Malachi Azure
2030
“Go. Get out of here. Now.” The woman snarled before the young girl with a head of curly, bold grey dyed hair dashed down the hall. Kai could hear her steps, and moved to the side just in time to not be bowled over by the petite girl. “Hey, careful there.” Kai spoke in a calm, neutral tone. She paused, and immediately looked up at the man in front of her. Not just any man, but the future king of Listaria, Prince Malachi Azure, having just returned from visiting his family. “Oh, your… your highness. My apologies for being in your way, I just…” she paused, biting her lip slightly before taking a breath. “Don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong. What’s your name?” She looked down, not sure how to act in the presence of a prince. “I… I’m…” she began, only for Kai to lightly lift her chin to meet her eyes. “Hey, don’t be nervous. I’m Kai. It’s a pleasure to meet you…” Kai trailed off, expecting the girl to finish the sentence with her name. “Skye. I’m Skye.”
2031
“Wine? Red wine? How did Ms Elieen not kill you? I swear that woman was picturing my death just for getting a drop of jam on my uniform. Am I like… looking at a corpse right now? Or are you a ghost or…” Skye trailed off into an exaggerated gasp. “No. Are you a vampire? Oh that makes so much more sense now. It wasn’t wine, it was blood, and that’s why you really bring so many girls into your bed. Not for the sex, but for a meal.” Skye stuck her tongue out at Kai as he shook his head with a laugh. “I know, I thought she was going to kill me for that. I’m still on thin ice for it.” Skye gave a smile, knowing how he felt about being on thin ice for a stain. “What’s the worst she could do though? You are The Prince Malachi. She’d do what, make you do your own laundry? Or at least your own bed sheets.” Skye said with a laugh. “You know, I don’t think she would even let me do my own laundry. It wouldn’t be up to her standards if I did it. I don’t know what she would do, but Ms Elieen still scares me in a way, even now.” Skye nodded. “Have you ever even seen that woman not scowling? She’s terrifying.”
“Damnnnnn Kai, how do you ever manage to wake up in the morning? This mattress is heavennnnnnn.” Skye said, having sat down and laid back onto Kai’s bed. “I… don’t really sleep all that much.” Kai shrugged. “What, too busy staying up all night with any lady who happens to look your way?” Skye responded, mostly jokingly. “I guess that’s part of it.” Kai agreed with a slight chuckle, knowing it was more than just that. With everything that had gone on in his life, when he was younger, even to more recently, sleep didn’t always come easily… Kai looked at Skye as she not only stood back up, but walked right up to Kai to grab his hand and pull him over towards the bed. “Come on, lay here and just relax” Kai slightly shrugged, just going along with what Skye was doing. However, things didn’t go as smoothly as Skye had intended, stepping backwards and tripping, landing on the bed. Though, with the way it happened, she pulled Kai right down with her, to where he was on top of her, their bodies right against each other, and faces mere inches apart. Perhaps it was that moment, or perhaps it had even been before, Malachi Azure could feel something, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Not since Jess. That banter, the light heartedness, the weight of the world off of his shoulders for just a moment when he was around her. Skye was someone who had come to matter a lot to him as a friend, someone he could be genuine with, but being that close to her only made it more clear to him. Even though they had become great friends, the attraction he felt towards her when they first met was still there. That being said, he didn’t expect to find her lips meeting his. She made it clear early on that she wasn’t going to just be another one of the girls he slept with because he wasn’t happy with his life or in his relationship with his wife, but there they were, her closing the gap to kiss him after they had simply looked at each other for a mere few seconds that felt like hours.
2032
“Kai…” Skye began, looking up at the man. Even before she gave a slight nod as an answer to the question he hadn’t even asked yet. Quickly checking that nobody was around watching, Kai grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into the bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind them and kissing her. First, on the lips, then neck, slowly trailing down. “Kai, this is not the time.” He paused the kissing for just a moment to look at her beautiful features, before continuing, stopping when his lips reached her stomach. He brought his hand to her stomach, feeling her soft, smooth skin and looking at her with a light smile. “We will figure this out.” Kai said, with no doubt in his mind. What they were going to do, he didn’t know. He didn’t have a plan, but they could figure it out together. “I love you, and this baby, even if it was an accident.” Kai could see the tears building in her eyes as he told her he loved her. He had felt it for a while, but hadn’t said it before that moment, because the last time he let someone hold his heart in their hands, he came out of it hurt. He had hurt Jess, and she had hurt him. They had both hurt each other so much. There would forever be that part of him that would love Jess in a way he couldn’t love anyone else, but now there was someone else that also had his heart like no other. Soulmates, true love, did any of that exist? Maybe not, probably not in Kai’s world, but Malachi Azure could say one thing without a doubt. He had experienced two great loves in his life, but… it also meant he experienced twice the loss…
“Your highness?” A butler who knew of the relationship between Kai and Skye, questioned as Kai had just returned. “I just got word, but, there has been… an accident… with Skye and the baby…”
“What do you mean, an accident? What happened, where is Skye?”
“It seems she was sent out on an errand, and she was hurt…”
“And the baby?”
“Alive. She’s fine… but Skye… she didn’t make it.” With those words, Kai first felt a slight relief knowing that the baby, his and Skye’s daughter, was fine, but then came the crushing feeling. Skye didn’t make it. Skye was gone, but their daughter was alive. The woman he was in love with was dead. He hadn’t been there, he hadn’t been able to protect her, when he knew she deserved to much better. Jess had been a passionate love that he felt with all of his heart, one that made him feel alive, then Skye, she was without a doubt, his best friend, his better half in a way. Both of them deserved so much better. Jess, she had found better, happiness, a family, as he had just seen not long ago, but Skye, she would never get that chance. Skye was gone, but her daughter, their daughter, was still here. It didn’t matter how broken Kai felt, he was all that baby girl had, and she was the only thing keeping him going.
@benitz786 - Jess mentioned