Chapter 8

Malachi

Malachi woke slowly, warmth surrounding him, but when he tried to push off the covers, something pulled at his hand.

"Hey, slow down. You'll pull the IV out," a voice said, and Malachi blinked several times to bring them into focus. Nick.

He cleared his throat, his throat a little sore, and opened his mouth to ask where he was before everything came rushing back. "Hospital."

"Yeah, you're in the hospital. Are you with me, Malachi?"

"Kai," he said absently, pushing himself to sitting. Nick propped the pillow behind him, and he rested back with a sigh. "I bloody hate it when that happens."

"What?"

"Allergies. They suck. I always crash after having a shot."

"That would've been nice to know. You crashed in the car, and we ended up breaking speed limits to get here." Though Nick's words were a rebuke, they were softened by his tone and expression.

"Sorry," Malachi's cheeks heated. "I should've said."

Nick shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You're on the mend, which is all we can hope for." He sighed. "Do you know where it came from? The peanuts?"

Malachi shook his head. "Usually I can taste them if I've eaten them by accident. They have a distinct taste that I've learnt to recognise. Preemptive, if you like. But I didn't taste a thing."

"We're having your meal analysed to see if something was in it that shouldn't have been, or if you were just given the wrong meal. We're speaking with the restaurant, too. This shouldn't have happened, especially on the opening night of a restaurant whose owner had others with high ratings. It's strange."

Malachi reached for the water jug, but Nick beat him to it, filling a plastic cup and handing it to him. "Thanks." He gratefully drained it, his throat thanking him.

"This seems to be a regular occurrence," Nick murmured. "Are you prone to ending up in hospital?" Nick's mouth twitched as if he didn't want to break into a smile. "Just so I know for future reference, you know."

Despite how tired he was, Malachi chuckled. "Funnily enough, no, it's not. The last time I ended up in hospital with my allergies was around…seven years ago."

"Well, at least we can cross off accident-prone on your list. That'll save me some work."

Malachi chuckled weakly and yawned. "This hospital malarky is pissing me off now. Do you know if they've let Mum or Grandma know?"

Nick's eyes widened. "I don't know. I never thought… Sorry, I should've thought about contacting them. Do you want me—"

"No! Really. I'm glad they haven't been told because they'd only get worried. I'll tell them once I'm up and about again. Although, maybe the grapevine will work, and they'll already know by the time I'm out of here." He huffed a laugh and closed his scratchy eyes. "Saves me a phone call."

"Get some rest, okay? I'll be right here."

Malachi wanted to stay awake, but his body was telling him, no way; therefore, it was several hours later when he woke in a dimmed room, which sent his heart racing.

"Are you okay, Malachi?"

Nick's voice had the instant tension easing away, and Malachi breathed through the panic of being alone. He wasn't scared of the dark or of being alone, but since that night, when he had no idea what had happened to him, he didn't like the unexpected.

"Yeah," he rasped. "I'm okay."

He rolled to his back, the tugging and rustle of the bed sheets making him realise someone had covered him. There was a slight chill in the air from the air conditioning, so he was grateful for the thought. Meeting Nick's gaze, he said, "What time is it?"

Nick rose, filled a cup with water and handed it to him before he answered. "It's about one in the morning," he murmured.

Malachi nearly choked on the water. "What? Shit, I'm so sorry. You don't have to stay. You must be exhausted. Go. I'm all right. They'll probably let me go home now, anyway."

Nick's mouth tightened, and even through the dim lighting, Malachi could see the action. "I don't think it was an accident, Malachi. Someone laced your food with ground peanuts. The pot your food came from had no traces of it. Only your plate."

It took a second for the words to sink in, and his stomach churned. "On purpose? Why?"

Nick shook his head. "I don't know. We need to figure it out. When you're feeling up to it and are back with us, we can go through some things to see if we can figure out who else you've pissed off."

Malachi closed his eyes. "Apart from the part of the British population who love the royal family, you mean?"

Nick grimaced. "Yeah. I never said it was going to be easy."

Rubbing his hands over his face, he sighed as the shittiness washed over him again. "We can go now. I'm sure I'm fine." He swung his legs over the bed, his head spinning for a second before righting itself again. "I'll sign that I can be discharged."

Nick held up his hands. "No, you'll only be going when they say you're well enough to go, so get those legs back up into bed."

Malachi ignored him and pressed the button for the nurses' station. Nick glared at him but settled back against the wall with his arms crossed. It took the nurse several minutes, but when she came, she was more than happy to send him on his way. Nick protested, but the nurse informed him that the doctor had signed off on his release after the last time he was seen. He needed to rest, and that was all, which Malachi knew already.

