Thank you for following and reviewing! There is lots of Maxerica this chapter (as promised, lilythemermaid! - love your fanfic by the way!) and Guest mih, he will find out soon, just not today! Also, thank you to the reviewers who have been so consistent over the past few weeks, theselectionqueen, Dhenn618, prnamber3909, Athenachild101, and lily. Thank you to all the new reviewers as well - you all have been so positive and supportive.
Let me know what y'all think of this chapter! ;)
A.R. Darcangelo
Chapter 10:
Maxon pulled me along, only slowing down as we took corners. He came to a stop in front of his door.
"Your room?" I asked with a smile.
He grinned, opening the door. It took me a moment to realize Aspen was standing outside his door. His eyes locked with mine momentarily, but the door shut and our gaze was severed.
Maxon led me over to a door that connected to his room, right next to his desk. His desk was covered in paperwork, pens, newspaper clippings, and the magazine that Celeste had shown me at breakfast.
"I didn't pin you as the gossiping type," I teased, nodding toward the magazine.
"Not usually," Maxon shrugged. "I saw something I was interested in." He didn't elaborate.
He opened the door to the next room. It was pitch black except for the small amount of moonlight coming in between the slats in the heavy curtains.
"Ummm… I need you to close your eyes – just for a minute." Maxon got behind me and covered my eyes with his hands.
"It's not like I can see anything anyways," I said, rolling my eyes into his palms.
"Just in case," he responded, trying to sound nonchalant.
He led me through the room, and I heard another door creak open. It shut and I heard him flip on a light switch.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now," he said, taking his hands off my eyes.
We were at the top of a narrow staircase that twisted down to the right. It spiraled down into a safe room.
"This is where we are going? A safe room?" I asked incredulously.
Maxon chuckled. "Don't be silly. We're almost there."
He grabbed my hand and we started our descent down the staircase.
"Was there not an easier way to get where we are going than halfway through the castle?" I inquired.
"Yes, but I needed to bring you here a way where the guards would think they knew where we were. By bringing you through my room, no one will ask any questions."
"Oh, so you're kidnapping me? Should I be scared?" I said with a snicker.
Maxon stopped suddenly, facing me. He was a large step below me, so we were at eye level. His brown eyes shone with mischief.
I swallowed hard.
Maxon put a hand at my waist and pulled me close to him, his lips only centimeters from mine. "I hope you'll let me kidnap you often," he whispered against my lips.
My lips curved into a smile under his. He leaned in those few centimeters and pressed his mouth against mine. The kiss started gentle, then began to grow into something passionate and deep. My fingers had braided themselves into his soft blonde hair, and his hands were circling my waist, his fingertips pressing into my ribcage.
I let my hands slide out of his hair and down his neck, finally letting them rest on his chest. Maxon sighed, wrapping his arms completely around me so there was nothing but my hands between us. In the constricted space, I let my hands wander to the buttons on his shirt. I undid the first one shakily, and then the second. My hands could not move down any further between us, so I let my hands rest on the exposed part of his chest.
Maxon suddenly moved up a step, bending down to reach my lips. His hands had gone back to holding my waist. I quickly unbuttoned the remaining buttons on his shirt when the space became free. I ran my hands up and down the sculpted parts of his chest, feeling how strong and beautiful he was. He didn't ever stop me; his breaths only started to become heavier, intoxicated with the feeling of being this way with me.
I wanted Maxon. All of him, for as long as I could have him. But I also knew he wasn't completely mine to have – yet. As determined as I was to win back his trust and be with him, I knew we couldn't fully give ourselves to each other until we both knew we were each other's alone.
I sighed, letting my kiss soften. His did as well, and although I couldn't be sure, the look in his eyes as he pulled away told me he was thinking the same thing.
As we caught our breath, he continued to hold onto me. Then, unexpectedly, he laughed.
"What's so funny?" I asked, my eyebrows drawing together.
He put his forehead against mine. "I don't know if kidnapping you is such a great idea. I can't walk ten feet without you diverting my attention."
"Sorry," I said, not feeling sorry at all. I grinned.
He pecked me on the lips before reaching for his buttons and fastening them again. "Shall we?" he asked, gesturing down the remainder of the stairs.
When we walked into the wide space of the safe room, Maxon proceeded to press some unseen switch on the stone wall, and it slid inward, revealing another hidden passageway.
"Boy, when they built this place they really invested in safe rooms inside their safe rooms."
Maxon rolled his eyes. "This is not another safe room. This is a hallway that leads to the servant's quarters."
"The servant's quarters?" I said, poking my head through the door.
"Yes. Come on," he said, taking my hand again.
We walked down the hall, and about twenty yards in, there were shabby wooden doors about ten feet apart up as far as you could see down the narrow hall. It reminded me of the apartment building Kota lived in, except these living quarters looked significantly smaller and timeworn.
Maxon stopped at a door with the number 16 nailed to it in a faded gold. He smiled at me crookedly once before knocking on the door.
The door swung open almost immediately, revealing a golden haired beauty and my best friend.
