Forced Affection

The next morning I awoke in Leo’s arms. My whole body ached. No doubt from more than one of the activities I had participated in yesterday and last night. But none the less the pain was well and truly evident and I couldn’t help but want to ring and tell Rae of everything; about the Circle, about Leo, about the guys, about those 3 words, about the fight, and well of course about the sex; in fact that was the only thing I wanted to tell her about. It didn’t matter that she had said never to talk to her again, this would be something she would want to know, for this sort of information she would listen and with my apology I knew she would accept, forgiving and understanding why I had done everything I had. I sighed to myself. Should that be my first thought? Shouldn’t it be that I love him? Should he not be my first thought when I wake up in the morning in his arms just after ever having sex with him? Well after ever having sex? I sighed again and rolled over, his arms still wrapped protectively around me.
‘Parker wake up’ I say as I push his arms and poke him. His eyes open and he turns to face me, frowning before shaking his head and smiling at me. It wasn’t his smirk, or his infamous grin. No it was a smile that I had probably never seen before. I couldn’t help but smile back. In that brief moment my insecurities and pain seemed to drift away. I had killed the people responsible for what happened to my brother and uncle. I had finally confessed how I feel and best of all I felt safe in Leo’s arms.
‘I’m awake’ Leo mutters as he faces me and closes his eyes again.
‘Don’t you dare go back to sleep. We have a lot to discuss’ I say as I kiss his neck.
‘Mmmm, how about you start and I’ll join in’ Leo smirks as I hit him on the arm.
‘No you loser. I want to know what happened last night’ I say as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
‘We had sex’ Leo replied, eyes still closed. I rolled my eyes and sighed. I knew this was going to be effort to make him talk.
‘Don’t roll your eyes at me’ Leo mutters, still with his eyes closed nothing surprised me anymore. At times I think he knows me better than I know myself.
‘Before that’ I say getting back to his first response and ignoring the fact he knew I had rolled my eyes at him. Was I really that predictable?
‘Before sex? Argument?’ he said as if the sex was the only important thing that had happened last night. Sure it was super important, but it wasn’t the only thing that had happened and needed to be discussed.
‘Before that’ I say playing along with his time wasting game.
‘Killing of the Circle. Should be a weekly adventure’ Leo snips and I smirk again.
‘After that’ I say hoping he would hurry up and lose interest so I could get straight to the point.
‘Your confession of love’ he says smirking. I smack him in the arm again. This was going to take too long. But I enjoyed it. Seeing him like this, completely calmed and relaxed-not being the Prince of Darkness was something I could get used to, someone I would stand next to through anything.
‘After that’ I say as I roll out of his arm and move back to my side of the bed. Away from him. If this was the only way I would get his full attention, I would most definitely be out of his reach.
‘Your break down?’ Leo says completely lost as he opens his eyes and looks at me.
‘Close enough’ I sigh as I still stay out of his reach. I knew he wasn’t going to bring it up-this was as good as it was going to get if I didn’t address the issue myself, I would never find out the truth.
He stretched his arm out to me and tried to pull me back into him. ‘I don’t cuddle after sex, you should consider yourself lucky.’ I rolled my eyes again, his arrogance was something I’d still have to get used to.
‘Please you’ve probably never stayed around for the morning for that to be a possible’ I snipe back at him. He smirked at me but moved closer to me. Normally a comment like that would have him getting defensive-the bonus of having sex? Maybe the euphoria was still keeping him happy?
‘Harsh, you know that?!’ he said pretending to be offended as he grabbed me and pulled me back into him.
‘Parker quit playing’ I begin as I squirm in his arms. He kissed my neck so I stopped squirming, but refused to drop the subject, I continued ‘I want to know why you were so pissed off? What happened with your dad? I mean what is going to happen? Remember I can’t read minds-I’m not in the know all here!’ I say as he now leans on one arm and looks down at me. He sighs but I know he is about to tell me everything. I smile knowing I had won.
‘I’ll tell you everything, but not in the bed. This is place for good times’ Leo smirked winking as he rolled out of bed and made his way to the kitchen, grabbing some clothes on the way.
I sighed and hit the pillow; he was still avoiding the topic. I frowned and grabbed Leo’s jumper and put it on over my singlet and underwear. I walked out to Leo making coffee.
‘Here is good enough. Tell me. What had you so angry last night? But so happy now?’ I say sitting down over the table from him.
‘Sex does that’ Leo said again smirking.
‘No. Stop it, no more sex, and no more references to it and no more avoiding the topic Parker. Sit and tell me.’ I snap as he turns around with his infamous raised eyebrow and the look of boredom.
