Black Keys: Black Keys Chapter 15

(SM) owns Twilight.

(CozItRunsInMyBlood) owns the plot.

(RobzBeanie) is a lifesaver and she beta this.

(GrandeDame) is my soul-mate and per-reader.

Chapter 15

Isabella Marie

My mouth went dry.

"It's, uh, … the mirror in the bathroom broke; it caused this. No big deal," the prince answered the question I now knew for sure was questioning what had caused the wound on his shoulder.

"Ameer!" the Queen gasped, then spoke in Arabic again.

I wanted to scream.

"No, Mother, I'm not lying. It's the truth."

I didn't like what I was seeing, nor did I like what I was hearing. The prince's tone was not that strong, rough tone I’d heard him use many times with my brother, his sister and Mona. It sounded like he wasn't that powerful person at all. And I think that there was some fading trace of panic in his voice.

I hated it.

And I hated the Queen for it.

I didn't understand why he wasn't stopping her, shutting her up and kicking her out. She was sticking her nose in our business and involving herself in things that weren't hers to ask or even talk about.

I wanted to tell her exactly that. I wanted to scream at her to 'Shut up,' that we had had enough, that I had had enough of her and her stupid attitude. But I couldn't.

I just couldn't.

There was this thing about her … she was scary. Like, really, really scary. I had a strong feeling she could do whatever she wanted to do, and that the 'whatever she wanted to do' wasn't always a good thing. Or ever. Because since the first time I’d met her at the wedding, she hadn't seemed nice; she wouldn't even talk to me. The morning that followed, she threatened me that I'll see what I won't find pleasing if I ever hurt her son, and then the prince told me that 'she wouldn't be happy' if she learned about me being forced, that we didn't want that. Then Alice told me that the Queen 'couldn't hate her more,' and right after that she tried to strike her. And now with the prince – the powerful, commanding prince – not daring to tell her to mind her own business … it was just too scary. Clearly, you just couldn't mess with that woman.

And I hated it more than anything I’d ever hated.

Because no one should be like that, act like that, and just get away with it. On a daily basis. It was sickening.

The Queen let go of the prince's arm with a jerk and turned to look at me. Her eyes would be shooting fire if they could, scaring me even more if that was possible.

"You weren't a virgin after all." Bitterness filled her voice. "I knew it!" She threw her hands up in the air, screaming the words in frustration, causing me to flinch and to take a step back.

Even though my gaze was fixed on her, I was able to see with the corner of my eye as the prince gripped his hair with both of his hands – apparently this was something he’d never wanted to happen.

The Queen took a deep breath, and despite the fact that deep breaths were supposed to calm you down when nervous or angry, it seemed that the Queen took one so she could scream it out with her next words.

"You and your brother are dead."

Merciful God!

My eyes widened even more and I felt like someone had just punched me in the chest. I clutched my cross for dear life as I saw her taking a step towards me.

God! God! Oh, God!

What's she going to do?

In one second the prince moved to stand right in front of me, blocking her from reaching me. Though I was grateful, I couldn't help but wonder what she was going to do if the prince hadn't stepped between us. Was she going to hit me? Or was she going to choke me to death? And if the prince wasn't there to stop her, what kind of power did I have to prevent anything like that from happening? The answer wasn't hard to find. I had nothing I could do. Absolutely nothing.

"She's a virgin, Mother, she's a virgin," the prince said in a rush, both of his hands in front of him in a settle-down motion. "It's not what you think."

She yelled at him in the language that had grown to drive me insane since I didn't get a word in it, and my head started spinning faster than ever.

"Mother," the prince said slowly. "I s-swear to God she's a virgin. She just – needs time."

That seemed to shut her up for a minute. I peeked over his shoulder to look at her and see what her reaction was to that. Her eyes were focused on the prince's in a look that seemed like she was studying him, like she was searching for something else other than the words he’d just said, only breaking her stare when he nodded his head as if he was begging her silently to believe him.

My heart almost burst out of my chest when her glare found my eyes. I had to look down and hide behind the prince's broad shoulders again.

