427 Curiosity

Bianca looked at him with bated breath. She wanted to listen to him, she was giving him all the chance in the world. Did he feel even an iota of what she felt for him? "But you just said that you need me more for your kingdom?" 

Brantley closed his eyes. It was the truth. He needed her for his people and his kingdom more than he needed her for him, because she was the only one who could restore nature's balance. "That is true," he said in a low disembodied voice. "But it is also true that I can't stay a day without you now." When he opened his eyes, they flickered with passion and longing, which reached his heart. 

"Why did you leave me back then?" she asked as her heart pounded so fast that it threatened to jump out. 

"You were too young Bianca. You were just sixteen. But if it is going to be of any help, I was always there around you," he said. What he didn't say was how he had tackled with those stupid boyfriends of hers who didn't deserve her.