"I told you. This isn't my first rodeo," Malachi said, gingerly standing to make sure his legs took his weight. Nick stepped closer, his hand outstretched as if to catch him should he fall. Maybe I should fake it and see if those muscles are as hard as they look. He shook his head to clear the voice. When he walked the length of the room and back, getting stronger with each step, he grinned. "Told you."

"Well, then, cowboy, get yourself ready and we'll ride back to Windsor."

Malachi glanced at him. "Is that a good idea if someone has targeted me?"

"It's the best idea. There will be enough guards around to mitigate the chances of it happening again."

"But what if I bring it into Windsor?" His mind flicked to the emails he'd been receiving, kind of stalkerish, but he couldn't believe someone seemingly so happy with Malachi's words would want to hurt him. He wasn't positive, of course, but it seemed unlikely. He considered telling Nick about them but refrained.

"We'll know if they try to get in." Nick sighed. "With all the problems we've had over the past few years, our security is top-notch. It's highly unlikely for someone to get to you." He paused and narrowed his eyes. "Unless this is all a ruse you've concocted."

Malachi rolled his eyes. "Damn it. You caught me," he deadpanned. "Fuck, Nick. I don't want to hurt anyone."

Nick waved him away. "Let's not do this again. It's time to get back."

Malachi followed Nick out of the room once the nurse had confirmed he could leave, and they met someone at the entrance he vaguely remembered.

"I'm glad to see you're up and about again," the man said, nodding once.

"Thanks."

"This is Brandon. He drove us here."

Malachi gasped. "Have you been waiting here all night? I'm so sorry."

Brandon chuckled. "No, I went back to the restaurant to pick up His Majesty and the Prince Consort and took them back home. Nick messaged not long ago asking for a ride back. And here I am."

"I'm sorry it's so late," Malachi said.

Brandon waved him away. "Don't be. It's part of my job to be on call in case I'm needed."

"And are you needed often at three in the morning?" Malachi raised his eyebrows.

Nick cleared his throat and glared at him, making Malachi realise how his question might be construed. "Shit. Don't answer that. I'm not asking for secrets or whatever. It was a genuine random question I would've asked anyone who'd said that. Sorry." His stomach rolled, and this time it wasn't from the allergy. He hated that Nick thought the worst of him, but the only way to alleviate some of that was to tell him the truth, but what would that accomplish?

He climbed into the car and rested his head back against the seat, closing his eyes with a sigh. Not long left. Soon, he'd be free. He just had to keep reminding himself of that.

Nick nudged him awake when they reached the castle, and he rubbed his face and yawned before climbing back out of the car. Sleeping so much when he was used to insomnia was a mind-fuck.

"Thanks, Brandon," he said, waving at the driver before he pulled away. They headed inside, and he dragged his feet, his body too heavy for him suddenly. He was so tired, which was what always happened after an incident like that.

"Come on. Let me help," Nick said. He draped his arm around Malachi's waist and took some of his weight. Malachi automatically wrapped his arm around Nick's waist and gripped tightly.

God, he is as hard as he looks.And he smells divine. It took every ounce of willpower he had not to inhale deeply and keep that scent in his lungs for as long as possible. As in, passing out possible.

Nick leaned him against the wall while he unlocked the suite door and then helped him into the room. "Let's get you to bed, and then I'll lock everything up here."

Malachi stumbled with every step, but he managed to not fall flat on his face, but only because of Nick. When he sat on the bed, he let out an enormous sigh.

"Is this usual?" Nick asked. "Being so tired?"

Malachi nodded, barely able to keep his eyes open. "Always." He listed to the side, and Nick helped him to lie down.

"Do you want to undress?" Nick mumbled.

"Nah… tomorrow," he muttered.

Nick said something else, but Malachi faded away, only to be abruptly woken by his phone sometime later. His head was full of cotton wool and surrounded by a bubble, but he fumbled around in the area of the bedside table, only to find it empty. The obscene noise continued as he rolled to his other side and opened one eye to see if his phone was there. It was, and the brightness of the screen lit up the unfamiliar room. He looked around through squinted eyes, finally letting his brain catch up with the rest of him.

"Windsor," he muttered through his dry lips. His phone stopped but started again almost immediately. "All right. All right." He grabbed it and exhaled when he saw it was his mother. "Hello?"

"Malachi Edward Sanders! Where have you been? All I get is this notification that you've been taken to hospital with a peanut reaction, and I can't get hold of you, the royal family, your boss, no one! I've been out of my mind worrying about what happened to you! I finally received a lovely message from someone called Nick, and he told me that you were okay but sleeping it off. Well, it's ten o'clock the next morning, and I've still not heard from you!"

