Part 24

If Talia had trouble breathing before, it's near impossible now, vision blurry with unshed tears. She didn't know what to do with her body, blindly clawing at the bunched up sheets to gain some level of grounding. The air in the room felt stuffy, impossibly hot and rapidly spreading all over her body, prickling at her skin until she was glistening with sweat. Her pulse sped up, heart hammering against her chest at the heat of their bodies pressed together.

"Lukas," She tried to press out, but the only sound coming from her mouth was a guttural moan. Her legs were starting to twitch, but the Prince slid his hands up to her hips, holding her still.

Talia trailed her hand over to his face, gripping at the material of his toga, pushes at his chest with urgency. Pulling away, the Prince took it off, discarding it somewhere, as if he didn't care about anything else at that moment.

With newfound confidence and excitement, she reached a hand inside, breath stuttering when Lukas bucked up into her hand.

"My love," He echoed, breath hitching, mouth hanging open, lips red and bruised.

"Please, make love to me"

Her thigh burned when Lukas hitched her leg up to his side, running a hand down the length of it before moving closer, lining up. The moon princess curled a hand around his neck.

The way his face softened immediately was a sight to behold; he intertwined their fingers together. She stuttered when he bought their linked hands to his lips so he could kiss her knuckles. The tender action made her heart flutter, turning her head to hide the smile.

That smile was immediately cut off when he pushed in, mouth shaping into an 'o' as each inch slid into her. Lukas was impossibly big, filling her up so well she could feel it in every part of her. Talia twisted her body around, squirming against the sheets, and buried her face in the jasmine-scented pillows.

In an instant, Lukas lips were on her neck and shoulders, breathing heavily against her skin, hair and making every single nerve ending on her body tremble with it. She tried to reach out, but her hands slipped on the smooth wood of the headboard. His fingers were right there, intertwining with hers and holding on so tightly that she was afraid of falling apart.

It's so unbelievably overwhelming that it didn't take the moon princess long to feel heat pooling in the pit of her abdomen.

Her heartbeat climbed higher and higher until she finally climaxed with a sudden burst of light. Talia's entire body went rigid, shaking for what seemed like hours before she collapsed back against the sheets. They felt weirdly cool against her heated sweat-slicked skin.

There was no way she could look at the Princes face after. Her lover managed to peel every layer away of hers, clothing and her soul alike, leaving her body bare in the warm glow of the candlelight.

His voice was low and rough but so earnest it made her chest hurt when Lukas declared his love for her. Talia muffled her sobs with the pillow, gasping until she could barely take any air in. They got mixed with the sounds of her pleasure till they finally decided to sleep.

***

Talia barely slept all night, twisting and turning under the sheets. Lukas was wrapped around her body like a second skin, his curls brushing up just under her chin, arms heavy wrapped around her waist. The sound of his breathing; soft tufts of air hit her ear. Despite that calming sound, she couldn't come to rest. Whenever the moon princess tried to close her eyes, the words said by Artemis echoed.

Finally, around sunrise, she gave up sleeping and decided to take a long hot shower.

Wrapped in a single white sheet, she stepped out and caught sight of her in one of the mirrors. The wet strands of her hair slicked back artfully, droplets trailing down her face before disappearing in the sheets. Her eyes appeared sunken, hollow with dark circles underneath. Talia sighed, running her fingers over her the lines of her tired face.

"Good morning", A voice croaked from behind.

She almost jumped then realised that it's Lukas. Without turning around, the moon princess hummed. "Morning"

"You are so beautiful, my love." He rumbled, voice heavy and sleep-induced, "Takes my breath away every single time."

Heat prickled at her neck at those words, breath still caught in her throat. Will she ever get tired of hearing compliments from him? Probably not. Taking a deep breath, she turned around, a teasing grin on her face. "No need to charm me anymore, my dear Prince. I'm already yours"

It's a lame attempt to hide her pain, confusion going on in her mind. She failed to tell him the truth about her engagement, Ajaxson's weird behaviour towards her and her parents' firm decision. All of this was too much to handle, and Talia could not drag him anymore in her mess. He had taken enough burnt of their relationship already.

Lukas cleared his throat, "Aren't you missing something?"

"H-Huh?" She gaped at him, throat dry and cheeks flushed from the intense stare on her body. What was she missing? Did he find about her secret already?

"I meant, are you not curious about my lack of communication. Did you not miss me?"

A relieved sigh escaped her lips. She nodded, trying to hide the panic that might be showing on her face. Walking closer, the moon princess plopped on the edge of the bed. "Of course, I missed you. And sent you dozen of letters but did not receive any reply from your side."

Lukas rubbed his face, making a sound at the back of his throat. Fluffing the pillow, he sat up, resting his back against the headrest. His messy hair fell on his forehead, eyes crinkling as he met her eyes. "Forgive me, my love. I keep on disappointing you. Someone sent me a bunch of letters raising some serious concerns about our boundaries. My duties could not be ignored, so I had to leave the Palace as soon as possible. All your letters were sent to my place, but I was unavailable."

"Oh," Zeus daughter breathed. "Does that mean you did not get the opportunity to read them?"

The Prince chuckled. "No. I read them upon my return. One of my guards was kind enough to save all those letters, and he handed it over to me. That's why I rushed back here."

"Still, it's dangerous. Someone could have caught you. The thought alone keeps me up at night."

Talia cannot imagine the kind of punishment her father would hand out to Lukas. Zeus was ruthless, even more so if it involved crime against his family. Sometimes her brothers also got to experiment with his fury, suffering for years to no end. That's why no one stood up to him, readily accepting their mistakes.

Lukas bought his hand towards her, cradling the side of her face. "Will you stop worrying about me? I am fine, my love. Nothing is going to happen as long as I have you."

"You flatter me."

Silence blanketed them, their sounds of breathing echoing in the room. The sudden shift in his demeanour was evident as he pulled apart. Talia curled her fingers, finding a most accessible way to start their conversation.

"T-There's something I have to tell you, Lukas, and I know it may not sound pleasant—"

He cut her off, "Is it about your engagement?"

The breath knocked out of her lungs at once, jaw slacking open as those words rang in her ears. With her eyes wide, she gawked at the Prince in front. How did he find out? Did Artemis tell him in secret? Or could it be Hera? So many questions swirled in her head, making it difficult for her to inhale and exhale. She tried to quell the panic in her chest by flickering her attention around the room, mainly towards the door in case someone barged in.

With a sharp inhale, she managed to meet his eyes again. "H-How did you find out?"

Lukas pulled her closer by waist, his hand resting right there. He lifted her chin, thumb brushing against the corner of her mouth. "Breathe"

The moon princess dumbly nodded, exhaling loudly through her mouth. Once she appeared calm, the Prince gave her a weak smile. "Good?"

"Yes"

Lukas bobbed his head, parting his lips. "I know this sounds shocking, but Ajaxson is the one who told me. He sent me a message through one of his trusted guards. I don't know how he found out my address but that God sure has some connections."

There's a sting right at her temples that made her eyelids twitch. Did she hear it right? Her betrothed sent a message to her lover. What was going on? She felt so lost, mouth opening and closing in confusion. Why would Ajaxson send Lukas a message and not talk with her?

***