‘You really want to know?’ he questioned sitting down and sliding me a cup of coffee. I politely took a sip, even thought I wouldn’t regularly drink it.
‘Of course I want to know. Last night I was so indifferent. I had no idea what was going on, you were scary, scarier than I have ever seen you, scarier than threatening to kill me, when you yell at me, when you are having ago at someone else, when you were killing the other vampires. Last night I feared for my life, you say you have never met someone that pisses you off as much as me, but I-I have never made you behave like that. Please tell me’ I say not dropping his gaze even though I knew he wanted to look away-but we were both too stubborn to turn away.
‘He took everything away from me. He rid me of everything.’ Leo said, with no emotion in his voice at all. He didn’t flinch; he didn’t move he was perfectly still, entirely and completely. There was nothing. No bored tone, now raised eyebrow, no smirk and certainly no arrogance, he was emotionless. I felt my stomach get tighter, the idea that if I had any contents in it, it would now be all over the table.
‘Umm, sorry?’ I say trying to comprehend. The usual Leo would have made jokes about dumb questions; instead he took a breath and closed his eyes.
‘Craig took everything away from me, he already knew about everything when I got there. I saw everything Lucas had showed him. You looked like a victim in it and I looked like a hero and he still saw right through it. He knew you went for revenge. All he said to me was to leave, in the sharpest voice he turned to Lucas and compelled him to never show that again. Lucas left straight away’ Leo said still emotionless, not defeated just emotionless.
‘But I’m, I, you, I don’t understand still’ I mumbled worried that at any moment he would split and turn into the incensed Leo again that I never wanted to see again.
‘He kicked me out; he told me he wouldn’t give me anything. He is refusing to give me the throne. He doesn’t care if this breaks the treaty, he is punishing me because that is what I wanted. He thinks I want the power more than the throne and the only way he can stop my transformation is by stopping this marriage. If there is no power, the marriage won’t be a go ahead-there is nothing here for you anymore. Taking away the throne, takes away my power, the need for the marriage, it takes away you’ Leo said looking sickened. I took a deep breath and I felt my heart beat increase. This was my chance; I could get out of this marriage, no longer being tied to Leo-I could have my own life the way I wanted it. That thought was immediately quashed, I would forever be tired to him-we shared the same life line. I bite my lip and automatically frowned.
‘I should have told you before we had sex, I used you, you don’t have to be here anymore; you’re free to leave’ Leo said immediately looking without hope. It was my turn to sit still. I didn’t move, I know I would never be as still as him, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything, my heart ached and it felt like eternity with Leo staring at me. What would I do?
‘Breathe’ Leo muttered out of habit. I finally took in a breath and couldn’t help but smile-how many guys out there would remind me to breathe when necessary?
‘What do you want?’ I asked confidently.
‘Excuse me?’ Leo questioned hesitantly.
‘You said you’re father think you want the power, and for that you need me and the marriage-but with no thrown there is no need for me. Do you really want the power?’ I asked proudly, not letting any inch of doubt in my mind-Leo would answer this correctly.
Leo smiled, didn’t smirk or sneer-this was a smile that made if all the way to his eye effortlessly. That made my heart skip a beat, I had managed two smiles in one day-this maybe the best day of my life.
‘I want you’ Leo said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. I couldn’t help but smile dumbly; he had chosen me over the power. I lunged across the table into his arms. He kissed me on the forehead.
‘You want me? Not the power?’ I whispered just to be sure. He held me on his lap, not letting go as he closed his eyes and rested his head against my forehead.
‘I couldn’t care less about the power. As long as I have you’ he whispered. His breath sending shivers down my spine.
‘So I don’t want to leave. I want you’ I say back to him.
‘So it’s still on, without the throne?’ he asked now looking into my eyes.
‘Well the contract might not be, but I still want this, I still want you, I still want the marriage’ I say hoping his was what he wanted as well.
‘Good, because I want all that as well’ Leo said letting a sigh of relief.
‘If we still get married, you still inherit your powers’ I mutter just wanting us to be on the same page.
‘Yes, I do. I will evolve. I will become the almighty Leo Parker, Prince of Darkness-with the inability to take the throne peacefully like planned’ Leo gulped. I could hear the brutal honest in his voice and the self doubt began to seep back into me. Peacefully, there is no way of that now-I tried to force a smile.
‘Only if we get married before your 21st birthday’ I whisper, barely above an audible tone-but I still knew he had heard it. I can only hope I wouldn’t have to fulfil my destiny, because murdering him meant killing myself-I couldn’t live without him literally, or emotionally.