He waited a few seconds to see if she'd run out of air enough for him to talk, and when she didn't continue, he said, "I've been sleeping, Mum. You know how this gets. I'm sorry I didn't message you, but my brain was not working properly last night…or early this morning as it was."

"Did they figure out what happened with the peanut thing? How did you end up ordering something with peanuts in it?"

Not wanting to worry her, he said nothing about what Nick had told him earlier that day. "I think I might've been given the wrong plate. They're investigating it because, obviously, they don't want it to happen again."

"Damn right they don't. They're lucky we're not suing them. They were so careless. It could've killed you, Malachi! If you hadn't had your pen with you, it could've been a completely different story." She finished on a sob, and he let her calm down a little while he dragged himself up to lean against the headboard, realising he was still fully dressed.

"I know, Mum. Things could've been much worse, but the royal family will investigate and get to the bottom of it. I promise you."

She sniffed. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"

He chuckled. "Oh, now you ask about me," he teased. "I'm doing okay. Very tired, but no other lingering side effects."

"Remember to keep hydrated today," she said, and although he knew extremely well what he had to do, he also knew it was her way of looking out for him, even though he didn't need it any longer.

"I will. I don't think we have a huge amount planned today, anyway, so I can take regular breaks." That wasn't strictly true, but he wasn't going to worry her any more than she already was.

"All right. Sorry to wake you."

Malachi chuckled. "It's okay. I needed to get up, anyway. Hydration, remember?"

Emily snorted inelegantly—something he got from her. "Ring me later?"

"Will do. Love you."

"Love you, too, sweetheart."

Malachi's hand fell to his lap when the call ended, and he closed his eyes, wanting to fall straight back to sleep, but he needed to get himself up. Before he could contemplate moving, though, a knock sounded.

"Come in."

Nick poked his head in the door. "I heard voices, so I assumed you were awake. How are you feeling?" He stepped in a little further but didn't enter fully.

Malachi, glad he was dressed, though fully aware he probably stunk to high heaven, swung his legs out of bed. He didn't try to stand up yet, not sure if his legs would fully support him, and he didn't want to seem weak in front of that man again.

"Tired, but that's to be expected. I'm sorry I slept so long. I know we had plans today. I'll get ready and we can get going for the day."

Nick waved him away. "It's fine. His Majesty has said we can have the meeting whenever you feel up to it."

"I'll be fine once I've had a shower."

"Okay, well, you do that, and I'll get some breakfast…um, brunch organised."

Malachi nodded, distracted by the uncertainty Nick showed. Where had it come from? He was usually ready to rip people apart at the drop of a hat, but that morning, he seemed almost…worried.

"Shout me if you need anything," Nick added, giving more credence to the worried description.

"I will, thanks."

Nick closed the door, and Malachi stared at it for a while longer before he tried to stand. His knees wobbled until they gained strength, and then he took a few tentative steps. Each step grew stronger until he felt a little more human. And after the shower, he was a new man. Well, he wasn't, but the sluggish feeling had ebbed away, and his stomach growled, which made him think he was getting back to normal. After dressing in tailored trousers and a shirt—but no tie or jacket—he went into the living area and froze.

On the coffee table were several plates of food, from scrambled eggs and toast to a full English breakfast to cereal.

"Wow, that's a spread."

If he wasn't mistaken, Nick's cheeks darkened, but his skin was tanned, so he couldn't be sure. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I got a few things. Choose whatever you want."

Malachi settled into a chair on the opposite side to the guard. "Thanks. Can't go wrong with scrambled eggs." He picked up the plate and a fork and dug in. It was seasoned to perfection and reminded him so much of how his grandmother made them. "Delicious."

Nick's mouth curved at the corners into something resembling a smile, but it was more than Malachi remembered him sending his way before.

"I don't want to mess up the king's day, so I'm happy to rearrange our meeting if he has prior appointments, which I'm sure he does."

Nick swallowed the coffee he'd just drank and shook his head. "Actually, he doesn't. The only plans he had today were spending time with his family, and he's been doing that this morning and will do so after your meeting. It's all fine."

Malachi couldn't believe the change in Nick. Was that what a near-death experience did for him? Made him nicer to him? Maybe he should do it more often. After thinking that, he dropped his eyes and cursed himself. Why did it matter what Nick thought? He couldn't do anything about the articles he wrote as Malachi Sanders, and Nick didn't know about Kai Ruffers. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and he hated it.

Soon he'd be free.

"What happened to that guy from before? At the event?"

Nick smiled. "Too much evidence against him. He's in jail and not getting out any time soon."

Malachi liked the sound of that, but he changed the subject. "So, you contacted my mother?" he said as a distraction from his thoughts.

****