Chris merely ignored my words and continued to spill kisses onto the skin of the place where my neck met my shoulders and upon my throat. His lips were soft against my smooth warm ivory skin. His kiss was intoxicating, whether it was on my lips or my skin, never mattered. It caused my brain to stall, my eyes to close, and my knees to wobble as my thighs trembled. It was all I ever wanted, needed but this was wrong.

The timing and place were all wrong.

At school was fine because the teachers never reported anything to our parents since we never did anything too inappropriate there and we never broke school rules.

I gently pushed him back, “Christopher,” I spoke his name in a very diplomatic manner for I had been serious when I had said it was not safe for us to do this here.

“Gabriella,” he spoke my name in such a forlorn manner as he looked down into my eyes for he was almost a foot taller than I was and I could see the defiance and the hurt in his eyes.

It broke my heart that my family was still angry with his after so many millennia but this had to be done. We had to part. It was only for the summer, and it was always the hardest time of the year for our relationship but we had survived many summers apart. I didn’t understand why he was so defiant this time, I mean there was only this summer we had to wait before I would be on my own and independent. After my twelfth year at Paerriara Secondary School, I would officially be an adult and independent from my family. I wouldn’t have to take orders from them nor would they be able to control who I lived with or who I married.

My older brother would be taking the throne of the Taelvie Kingdom in the Phiatarhia realm on his twenty-first birthday so I needn’t worry about upsetting the royal court. If we could just hold out for one more summer, we would be golden but the way he looked at me suggested he couldn’t wait any longer and I was about to find out why he was about to complain.

“Gabi, it has been four long years,” Chris began longingly, “I am tired of this deception outside of school, I do not care what your family thinks of our union,” he was completely defiant and possessive, it was a side I had never seen before but I understood his pain for it was also my pain.

I sighed, “I am sorry but you know what my family will do to you? My father? My grandfather?”

My father’s father would order my father to kill him in front of me and his family just to punish me for falling in love with him. I could not lose him. If that happened, I would take my own life just to be with him. I was sure he knew that and I was sure he did not want me to harm myself.

He merely glared a moment before sighing heavily, “I have ideas but I don’t care anymore,” he pulled me closer, staring into my eyes, “I love you, Gabi,” he said, “and there is nothing that your family can do about it, I’ve already spoken to my family and they have agreed to take you in, fight your family for your life,” I was overwhelmed by those words, my heart fluttering in excitement nonetheless.

“Oh, Chris, whatever will we do? My family will not give me up until I have completed secondary school,” I frowned, “I see no other option,” at this point, there were no other options other than war and I was sure his family did not want to go to war with my family once again.

The Khuzaimah had decided that enough was enough and forgave the Taelvie for what had happened centuries ago but my family refused and forced all Taelvie to refuse as well; the other families, besides the Dellarosas, reluctantly obeyed for they felt it was wrong to continue this bitter hatred toward the Khuzaimah.

“There are other options that will not lead us to war,” he said knowing what I must have been thinking, “as I said, my family is willing to fight for you but not in the way you must be thinking, in a more diplomatic way, with words,” he assured me. “I didn’t even have to beg them, they volunteered to fight when I told them how I feel about you,” he told me, “I merely said that I loved you and that there was nothing they could do about it,” he paused a brief moment and I was hanging on every word, “and all they did was praise me and ask me when it was the right time to ask for you to live with us in our Fire Tribe home.”

My heart stopped when he spoke those final words, “really?” I had to ask because I felt as if my ears had deceived me and he merely nodded at me, smiling. “Oh, Chris,” I cried pulling him to me, our lips colliding together in a passionate kiss, “I don't know how my family will react or even Mason’s family but I know that the rest of our kingdom will be thrilled to hear of all this,” I said breathlessly when I had pulled away from the kiss.

“My entire kingdom knows how I feel about you and our union,” Chris said softly, “and they wait for you to be crowned Queen of the Khuzaimah,” those words were breathtaking, “that is if we so choose to rule the kingdom of course,” he added to make sure I didn’t feel pressured into it, which I wasn’t but it nice that it was an option.

Yet those words were so breathtaking that my heart had stopped for a moment and my mind began to spin out of control. I lost all of my balance and my arms fell from his shoulders, forcing him to hold me tightly against his chest so I didn’t fall to the ground. I brought one arm up to place my hand upon my head, my fingers splayed through my long hair. I felt woozy, and felt I would have fallen if he had not been holding me in his strong Khuzaimah arms.

“I feel woozy,” I told him, smiling lethargically, “I can’t believe that’s how the Khuzaimah feel about us, it makes my heart cry with tears of joy,” I said softly.

Chris merely smirked and placed his lips against my own, continuing that passionate kiss I had started earlier. Our lips molded together, they fit perfectly against one another; our tongues danced a timeless dance. My arms slid up his own to wrap around his neck and shoulders once more for they had lost their strength before he poured more into my very soul with his passionate kiss.

It was a magical experience and it would be a night I would remember for all eternity. Though the kiss ended a second too soon, the moment would not be short-lived for he had already made a plan for the night and it involved more passion. He was already smirking deviously at me when he pulled away and my eyes had fluttered into focus. His Jade green eyes burned with passion and mischievous intent but I could not be angry with him for it.

“I’ll see you again soon,” he said, seeming to not be so upset with parting as he released me from his embrace.

I shook my head, “what do you mean? I moment ago you were complaining,” I pointed out, crossing my arms over my chest.

His smirk intensified and I gasped, “I know the schedule of your family like the back of my hand, I’ll know when your grandparents leave and when your parents go to sleep,” he was devilishly charming but I loved him anyway.

“Oh, God,” I groaned playfully, “I’ll see you at 3 then,” it was only a quarter after 1, and I would be home in less than ten minutes.

“See you at 3, my Prinzessin,” he kissed my forehead goodbye before disappearing into the Jade trees.

I smiled sweetly as he disappeared before sighing and hurrying home, carefully, as not to destroy my feet or my stilettos. The path was laid out smoothly so I didn’t have a problem walking upon it even in my stilettos, though my hiking boots were ideal for walking the trail.