was just thinking about that too. I can’t really believe I did that. It was just instinct, though. I didn’t even think about it.”

Nolan sat beside Yena, absentmindedly stroking her back as she continued eating.

“I’ll tell you this,” she continued, “food has never tasted this good in my life. I was so, so tired.”

“I’ll bet. I drank a lot of your blood, Yena.” He frowned, looking pensive, and gently swept her hair back over her shoulder, inspecting the bite wound on her neck.

It had healed some, but was starting to bruise purple in all the places where Nolan’s teeth had punctured her skin. Yena had taken in some of her own healing blood as they’d kissed, but not enough to really heal her own injuries properly. He figured the other side of her neck looked about the same.

“I am going to get you some vitamins. You need iron. And after you eat, I hope you’ll rest some more.”

“I’m really okay,” she said, putting her flatware down and turning her body square to Nolan. “Please don’t worry about me right now.”

He pushed a loose curl behind her ear. “Okay. I won’t. But can I convince you stay in bed with me for the rest of the evening?”

She leaned in close, begging for a kiss. He closed the inch gap she left between them and met her lips. “Of course. But I have a hard time believing you’ll actually let me sleep.”

Nolan shook his head. “I feel selfish, having taken so much from you today already. I feel stronger than ever. Like I could take on the world. But I left you weak.”

“Well, that’s fine. You’re the one that needs your strength. Since you’ve still got, ah…” She glanced away, her cheeks flushing red.

“Adan.” Nolan finished the unpleasant thought for her. “Yeah, I’ve still got him to deal with.”

“Any idea where he’s at? What he’s up to now?”

“He’s in hiding. God knows where.”

Yena loaded a big piece of cake onto her fork, then pivoted to offer it to Nolan. He opened his mouth and let her feed him. “You really don’t have any ideas where he could be hiding out?”

He shook his head no as he chewed and swallowed.

She pressed her lips together. “You’re gonna find him. He can’t hide forever.”

Nolan licked frosting from his lips, then wiped his mouth with his hand. “No, he can’t. But he can still inflict damage in the meantime, from wherever he’s at. Using his allies and connections.”

Yena drank down some more water, draining her glass, and gazed out the window thoughtfully.

In the past, Nolan would have let the conversation settle there. Sharing some of his thoughts with Yena, and holding the rest back.

But things felt different now. The walls he had been using to keep Yena at a distance – they had come crumbling down along with all the broken equipment in that hospital room. He wasn’t going to hold anything back from her anymore. Not this time.

“I’m worried, Yena.” He swallowed down a lump in his throat. “I’m afraid I won’t find him quickly. And he’ll do something drastic, hurt someone else, before I can stop him.”

Yena sighed. She got up from her own chair and came over to where Nolan sat and straddled him, sitting in his lap. Nolan’s arms wrapped around her comfortably.

“If he does hurt someone else, it will not be your fault,” she said, holding the sides of his face and looking him in the eye. Her tone was gentle, but firm and serious. “Everything Adan has done, and everything he might still do – there’s no one to blame for it but him. They’re his actions, not yours. And you’re going to get him, Nolan. You’re a good man. A good King. I know you, and I know you can handle this.”

Nolan took a breath in. Reminded himself: no holding back. There was only one thing he could think to say in response, and he was going to say it. “I love you so much, Yena.”

A lovely smile burst across her face, and she leaned in for another quick kiss on the lips. “I love you too,” she said. “Let’s never be apart again, okay?”

“Okay,” he said. “That’s a deal.”

“Thanks. Send me your location and keep me updated,” Nolan said into the phone.

“’Course, boss,” came the gravelly voice on the other end. “We’ll keep our position overnight, and I’ll call at first light for new orders if we’ve got no movement before then.”

Nolan hung up the phone and set it back on his nightstand.

“Who was that?” Yena was lying beside Nolan in bed, sleepy-eyed and stroking his arm lightly.

She’d said she wanted to nap, but Nolan couldn’t resist once he saw her back in their bed and he followed her in. He made love to her slowly, gently, let himself come with her the first time she got started, and held her until she drifted off to sleep. His phone had rung, though, just minutes later and woke her back up.

“Do you remember those men my mother introduced me to at my birthday party?” he asked. “Rough looking, older guys?” She nodded. “They’ve been working for me, following Adan for weeks. They saw him fleeing from Kerr’s mansion this morning after I was shot.”

“So do they know where he is?” Yena sat up, awake again with excitement.

“No. Adan was fast, got out of sight quickly. They’ve been tracking him and think they’ve found the general area where he might’ve stopped and set up camp. No sign of him yet, though. They’re not sure how far into the mountain he might have gone.”

Yena rolled close to Nolan and pressed her soft lips to his shoulder. “It sounds like a start. At least they know which way they went.”

Nolan grunted. He pondered a moment longer, feeling the itch of frustration. Then he shook his head, reprimanding himself internally. He wasn’t going to figure out where his brother was tonight. It was a waiting game now. No use spiraling, wondering, overthinking.

Yena was quiet. He glanced over at her and found she was looking at the door to her dressing room with a thoughtful expression on her face.

“You okay?”

“Oh, yeah.” She met Nolan’s eyes hesitantly. “I was just wondering, did you… is any of my stuff still here? You didn’t… get rid of everything, did you?”

“No. I didn’t get rid of anything. Everything is just as you left it.”

She beamed. Then shuffled out of bed quickly, strode across the bedroom and disappeared into the dressing room.

A few seconds later she came back out, holding something shiny in her hand.

“Help me put this on?” She held out to Nolan what he now saw was the gold necklace he’d given her months ago, the one she used to wear every day, which she had left behind when she moved out.

She jumped up into the bed and sat facing away from him, picked up the big golden mass of her hair and held it up. Nolan swept the necklace around her neck and closed the clasp.

She dropped her hair and turned around. Ran a finger lightly over the chain where it rested on her chest. And kissed him again.