Eden Salvatore

The duty was an enormously irritating pain in the ass. She was ruining my life, sitting there in her pretty dress with stupid little flowers on it. Rosy cheeks, pouty lips and all.

A book in her hands, she concentrated on the damn thing like it was going to be the one she read. Her back was against the glass window at the other end of the room. I had been watching her for the last hour.

What if it suddenly shattered and she fell down to the ground, breaking her neck in half. An embarrassing cause of death. I silently huffed to myself.

" Stop leaning on that damn window. " I finally said, looking at her blankly.

She sat straighter up, obviously startled by my voice but she never took her eyes off of the pages. " It's been here for hundred of years. Nothing had happened then so it won't now. "

I furrowed my eyebrows. " You do realize that you sound utterly stupid? "

" We're on the ground floor. I won't fall and die. You're interrupting me. " she frowned at her book.

" Fine. Break your damn neck. I don't care. " I grumbled, tearing my gaze away.

She didn't say anything after that. Silence dawned upon the room. I stared blankly at the laptop on my laps. Hundred of emails from the hospital was nothing but a bunch of jumbled mess before my eyes. I could barely make out each words let alone long passages about medical cases.

Distracted and annoyed, I was starting to lose my mind in this room. A hospital room was supposed to be nothing but white like a cold ghost hall but no the royalties must have their ways. There was paintings everywhere I turned and the designs on the wall were ridiculous. I felt like I was dying in a museum.

Glaring at the IV that was hooked to my arm, I debated snatching it out of my vein and getting the hell out of here until I remembered spending a very painful half an hour watching the nurse struggled to hook it in place under my gaze.

" You're in a very crappy mood. " she said. I snapped my head toward her once again.

Her eyes were still in the damn book and I scowled in annoyance. I had never wanted her attention more. The bastard must have hit me very hard.

Tearing my gaze away from her, I grumbled silently. " I'm a ray of fucking sunshine as always. "

" There's a bowl of Oreos on your left. "

I furrowed my eyebrows before slowly turning my head sideway. A purple bowl filled with my one true love sat on the top of the bedside table, looking so beautiful. I felt my heart skipped a beat.

I shifted my eyes back at her a few seconds later and stared at her face, unamused. " How long has it been there? " I scowled.

" Since I came in three hours ago. " she shrugged her shoulders casually.

" Why didn't you give it to me? "

" I was saving it for your crappiest mood. No offense but sick Eden is an annoying pain in the ass. "

My lips curled up into a small smile at her sharp remarks. She called me annoying.

" Now you know how I feel having to deal with you everyday. " I cocked an eyebrow at her.

" You weren't annoyed when your hands were up my shirt and down my pants two days ago. " she hummed in response.

" I believe I was on antihypertensive medications, propofol, fentanyl, midazolam, and the inhaled fluorinated ethers such as sevoflurane and desflurane. But, seriously what the fuck? " I furrowed my eyebrows at realization.

Her eyes suddenly snapped up. " Do you regret it? "

" Regret what? " I asked.

" Being a horny bastard on crack. "

" No. "

" Did I take advantage of you? You weren't exactly yourself. " she continued.

" I can shove my hand down there again to prove a point. "

The duty choked on her words as she struggled to say anything else. So, I left her to her misery and grabbed the bowl then started eating in confusion.

I was sucking her face a minute away from dying and shoving my tongue into her throat while I was higher than Nicholas's airplane. The universe had to be messing with me.

" Good morning, your highness. " the doctor bowed his head from the entrance. I tore my gaze away from the bowl and sighed at his sight.

Adalina quickly dropped the book she was reading with a slight scowl on her face. Beat the shit out of anyone who interrupted her reading. I mentally noted in my head.

Narrowing my eyes at the doctor, I took another bite of my cookie. And, by the time he reached my side I had analyzed eleven different creative ways for him to die.

" Any news about the prince's condition? " she asked the doctor while walking toward the bed.

I sighed, tilting my head sideway to look at her. She gave me a weird looks in return. " You could've asked me that. "

" He's your doctor. "

" I'm the best doctor I could get. " I said.

She squinted her eyes at me, crossing her arms over her chest. " Unless you're willing to let me reopen every stitches and wounds he had healed and then proceed to treat yourself all over again, your opinion is irrelevant at the moment. "

" You should've waited until I woke up before letting anyone else touched me. "

" I apologize for wanting to save my husband's life. If I dare remember, vividly you were bleeding to death in my arms. Do you want to try to kill you again so you can get your way, my prince? " she said.

