2. Something Wrong
Blake wasn’t smirking when he returned from The Hidden Island half an hour later. He wasn’t making sarcastic comments or even looking at his mate the way he’s known for –like she’s the sun and more. Simply put, he wasn’t his usual self. He was pensive. And Blake was never pensive.
That was what Maria noticed the moment he teleported back to their house. But that didn’t last long. Within minutes, he was back to normal –or so it looked like.
He couldn’t fool his mate though. After more than a decade spent in his company, she knew him well. She wasn’t stupid enough to believe everything was okay, especially when he had put up a mental barrier, preventing her from reading his mind.
She could feel it in the air, in the silence he surrounded himself with, in the very way he was carrying himself in the house. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
“Tell me what it is, babe,” she breathed out softly as she started to massage his shoulders which were stiff with tension.
He sighed from where he was sitting on the sofa, supposedly reading the newspaper, when she knew he was only using it as an excuse to be alone, and to be quiet as well.
Maria grew more worried if that was possible.
Blake and his father weren’t close. At all. She didn’t understand how the news of his father’s illness could upset him so much. Sure, he was entitled to look sad and worried. But grave and grim?
Something was wrong. So very wrong.
“Blake? Baby?” She called out after a moment.
“My father’s sick as you already heard,” he began in a tone that bordered on the bored. “Do you know what that means?”
She shook her head no.
“That I have to accept my heritage,” he choked on the last word and stopped. He turned to face her and said in a resigned tone while looking her straight in the eyes. “I have to become King, cara.”
“Why do you say it like it’s a bad thing?” She questioned, looking perplexed.
“Because it is,” he scoffed. “You don’t know it yet but the court is toxic. It’s everything I wished to avoid, eternally.”
Maria bit on her lower lip, thinking thoroughly before saying, “Surely, you knew it’d have to come eventually.”
“I was hoping I’d get more time. I was hoping there would be a royal of age by the time the old man decided to give up his position to someone else.”
“I’m sorry,” Maria let out softly.
He rolled his eyes at her, a glimpse of his usual self showing. “What are you sorry about, cara?”
“For not understanding your reasons sooner,” she told him genuinely, a wry smile gracing her features.
“I’m the one who’s sorry. I have so much baggage.” A sardonic self-derisive smirk broke on his features and Maria inwardly cringed at that.
“I’m sure it’ll work out just fine,” she tried to reassure him, knowing deep down it was futile. He had over a thousand years on her after all.
“I hope so, cara. I truly do.”
He sounded so desperate to believe that it’d work out that she started to wonder what could be wrong with the court. If Blake was worried, could she and their daughter, Anastasia, handle it?
“Oh, and cara? Do not breathe a word of this in front of Ana.”
Maria pursed her lips, wondering how they were going to announce it to their whimsical and absurdly spoiled daughter, and how they could hide such a thing from her.
“All in due time,” he said in a tone of finality.