"Or you're just not man enough to do it, Ya-Ameer."

I watched as the prince clenched his fists by his sides and I heard his breathing change. It didn't escape my notice that those were the first words she’d said to him in English, and that when she said it – she didn't mean to only insult him. No, she said it my language to humiliate him as well.

It hurt me.

"Please, Mother," the prince said. "It's between me and my wife."

Wife.

The word went straight to my heart and settled there after sending tingles all over my insides.

"Huh," the queen let out a sarcastic noise. "We'll see about that," she said, using my language again, and when the words made the fear inside my heart rise, I knew that that was exactly the purpose of it.

A deadly glare of hers managed to reach my eyes from behind the prince's shoulder when I peeked again, a promise of something I didn't know and a warning filling it such that I almost shivered just looking at her before she left.

~BK~

Alice's promise of getting me out of here was the only thing that kept me from screaming my guts out. The Queen was scary. I had a strong feeling she was up to no good, like she was planning something for me.

My head kept going back to her words: 'You and your brother are dead.' It kept repeating itself in my head. Over and over again. Eating away at my soul with the fear it caused. I was terrified. And I blamed Jasper some more. I blamed him to the point that I didn't know if I had any drop of love for him inside of my heart anymore. I blamed him to the point I started thinking that I was about to hate him. More than hate itself, at that.

'You and your brother are dead.'

I took a deep breath and wiped a tear with the back of my hand that was formed in a tight fist around the item inside of it. My eyes gazed away at the window, not really able to see any of the magical sight of the gardens that I knew were down there, from my spot on the bed. My heart wouldn't stop thumping so fast and so loud in my ears, nor would my silent tears stop falling over my life that had turned upside down in the matter of a very few days.

When the Queen left us, the prince asked if I was okay, his voice low and full of so many feelings, and he wouldn't look me in the eyes. Feelings that were all around sadness, sorrow and a hint of anger. Feelings that were dominated by that one feeling I hated to hear in his voice the most – humiliation.

It made me really sad to hear that tone from him. Beyond sad. I didn't want anything in that moment except to reach out and hug him, to try with the little I had of words of assurance or a caring embrace to soothe him and take the pain in his eyes away. But those very thoughts scared me even more than I was already scared, because I found myself caring for him and how he was feeling – more than I would ever like to admit. And it was scary.

When I nodded my reply to him, he informed me that he would be in the sunroom for a while. I didn't comment. He didn't wait for me to reply, anyway. He just went to the closet to grab a shirt then went to where he’d said he was going as fast as he could.

'You and your brother are dead.'

'I'll get you out of here.'

'You and your brother are dead.'

'I'll get you out of here.'

'You and your brother are dead.'

I clenched my fist tighter, and begged with my heart harder, while my heartbeats grew faster. I was going insane.

~BK~

"Where should I put it, Princess?'' Mona asked after I allowed her in, a big tray full of food in her hands.

"I don't want to eat," I replied, wiping away another round of silent tears with the back of my hand and moving my eyes back to gaze out the window from my spot on the bed.

Mona stood there for a moment, and I wondered if she was going to say anything or was just going to leave, but she did neither. Just stood there. Eventually, she left the tray on the round table in the middle of the room and knocked on the mirror door before going inside and closing it behind her after the prince told her to 'Come in.' She was probably going to inform him that dinner was ready.

When she didn't come out after a few minutes, I figured that she’d used the other door in the sunroom that I'd yet to see.

I heard the sunroom door being opened but I didn't look back at it. I just stayed still in my almost-frozen state that I'd been in for hours that seemed like days.

I felt the prince approaching before hearing him – don't ask me how. I just did. I didn't look. But then I felt the spot beside me on the bed sink down as the prince sat on it. I still didn't look … for some reason. And then he spoke.

"Mona says you don't want to eat," he said in a soft voice.

"I don't." Still looking away.

The prince sighed, then his right hand found my left one that was placed on my lap. He laced our fingers together and placed our joined hands on his knee and squeezed, his thumb tracing the back of mine in the softest of touches.