"Marlee!" I squealed, tearing away from Maxon and jumping into her arms. She hugged me back, bouncing on her toes. I spotted Maxon behind us, covering his ears at our girlish squealing, but he was grinning widely and chuckling.
"It's been too long since I've seen you, America! I am so glad you are still here!" Marlee said, squeezing me tighter.
"Me too, " I said, thinking that I hadn't even remembered leaving Marlee behind too if I had to leave the palace. I was suddenly even more grateful that Maxon had been able to pull some strings so I could stay.
Behind Marlee, I spied Carter, looking much like Maxon, with his hands covering his ears and a smile on his face. Marlee turned around and smiled adoringly at him.
"Hello, Lady America," Carter said, putting his hands down.
"Hello, Carter," I said, breaking away from Marlee's embrace.
I saw his eyes shift behind me. "Prince Maxon," Carter said, bowing slightly.
Maxon stepped in Marlee and Carter's tiny home. "I told you, please call me Maxon," he replied, holding out a hand to shake Carter's.
"I'm ready whenever you're ready… Maxon," Carter said, looking a bit uncomfortable saying Maxon's name without the word 'prince' attached to it.
I looked at Maxon with a confused expression.
Maxon put his hand at the small of my back. "Why don't you visit with Marlee for a few minutes? Then we'll go."
"You mean this isn't our last stop?" I said in disbelief.
"No," Maxon said with a smile. He walked to the other side of the room with Carter and they began a quiet discussion.
"So! How have you been, America? From what I hear, you're already making some major changes to the country!" Marlee said with laughter in her eyes.
I sighed. "Yeah, not one of my smartest ideas, but what can I do about it now?"
She shrugged. "You know everyone is on your side, America. I hear it all the time. No one can stop talking about you. Everything filters through the servants. We see and hear everything."
"That doesn't surprise me," I laughed. "I'm sorry we're keeping you and Carter up so late. You must've known we were coming." I glanced in Maxon's direction suspiciously.
Marlee giggled. "Yes, Maxon came down for a minute this afternoon during lunch and asked if we would like to visit. I told him anytime, and of course he said that was perfect, since you would need to visit in the wee hours of the morning."
My eyebrows came together. "I have visited you during the day before though. He still hasn't told me what we're doing."
Marlee smiled knowingly. "I don't want to ruin anything. I know he wants to surprise you." She glanced behind her to make sure the boys weren't listening in. Her voice dropped to a low whisper. "He would do anything for you, America. I think he's risking a lot tonight."
I thought about that for a moment. Not even a day ago, we had argued because I was the higher risk. Just being with me put him in a jeopardizing position with his father, and if we couldn't keep my name up in the polls, the people would be upset with his decision as well, causing all sorts of trouble.
But if he was willing to take a risk with me tonight, whatever it was, it must mean he really wants me to stay – and for the long term. I smiled at the thought.
Maxon walked back to the front door, Carter on his heels. He had changed from his white dress shirt to a brown pullover that looked close to the same fabric as a potato sack, and his pants were a loose fitting pair of jeans with slightly frayed ends. His hair was mused as well – although I wondered if he had done that himself, or if that had been me.
Carter surprised me – he was in a military uniform, and although it didn't look as clean and pressed as the guards who walked around the palace, he would easily pass as a guard in one of the provinces outside the palace.
"Maxon, what in the world are you doing?" I asked, looking him up and down. I actually kind of liked this scruffed up version of him. It was kind of rugged and romantic all at the same time.
"We're going out," Maxon said, tugging on the shirt that was a little too big on him.
"Where?" I said stupidly.
He smiled at my confusion. "Outside the palace, sweetheart."
"Why?"
Marlee discreetly walked over to Carter and led him away from us, moving to the tiny kitchen in the corner of the room, giving us some privacy.
Maxon took both my hands in his. "America, I can't possibly understand what my country needs unless I see things for myself. And experiencing what you experienced – and I know sometimes worse – would help me to see things from your perspective. And my people's perspective. It hurts to know that this is something I am only discovering now. But I want to fix things, America. And besides, I promised you I had a plan to get the people to favor you again… Although it looks like you've already done that yourself," he said with a warm smile. I knew he must have seen the poll in Celeste's magazine then.
"How is sneaking out of the palace going to win me favor with the people? And Maxon, there are people out there that don't know you like I do. They don't like you, period. How are you going to protect yourself?" I asked, my voice rising in pitch as I tried to fathom the thought of a wandering rebel attacking him in the middle of the night.
"The people we will meet will get to know you personally. And me as well. It will simultaneously put you up in the polls, and if anyone we meet has connections with the rebels, hopefully it will lessen the attacks here at the palace. That is best case scenario anyway. And we have Carter to protect us," he said, grinning from ear to ear.
"How long have you been planning this? You've really thought this through," I said, impressed.
"Only for the past week or so, starting when my father left. I told you we had to come up with some ideas to help you be the people's favorite. You didn't think I forgot about that, did you?" Maxon said, tugging on my ponytail.
Carter had reappeared at Maxon's side. "So, are we ready to sneak out of this place?" he said with a toothy grin.
I beamed at Maxon. He returned my smile and grabbed my hand.