Exclusive Chapter: Remi & Killian - Goodbye

                                    

                                          
Remi
"See y'all later," Noelle calls, keeping her voice in the kindest, most diplomatic tone possible as she escorts Corbin's friends from a neighboring pack out the door and closes it behind her, leaning against it with a heavy sigh.
I chuckle as I tip back my second (third, hell, I don't know; I lost count) beer of the night. "You all right, Noelle?" 
"I swear, Corbin's friends are nice, but goddess above, they sure know how to talk your damn ear off!" she says, pushing off the door and gathering some plates from the coffee table. 
"They were the last ones to leave, huh?" I ask, tossing my bottle in the recycling bin as I follow her into the kitchen where Elijah is washing his hands. 
"Yep, thankfully," Noelle yawns and stretches her arms over her head. "I'm exhausted." 
Elijah slips his arms around her waist and his hands land on her bare abdomen. She jumps and giggles as he kisses her neck. "What, princess? Cold?"
"Your hands are like fucking ice, Holt." She wiggles in his grasp, but he just tightens his hold on her. 
"I'll warm you up," he growls into her neck before nibbling her earlobe, and she shoots him a glare before looking at me apologetically. 
"I'm sorry, Remi. He's so inappropriate," she says through gritted teeth, elbowing him in the ribs, albeit playfully. 
Shaking my head, I lean against the doorway. "I don't mind. In fact, I love seeing the two of you so happy. It's going to make it easier to leave tomorrow, knowing you have each other." 
Noelle's lower lip pops out and she cocks her head to the side. "I don't want you to go. Do you have to?" 
"I'm afraid so, Noelle. It's part of my training so I can be the best royal guard for you...I don't want to fuck anything up. I'll be back, I swear; it's all going to work out just fine." I look to Elijah for help, hoping he can offer me some kind of guidance.
But he looks just as apprehensive as I do. Luckily, Noelle's back is still pressed to his front, and she can't see his face. 
"It'll be all right, princess," Elijah says, and if I weren't looking at him, I'd believe every word like gospel. "Remi'll be back before you know it." He plants a kiss on her temple and runs his palm over her ponytail. 
The gesture is so tender, it makes my heart ache. All of a sudden, I feel like I'm intruding on a private moment, and I need to get to the safety of my room.
"Listen, y'all, I have some more packing to do. Do you need me to do anything?" I ask, praying they say no.
They both shake their head as Noelle says, "No, this was your party, Remington, don't be silly. Go get some rest and we will see you in the morning." She laughs. "Killian already managed to disappear up to his room. Fucker always manages to get out of clean up duty."  
I laugh and give them both a hug before heading to my room to pack the last few belongings for my trip to Colombia. I'm not scared of going. I was the one who requested the change of assignment. I am just really going to miss my family. But if I stay...I shake my head. I can't stay. She's here and every second I'm around her I find the temptation hard to resist. One wrong move and I won't only do something stupid with a girl I shouldn't want to touch, but I will also tear my family apart. It's too big of a risk to take. 
When I finally settle into bed, I'm lying there staring at the ceiling, feeling so fucking miserable I could cry. Me. Cry. I'm about to go into intensive training to be in the royal guard, and I am laying here with tears in my eyes because I'm going to be lonely.