The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy
Chapter 0409

"I love it," I reply, breathy. But then I frown, looking up at him. "You never answered my question, though. Why did you bring me to this?" He smiles down. "Because I intuited you'd love it, little pyromaniac princess."

I burst into laugher, sitting up straight.

"What," he says, grinning at me, "you always tend the fires at school, and insist on building one, even when it's stifling hot in that room -"

"I so do not!"

"You do," he insists, raising a critical eyebrow at me, and I scowl before leaning back against him and tacitly admitting it. But...well, a fire is nice! And I like it when the bricks on the fireplace stay hot all night and warm my little nook.

"But beyond feeding your rather worrying preoccupation with flame," Luca says, a little dry, making me laugh, "I brought you here because...I've been trying, for twenty-four hours, at least, to...go back to my roots. To remember things that make me feel...real. And not like a fraud."

I ignore the parts about him being a fraud because I know he doesn't want to have that fight right now - me insisting that he's not, and him having to dig further into his current state of self-loathing to insist that he is. So, I focus on the other thing that he said. "So, this," I say, raising my chin at the bonfire, at the small community gathered around it - simply enjoying being together, and having a few drinks, and laughing and singing in the firelight. "This makes you feel real?"

"It does," he says on a tiny sigh. "We used to come here every year - to this fire. Mom...we lived alone, in a little apartment, before we went to live with Gran. After...after dad left. And we didn't have a lot - mom says we survived on crumbs and pride, and we laugh about it now but...the reality wasn't too funny."

My heart swells with pain, and I try to keep it from the bond because I want Luca to tell me these things, even if I know that his core instinct is to just tuck this part of himself away, his dark memories, his sadness. But I pull my mitten off, and wrap my hand around the back of his neck beneath his scarf, wanting to feel my skin on his.

Just for a moment. Just so he knows I'm real, and I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere.

Luca smiles at me. "Yeah," he says, laughing a little, his brashness coming back as he pretends that the memory doesn't hurt him as much as it does. "Dark days, then. But we'd always come here at Christmas, and...you know, there was always something to eat. And mom would have some drinks, and I'd run around with the other neighborhood kids, and it was always..."

He gets a little choked up, and I press myself close to his side when I see silver line his eyes.

"It was always a good night," he murmurs, looking out towards the fire, pretending not to notice the little tear that drifts down his cheek.

I do my very, very best not to cry. And I only fail a little bit, but Luca just laughs and wipes my tears away with his thumb. "I'm very grateful to you, Ariel," he murmurs gently as he does. "For...helping me figure out who I really am. Even if I'm not there yet." "You're magnificent, Luc," I murmur, taking his cheeks between my hands and pressing a serious kiss to his mouth. "Thank you for letting me in."

He gives me a wink, some of his cheeky confidence coming back. "Anytime."

Someone clears their throat behind me, and we both look back to see one of my bodyguards stepping close. He looks significantly at his watch, letting me know that time has run short. Has probably run fully away with me, if I'm being realistic. I sigh as I look back at Luca.

"Let's get you home, Gorgeous," he says, giving me a sly grin and a final kiss before he stands and helps me up.