Sons of Lyra: Runaway Hearts (7 page)

Acer looked shocked for a
moment.

“
I can’t go
against orders issued by my superiors, you know that. What you’re
asking me to do is impossible and would most likely result in
destruction of either of the ships or war.” Acer’s look turned dark
and serious.

Sebastian realised that he
was right. All was lost whatever he did. If they went after the
Minervans, they would open fire and Terea could be injured or
killed in the battle. That battle could lead to war between the
Lyra and Minerva. The relationship between the two systems were
strained at best, and it would only take a single push to break the
tie between them completely and push them into war. He couldn’t put
the lives of his people at risk for the sake of her, and he
couldn’t risk her. He had to do as she’d asked and go on without
her, hoping one day that they’d meet again.

He lowered his head and
sighed in resignation.

“
Besides, I
don’t have time to be running after Minervans. I have strict orders
to get you back in time for your wedding. I hope you enjoyed your
jaunt, brother, because when you get back, you’re going to be under
lock and key.”

Acer’s words chilled him
to the bone. He’d forgotten that returning to Lyra Prime meant
returning to be married. He knew his parents and they weren’t going
to let him out of their sight until he was wed. There was no way
he’d be able to escape again and find Terea.

“
Come,” Acer
said and placed his arm around his shoulders, grinning. “The whole
of the galaxy is waiting to see you get hitched.”

Sebastian couldn’t manage
a smile or anything remotely near one. He stared out of the airlock
windows at the dark space beyond. He’d seen the stars as he’d
wanted but at the same time, he’d found so much more. He’d found
the woman he wanted.

Now he’d never see her
again.

***

Sebastian stared through
the tall glass panelled doors that led onto his balcony, feeling
nothing and seeing nothing. It was a matter of minutes now. This
week had been the longest and most painful of his life. His parents
wouldn’t hear a word of his protests and had banned the mention of
Terea’s name. They’d assured him that he’d forget her.

What did they
know?

It had been a week and he
hadn’t stopped thinking about her, replaying every moment in their
short time together. He’d never forget her. He’d never stop
thinking about her.

Acer had been little
comfort, and neither had Balt. Not even his youngest brother Remi
had been able to lift his spirits. He’d banned them all from his
room two days ago. He couldn’t bear to speak to anyone anymore. He
only wanted to see her and speak to her.

The only one who had
managed to get a smile out of him had been Kayla, and that was
because she’d reassured him that he would see Terea again one day
and that he could divorce his future bride once his parents were
dead and he was king. It had even made him laugh for a moment. She
knew his family’s stubbornness so well and she’d only been with
them a short while.

“
Your Highness,
it’s time,” someone said as they opened the door to his room and
then left again.

He stood and sighed as he
walked to the door and followed them down the hall. Kayla was
right. In a few years, his parents might be dead and he could
divorce his current wife and find Terea again. He hated to wish
that fate upon them, but he couldn’t help himself. He longed to see
her.

The sun was bright today,
warm on his face as he stepped out of the palace and onto the white
wide open square in front of it. The walk to the end of the rich
blue line of carpet that marked the aisle was long and made him
even wearier. His heart was heavy, empty. He wondered if it would
always feel this way, as though it was missing and a black hole had
opened up in its space, sucking every feeling into it and leaving
him numb.

The priest said something
to him that he didn’t bother listening to. He stood with his back
to everyone, the gathered hundreds that sat either side of the
aisle, and stared off into the distance.

The fanfare began. He
didn’t turn around. He didn’t care if it was tradition to watch the
bride approach. It would give him no joy to see her. He wanted
Terea. His eyes went skyward and he wished he were out there
amongst the stars with her, free of this life. She’d wanted to be
free with him. She’d said as much. Had their short time together
affected her as deeply as it had affected him?

The woman came to a halt
beside him, dressed in black and silver. He glared at her where she
stood facing the priest, her side to him and her face hidden
beneath the black veil.

A Minervan?

His lip curled in
disgust.

His parents were marrying
him off to a Minervan?

The fanfare ended and the
priest called for everyone to stand. Sebastian turned to face her.
She lowered her head, her hand disappearing under her veil. He
frowned as she pressed the back of her index finger to below her
eyes as though she was catching tears. Was she happy or sad? The
priest told her to turn to face him. She turned her head away
instead and took a long deep breath as though trying to control her
emotions. The priest again told her to face him.

She did this
time.

She turned with head bowed
and stood in silence as her attendants lifted her veil and placed
it over her hair.

He frowned and stepped
back.

Impossible.

She raised her head
slowly, her expression sad until her eyes reached his face. Her
frown matched his.

“
You’re the
Lyran I was running away from?” Terea said, too shocked to take any
notice of the priest or the audience they had.

It was
impossible.

Was she
dreaming?

He hesitated a moment, his
mouth hanging open and his feelings in disarray, telling her that
he was having difficulty understanding this too.

She smiled and he followed
suit.

“
Heir Prince
Sebastian Lyra I,” he said and held his hand out to her as though
introducing himself.

She placed hers into it
and realised he was shaking as badly as she was. “Princess Terea
Atelier.”

She laughed when his
fingers closed around hers and he raised her hand to his mouth and
kissed the back of it.

“
I can’t
believe I ran away from you,” she said and then frowned at him.
“Were you running away from me too?”