I closed my eyes tightly shut and fought with my breaths to stay even, pressed on both of my lips that were pulled inside of my mouth where I bit hard on them. So many emotions inside of me were fighting against each other that for a second I started getting worried that I'd soon pass out from all of the mixed feelings.

I felt fingertips on my quivering chin and then a soft pull as the prince's other hand turned my head in his direction, forcing me with the tenderness of the gentle touch to face him.

I finally opened my eyes, freeing new tears when I blinked a few away, my gaze fixed on his. He moved his hand away from my chin only to wipe the tears away, then pulled on my chin again, this time to release my lips from the trap of my teeth, rubbing once right under my bottom lip in a soothing touch, his eyes watching his thumb on my face for a second and looking me in the eyes the next.

He smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. We didn't talk. But we still said everything. Another tear escaped my eyes, and 'I'm sorry' escaped his lips right after it.

"You didn't do anything wrong," I found myself telling him.

"But my mother did, and I apologize on her behalf," he said quietly.

I shook my head and looked down at our tangled fingers, watching as his thumb continued its movements over my hand, accidentally forcing his hand on my face away and completely regretting looking down right away.

"What did she want anyway? What brought her here? Uninvited! I thought she should've gotten our permission first! It's not the second day anymore, right?" I said when I looked up at his face once more.

The prince sighed again. "I guess she wasn't thinking; she was so mad that Alica wasn't with her husband. People saw him moving around the palace and informed her. She really wasn't happy with it, like you saw."

Jasper again …

"Rules and traditions are really important to my mother; she doesn't like it when things get off track." His quiet voice was now closed with sadness, even more than before.

"She shouldn't have said that to you – it wasn't nice," I said, trying with the little I had of assurances to let him know I wasn't happy with what she’d told him, because it – truly – wasn't fair.

"It's fine," he said after a pause. "She’s always known when I was lying." He shook his head.

"Yeah?"

He nodded.

"She believed you eventually."

"Because I never say God's name with a lie, ever. I've been always known for that; I never swear, I never break a promise and I never cry."

Huh!

"It's the only thing that's bothering me," he huffed. "I hate that I lied with God's name."

He wasn't just saying it – pain was written all over his face. He really didn't like what he had said.

And he said it – he did it – for me …

"But you didn't lie with God's name," I whispered.

"What?"

"I – uh … I'm a virgin." I looked down, blushing deeply.

"Uh … what?"

"You heard me." He was embarrassing me more than I was already.

"Oh, yes, I heard. Yes. It's just – I mean … what?"

"I'm a virgin, okay? Virgin. I've never had sex before!"

"Wow!"

"Why is it so hard to believe?"

"Uh, it's not … I just – I never thought you would be, even when your brother said you were."

"And why is that?!"

"Because you're so beautiful, you're smart and intelligent, and you're twenty-two. I read somewhere that most Americans lose their virginity before the age of twenty, even without marriage."

Because you're so beautiful …

"Well, thank you, but – don't believe everything you read," I told him. "Is that why you called me a filthy American who spreads her legs for a meal?"

He looked regretful. "Uh, I apolo-"

"You already apologized for that; there is no need for more." And I kind of deserved it. "Maybe most Americans do or do not lose their virginity as teenagers, but I take the rules and laws of my religion seriously. I'm Catholic, I believe that sex should be only after marriage, that your body is sacred and you should never share it with anyone but your spouse. Lots of Americans think the same, not just Catholics."

"I really didn't know that." Embarrassment shone in his eyes.

I smiled. "Someone told me before not to judge without knowledge."

The prince grinned. "Sounds like a very wise man."

"Yeah, but I’ve just started to think he's arrogant, as well," I giggled.

The prince let out a small chuckle. "He's not, I promise."

I giggled again.

"That's a very nice sound," he said, his eyes watching me and his hand squeezing mine. "You should do it more often."

My blush deepened and I bit down on my bottom lip. "Yeah," was all I managed to say.

We went into a comfortable silence for a few moments before the prince sighed and spoke again. "I wish my sister had believed in everything you just said; lots of things would've been different if she had."