I opened my mouth to argue when she shut me up completely.

" You could've died, you ass. Do you know how scared I was having to drag your half dead body across the forest alone in the middle of the night? I'm not going to let you give me shit for letting another doctor treat you. Get over whatever stupid pride you've got and let him take a look at you. Or just drop dead and see if I care. "

I stared blankly at her. " Do your shits and leave. " I muttered.

She was mad at me because I almost died. I barely had control over the case but everything suddenly felt like my fault. Her words sank into my head and imprinted their forever.

" The wounds are healing very well. There's no sign of a concussion which is great. His highness is a strong man. You needn't worry, your highness. " the doctor assured her with a smile.

" When can he leave? "

" Whenever the hell I want. " I grumbled.

" Listen to the damn doctor. " she grunted back.

" Fine. " I mumbled in annoyance.

The doctor chuckled. I shifted my unamused gaze toward him. " There's nothing funny about this. "

" A few more days then he can go, your highness. "

He left. She stood there staring at me while I proceeded to eat my treats.

There weren't enough words in this lifetime to describe how much I loved it. Sweetness invaded my senses, sinking into my teeth the softness melted beautifully like cotton candy cloud on my tongue.

I stared at the snowy white wrapped between dark brown and a breathy sigh escaped my throat. It wasn't sure where heaven was but this sure felt like it.

I pretended I didn't feel her gaze on the side of my face, ignoring her existence.

Cursing out loud, she snatched the bowl out of my hand, knocking the half eaten cookie. I watched it fell to ground. I looked back up and narrowed my eyes at her before glaring down again at my fallen sweets.

That hurt more than the fucking bullet wound in my torso. I wanted a divorce.

" I apologize. That was unnecessary. I was just frustrated. I'm worried about you, Eden. " she sighed, placing the bowl on the nightstand.

" I don't care. "

" I thought you were dying on me for awhile. " she mumbled quietly, running her fingers through her hair.

I followed her hand motion in silence, listening to her except I didn't hear a thing she said. I watched her lips moved in sync as she talked her mouth away. I realized then that I didn't have a chance to really ask her how she felt about her husband almost dying on her hands.

Her childhood trauma came rushing back and I felt rather stupid for letting her go through that again when I swore to never allow her to experience such thing. I took a deep breath, thinking about how she must have felt holding my cold body, feeling my blood on her skin and thinking someone had died because of her again.

I leaned my back against the headboard and pulled her up to my side, pressing her body to mine as I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. I placed a kiss on her temple and she went completely still and quiet.

She was stronger than stainless steel. I didn't think anyone had noticed that about her. I doubted she knew that herself but she was. Even when I held her gently in my arms like a delicate china doll because I was afraid she would break.

The words left my mouth before I realized it. " I'm sorry. "

" Excuse me? " she tilted her head to look up at me. Damned that huge brown eyes.

I exhaled sharply. " Are you deaf? "

" Ass. " she muttered, looking away but settled her face on my neck.

Closing my eyes, I enjoyed the feeling of having her in my arms. Warm and soft. " You know you're the only person I want to kiss and hug. It's okay if I die protecting you. " I confessed.

" Only because you can avoid everyone else except me since we're married and all. " she scoffed playfully.

" I barely care about anything but you got under my skin. Fuck you for that. Witch. "

Her eyes lightened and the rare golden specks hidden underneath the layer of dark brown didn't go unnoticed by me. Just when I thought she couldn't be prettier.

" Is that supposed to make me feel better about myself? " she laughed wholeheartedly.

" Considering I hate every other living things, yes. " I hummed in response.

" Suck to be the other 7.9 billion then. " she smiled up at me. Very pretty damn beautiful.

I want to kiss you. I want to kiss you.

" Stop smiling. You look stupid. " I muttered, narrowing my eyes at her.

Still smiling, she muttered. " Mean bastard. "

I gave her an unamused look before yawning. She nuzzled her face into my neck. Fingers playing with my hair and her arm draped carefully across my torso. She whispered softly into my ear, telling me to sleep.

It was a bitter sweet realization but I was exactly where I meant to be.

➺ ♕ ↞

A/N: not to be dramatic or anything but i'll die for these two.