A Whisper in the Woods (Fated Folktales #1)

11. Chapter 11

Chapter eleven

Leena

M y face blazed as his fingers grazed my thighs. I gave him a quick nod, and I swore I saw the flicker of a smile before his hands roamed higher. Was this proper? I’d never let a man touch me like this before. He is my husband , I thought, and as for being a man…

I focused on the dark hair spilling onto his face as his eyes closed and something warm radiated from his fingertips. I found my own eyelids closing as I lay back in the grass. My dress went higher, and I sucked in a shivering breath, but as soon as excitement pulsed through my veins, my dress lowered back to my ankles.

“There. You should be able to move without issue now,” he said, getting to his feet. My eyes followed him, catching on his muscles as he rolled up his sleeves. The fire raging in my core was less than ideal, and despite wanting to look away, I had no choice when he bent down and offered me his hand.

“Where are we going?” I asked .

“Don’t you want me to show you around your new kingdom?”

I crossed my arms and looked away. “No. I’d rather be alone.” My heart raced. I didn’t want anything to do with this man right now—or whatever he technically was. I didn’t like how he made me feel and how I felt such little control around him. It was unsettling.

My fingers curled over my biceps. I didn’t know what it was that he made me feel, but I wanted it to stop. I had to gain control of my mind—of my body—or this would all go up in smoke. My plan to save my people…to save Grandmother…

The Leshy’s fingers slid up the slope of my neck. “What are you thinking, little dove?”

“Nothing that concerns you.”

“I find that very hard to believe.”

I scoffed. “Why? Because you’re so thrilling that my mind could only possibly be consumed with thoughts of you?”

He let go of my face and smiled. “You said it. Not me.” I let out a low growl, and he continued. “But that isn’t why. You just went through quite the ordeal, and we’re married now. Today has been a whirlwind, has it not?”

I studied his expression. “What of it?”

“How could you be thinking of anything else?”

It strained me not to roll my eyes, but I was acutely aware of how dangerous this man was. Of course, what he was saying was true, but I didn’t want him to know that. “I’m tired. It’s been a long day, as you said.” I looked up, noticing the darkened sky for the first time—a sheet of black buttoned by stars. I’d never seen the night sky so clear; it would have been beautiful had my circumstances not been so bleak. The cold wind also nipped at my fingers with an added sharpness that only came with twilight, and I had to shove them beneath my arms to stop them from shivering. The sun must have fallen hours ago. “How long was I asleep?”

“Not long, but if it’s a bed you’re after, you could have just asked.” My eyebrow twitched, but once again, my face burned until it was a mask against the chilly wind. Not again. He couldn’t see me like this. I tried stepping away, but he caught me by the wrist. I lifted my other hand to slap him, but he easily stopped it. A chuckle rolled from his throat. “I married a feisty one.”

I yanked both wrists free with a growl. “You’re vile. Do you know that?”

“Because I want to be with my wife?”

“Stop calling me that!”

“You are my wife, aren’t you?”

Silence filled the air. The birds were asleep, and oddly, no owls made themselves known. All I could hear was the breathing that filled the small space between us—his breath mingling with my mind, brushing against my lips. When did he get so close?

“I’m going to bed.” I started to turn when his low chuckling stopped me. “What are you laughing about now? ”

He spun me around and trailed a finger along my jawline. “I like the way you say what you want, Leena.”

My fists tightened at my sides despite the thrill buzzing through me. “I don’t want company,” I hissed. “I want to sleep alone. Get that through your thick skull, will you?”

He grabbed my face with one hand. It was so large he could hold so much of it with just his palm, his long fingers curling over my jaw and against my cheeks. He loosened his grip and then gently grabbed a loose strand of my hair. “There are so many things I want to do to you.” The words were both a purr and a threat.

I scowled at him again, pushing down the other feelings brewing below the surface. “Good luck trying because I want nothing to do with you.”

“Is that so?” He eyed me carefully, dragging his gaze slowly over my body and then scanning my eyes as if peering into my mind to detect any lies. One side of his mouth turned up. “I think you want everything to do with me.”

My heart raced. “I…” He inched closer, and panic lit within me like a torch. I pulled my face from his grasp. “Think what you want, but you’re wrong.” He took a step closer, and I spat at him, but he dodged it before it could land on his boots.

“What a bolt of lightning you are.” He stepped forward and stroked the side of my face. “How lucky I am to be tied to such fire.” I shot him one last glare before turning on my heel and heading into the woods. “Where are you going?”

“I’m finding a bed. ”

“You don’t know your way around these woods.” His voice was suddenly not trimmed with sarcasm or some form of teasing, and I briefly wondered if that should make me worried about wandering the woods alone. But then I remembered the pain that had wreaked havoc on my body and what the Leshy had said about giving me powers before I felt them flood me. Bratan wasn’t the only one with powers anymore, and the creatures of the forest were my subjects, too. I should be able to do everything and anything on my own from here on out.

“I’ll find my way,” I said, and I heard him let out a sigh as I walked away, accompanied by the crinkle of footsteps upon the thick grass below. “Don’t follow me,” I said without turning around.

“You do what you want, and I’ll do what I want.”

I groaned and picked up the pace. “I can’t do what I want if you’re anywhere near me.”

“Don’t you want me to show you where you can find a bed?”

“I’m not falling for any of your tricks.”

A rush of wind caressed the nape of my neck. It was so shocking and sudden and oddly pleasant that it caught me off guard and allowed Bratan to take me by the shoulders and spin me around. “I wouldn’t dare trick you.” His eyes were unreadable, but the one thing I knew about him was that he couldn’t be trusted.

“Somehow, I doubt that.”

The mischievous glint in his eyes dimmed, replaced with something more serious. “You know I would never touch you against your will. Don’t you?” I paused, studying him and chewing on any words I could think of. “You saw me ask your permission before healing you. Surely, you know I could have done whatever I wanted. And while you were asleep—”

I pulled away again. “It doesn’t make you a gentleman just because you resisted laying a finger on an unconscious woman.”

“There was no temptation,” he said, irritation clear in his voice. “But you don’t seem the type to believe what people tell you.”

“Not when it comes from a monster who would kill my people and leave me for dead.” His head jerked back, and my stomach sunk at his wounded expression. If I didn’t know any better, I would think there was sorrow somewhere in his eyes.

I waited for him to speak, and when he didn’t, anxiety gnawed at me enough to quickly break the silence. “What? No coy remark?”

His eyebrows fell on his glaring eyes. His jaw clenched. “You can find your way back on your own.” My mouth opened in surprise, but before I could think of what to say, he was gone. And I had no idea what to do or where to go. Or what had just happened.