He nodded and gave a low
laugh. “What a pair we are.”

She stepped up to him and
ran her free hand up his dark blue jacket, curling it around his
neck. “We certainly are.”

Her eyes rolled closed
when he dipped his head and kissed her, his other hand wrapping
around her back and tugging her close until her body was pressed
against his.

“
Your Highness,
it isn’t supposed to start with a kiss,” the priest
whispered.

She smiled when Sebastian
looked at him and then at her. “It always starts with a
kiss.”

“
Your Highness,
I implore you.”

She pressed her hand
against Sebastian’s chest to stop him when he leaned towards her.
The priest thanked her with a smile. It was painful stopping
Sebastian when all she wanted to do was kiss him. She held his gaze
while the priest continued with the ceremony. Sebastian looked so
handsome, his black hair tousled by her fingers and his tight blue
jacket emphasising the broadness of his chest and shoulders. She
shook her head.

“
To think, I
thought you a common thief,” she whispered, hoping not to disturb
the priest. She couldn’t stand here mute when she had so many
things to say to Sebastian. She’d thought she’d never see him
again. This past week without him had been hell. She’d thought of
only him, had cried her heart out every day until she had run out
of tears.

He smiled, his dark eyes
shining with it. Tears rose into hers, but this time they were
tears of happiness. She couldn’t believe she’d run away from her
arranged marriage only to end up in the arms of her future husband
anyway. At least this way she felt as though he was someone of her
own choosing. She would have to thank her father now. He’d been
furious when she’d been brought back and had refused to marry the
Lyran prince.

She was so thankful that
her father was stubborn. She might have talked her way out of
marrying Sebastian.

The backs of his fingers
brushed her cheek. “And I know you’re a thief.”

She dropped her gaze to
her feet, unable to look him in the eye. “I admit, I did steal five
hundred silver Lynans from you.”

His hand opened and cupped
her cheek. He raised it, forcing her to lift her head and look at
him again.

“
You stole more
than that,” he whispered.

She frowned. “I
did?”

“
You stole my
heart,” he said with so much affection in his eyes that she
blushed.

Before she could open her
mouth to respond, he was kissing her again. She closed her eyes and
leaned into him, her arms going around his neck. The kiss was sweet
and gentle, filled with love and tenderness that made her melt
inside. She tightened her hands against him, not wanting to let him
go.

The priest cleared his
throat. This time they both ignored him.

He sighed and then said,
with a slam of his book, “I pronounce you husband and
wife.”

She smiled against
Sebastian’s lips when he grabbed her around the waist and kissed
her hard.

Her eyes widened when his
hands slid lower and he scooped her up into his arms, cradling her
with one arm against her back and one hooked under her knees. He
didn’t stop kissing her as he carried her down the aisle. A murmur
rose amongst the gathered guests. She could sense their curiosity
and their intrigued stares.

“
Where do you
think you’re going?” A strong female voice cut through the
rest.

Sebastian stopped and his
lips left hers. She craned her neck to see one woman standing and
recognised who it was. His mother. Sebastian’s grip on her
tightened.

“
This is
Terea,” he said with a wide smile. “I suppose I can mention her
name in our house again now that she’s my wife?”

His mother looked
shocked.

“
For once, I am
glad that you are as stubborn as a Gavaelian farnsk.” His smile
became a grin and he started walking again.

Terea looked up at him, at
her husband, and wondered just what gods of the universe were
smiling on them to bring them together like this. Perhaps Iskara
and Arkus were working together for once.

“
Answer me,
young man!” His mother’s voice rang in the distance.

He didn’t.

She looked at the people
they were passing as he walked down the aisle with her and then
towards the palace they were heading towards.

“
Where
are
we
going?” she said with a curious frown.

He lowered his head and
kissed her cheek before drawing back and looking deep into her
eyes.

“
To catch up...
I have a bottle of Koji in my room.” He grinned. It was infectious.
She couldn’t help smiling at him as she remembered their night
together.

“
We have a lot
of catching up to do,” she said and pulled herself up so she could
kiss him.

He didn’t stop walking.
She peppered his cheek and neck with kisses.

“
You don’t care
that I’m Minervan?” She reached out to his mind a little, wanting
to see if he told her the truth.

“
Not at all,”
he said and started up the steps to the palace with her. It was
cooler inside the building. She leaned back and looked at him. He
wasn’t lying. He really didn’t care. “But if you keep invading my
mind...”

Her eyes
widened.

“
You can feel
me?” she said.

He nodded. “It only
happened after we’d—well, you know what happened. I was so addled
with our feelings and the Koji that I didn’t realise until after...
and I didn’t know that it was a Minervan gift.”

“
It isn’t,” she
said and played with the hair at the back of his head. “My mother
was Varkan. It’s a trait I picked up from her. No one knows I have
it.”

“
No one but
me,” he corrected.

“
I still can’t
believe I was running away from you, and ran right into your
arms.”

He pressed his cheek
against hers and squeezed her.

“
And here
you’ll stay, my love,” he whispered into her ear.

She sighed and buried her
face against his neck, relieved that she had found him again and
that his feelings for her were the same as her own.

“
My love,” she
echoed and closed her eyes.

He pressed a kiss to her
hair.

“
I like feeling
you happy,” he said and turned down a corridor.