Tingle. In my chest. I didn't know where it came from or why. Didn't know if it was a sad or happy one. I just felt it. My chest. Tingled.

"We all make mistakes, we are not angels, nobody is," I defended the girl I didn't even know.

"I do know that, but without rules and laws – the world would be nothing but a huge ball of chaos, don't you think, Princess?"

"I agree, but nothing ever justifies killing another human being just because of a moment of weakness," I told him.

"That doesn't work in every case." He pressed his lips into a tight line as he shook his head.

I frowned.

"If that worked, then there should never be a law that allows people to put others in an electric chair and kill them just because in a moment of weakness – like you put it – they killed another."

"It's not the same thing," I said.

"Maybe not the same thing, but it's a law. Laws are what keep us in line."

"Yeah, well, some laws are just stupid," I said in frustration.

The prince shook his head. "Some laws are unfair, but that's only for people who break them. And sometimes, no matter what you do or no matter how big the power you have in your hands – you could never change them, so you just do your best to avoid breaking them, because that's all you can do."

It took me a moment to take his words in, and when I understood it – as much as I could – I nodded. It was their laws, stupid or not, fair or not – they were laws. They couldn't just break, deny or change them.

It was such a sad thing. It made me want to thank God even more, for he had created me away from this world. Because the cruelty in this one made me thankful for mine.

My right hand was about to go to my chest, to hold my cross, only to remember that I didn't need to – it was already in my hand.

A tear escaped my eyes at the memory of how I’d lost what I just lost, and the prince noticed it immediately.

"Hey," the prince whispered. "No more tears, please." He wiped the tear with his thumb again. "I'm so sor-"

"I'm not crying because of what happened," I interrupted him before he could apologize for his mother's actions again. "Not that, anyway."

"What's wrong then?"

I held my right hand up in front of him so he could see what I had in it. "I broke it." I let out a soft sob.

"Oh," was all the prince said. He took the cross from my hand and held it in his, examining it. "How did you do that?"

"When the Queen was here and she– … I gripped it hard, and it broke," I sniffled.

The prince said something under his breath that might've sounded like a curse. "I'm sorry, Princess."

I nodded. "Me, too. I was just so scared."

"God!" he said loudly. "I know she can be scary, but you shouldn't have been scared,."

I looked at him in wonder.

"I told you," his voice was just above a whisper. "I told you that as long as I breathe, no one can ever touch a hair on your head, Princess. Please, trust this. I really do never break my promise." Honesty filled his voice and his eyes begged me to believe him, while my heart and mind reminded me that I should've remembered that before. I would've saved myself from so much worry and fear.

I managed to smile as I squeezed his hand in gratefulness for the soothing words and the gentle touches, nodding my head in response.

He smiled back, then let go of my hand. The feeling of loss that its absence caused hit me hard in my chest, and I had no explanation for it. The next thing I knew, the prince was tying my necklace with the cross charm in it around my left wrist, securing it while making sure it wasn't too tight around my wrist.

"It's now right above the main vein that is the nearest one to your heart – where God is," he smiled.

I stared at my wrist in amazement, my eyes wide and mouth agape. "Oh, my God!" I gushed. "This is … this is perfect, thank you so much."

The prince grinned widely and nodded his head. "My pleasure, Princess."

I wanted to hug him tightly; this small gesture meant so much more to me than I could explain. But before I could do so, he got up then offered me his hand. "Shall we eat now?"

I nodded with a grin, taking his hand and standing up, food no longer sounding like a very bad idea.

Just as we were about to make it to the round table, there was a knock at the door and Mona entered after she got permission from the prince. Her eyes held a delight and joy I'd never seen in them before, the smile of happiness almost breaking her face.

"It's Salma," she almost squealed the words.

"Salma?!" The prince's eyes widened as he gasped the name in a question.

Mona nodded frantically, the smile never leaving her lips.

In one second, the prince's hand left mine and he ran out of the main bedroom door as if his legs were on fire, Mona following right behind him.

What on earth just happened?

Did he just leave the room?

Who the heck is Salma?!

~BK~

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