Chapter 49
Chapter Forty-Nine
KAIROTH
I ’d had a long journey, been gone much longer than I expected, but I thought I’d been very clear in my orders. Bellamy was not to leave her room. She was to remain there, rest, recover, and she was absolutely not to knit any more sweaters until I’d returned.
So imagine my surprise when I was flying through the sky, ready to finally return home, only to see Bellamy walking across the castle grounds, my shadows pouncing on her. Her back was hunched, her skin far too pale, sweat matting her hair to her head. I dove down, summoning my shadow beast and dispelling of the shadows attacking her.
She’d glared at me, and that glare filled me with light. She was back. My fierce, wild woman. I’d been so scared she wouldn’t make it, terrified to watch her fade away. So terrified I’d left. I’d needed to find Bathalous, but I could’ve waited a few days to see how she fared. Instead, I ran. Now I regretted not staying by her side.
“I can take care of myself,” she signed.
“Clearly.” I took her in. Lines of poison no longer stretched through her hands. They were still red but not as deformed as they’d been before.
Her upper lip curled. “I was about to use my magic to get rid of those shadows.” She gestured to the shadows flying through the sky.
I took a step forward as my own shadows returned to their regular movements, slithering around me in constant motion. “And how do you think that would’ve gone? You almost died, Bellamy. You’re not ready to use your magic. Doing so might’ve put you in danger.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not a child. I survived sixty years on my own without your help.”
“What were you doing out here? Who let you out of your room?” I would have their head.
“No one.” She scowled at me. “I escaped over my balcony and climbed down the vines on the walls. I wanted some fresh air since someone decided to hold me captive and then disappeared for over a week.”
Now that did make me smile. Even after almost dying, she hadn’t lost her spark. I’d missed it. I’d missed her. I’d missed those lips, the memory of our kiss lingering in my mind every day that I spent away from her.
She swallowed, face losing some of its anger, some other emotion taking over. “I never got to thank you. For saving my life. Without you, I’d have died in that jungle.”
Died. My nostrils flared. “You did thank me.” She must’ve been so feverish she didn’t remember. I wondered if she remembered our kiss, our conversation. Anything from that night. “But you’re welcome. Again. Hopefully you’ve learned your lesson about disobeying my rules? They’re in place to protect you. Not to punish you.”
“Why did you save me again?”
There didn’t seem to be any anger behind the words. Just curiosity. Maybe something else. Hope.
I stepped forward, and Bellamy tilted her head to look up at me. “You know, you actually have a nice face when all those shadows aren’t covering it,” she signed. “Though I like the beast. It’s cute.”
I nearly choked. Cute. My shadow beast was cute? That was certainly not a word anyone had ever used to describe it.
I raised a finger to her face and trailed it down her cheek. She closed her eyes, leaning into my touch. “I saved you”—I leaned forward, whispering—“because I wanted another chance to do this.”
I traced my finger across her jaw, then hooked it under her chin, lifting her face until her lips were inches from mine.
She sucked in a sharp breath, gaze meeting mine. There was never fear when she looked at me. It was why all Goji’s warnings, no matter how smart they were, fled my mind when our eyes met.
My shadows slid over her, but she didn’t flinch, didn’t even seem to notice, her gaze just fixed on my lips. Her brown eyes had silver flecks in them, reminding me of someone else’s eyes. But before I could grasp that thought, I bent my head down and brushed my lips against hers.
She stilled for a moment, then she gripped my arms and moved in closer. Her lips were warm, tender, and they tasted like cinnamon, probably from all the tea Cook was making her. This kiss was so different from our last one. Not hurried or frenzied. Slow and sumptuous. Something I could take my time with and savor.
I swept her up into my arms, a small moan escaping her lips as I deepened the kiss while my hands roamed up her back. She melted into me in a way no one had in thousands of years.
She slipped her tongue into my mouth and trailed it along my bottom lip. A growl rumbled in my chest, and she only laughed as she twined her fingers in my hair.
This was what I’d missed. For so long, I’d been without someone’s touch, without someone’s company, and now I was full of it, full of her touch—and I wanted more. From Bellamy. Only this wild woman would ever do.
Feet pounded on the ground. “Bellamy, where have you?—”
She jumped away from me, wiping her mouth, lips red, hair mussed from where I’d tangled my hands.
Driscoll and Leoni slowed to a stop, both of them looking between us with varying emotions: shock, discomfort, fascination. Bellamy cleared her throat and put further distance between us, which only made me want to throttle these two. Maybe if I threw them in the dungeon for a few days, that would teach them to never interrupt us again.
Once I had my lips on hers, I wanted nothing else in this world.
“You’re playing with fire.” I could hear Goji’s voice in my head, but I didn’t care.
“Uh.” Driscoll scratched the back of his head while Bellamy crossed her arms and glared at them. “So, nice weather we’re having today, huh?” He gestured up toward the twilight skies.
Bellamy rolled her eyes, which made me smile. “What do you need?” she signed.
“We were worried,” Leoni said. “You weren’t in your room, and Goji said no one had opened your door. We figured you either escaped or were taken. Neither options good. We’ve been looking all over for you.”
Bellamy bit her lip.
“It was my fault.” I stepped forward. “I just arrived, and I wanted to show Bellamy something.”
Her head snapped to me, and she raised an eyebrow in question.
“Oh.” Driscoll rubbed his hands together. “Sounds fun. Can we come?”
Leoni thwacked his arm with a heavy book she held. A botany book about herbs and plants.
“We actually wanted to show you something, too, and it’s urgent.” Leoni held up the book.
Bellamy’s eyes drifted to it, and she nodded.
“I think we found a way you can keep knitting the sweaters without the serious effects of the poison,” Driscoll said.
Bellamy’s eyes widened, and for the first time since they’d arrived, I was grateful for these companions of hers.
Leoni flipped open the book, showing it to us. A drawing of a bright pink flower with purple spots sat in the middle of the page, handwriting underneath it that I couldn’t read from here. “This is the hastasias flower. We found out that it can’t exactly draw poison out of wounds, but it is an effective antidote to some poisons, including the kind that comes from nettle weed. If we can find this plant, we can harvest the petals, then crush them into a dust and layer it in a salve over your wounds.”
“I can take care of that,” I said quickly before Bellamy got any more ideas about venturing back out into the jungle.
She was capable of taking care of herself, but I felt a protectiveness over her that I had no right to have. Not when I clearly was not a protector.
Bellamy turned that assessing gaze onto me, and I felt it to my core. “I can send my shadows out to collect the flowers.” I raised a hand and cupped her cheek, and our gazes locked. The world melted away around us as I took her in. Her pursed lips. Her creamy skin. Her luminous thick hair that I wanted to fist as I?—
Driscoll cleared his throat, and once again, Bellamy jumped from me.
He rocked on his heels and scratched the back of his neck, mumbling, “Wow, that is some thick sexual tension.”
Leoni elbowed him. I was starting to get the sense that this happened often. “We’ll leave you two be,” she said.
“What?” Driscoll glared at her. “No we won’t. We want to come along and see what he has to show Bellamy.”
Leoni gave us a strained smile. “We need to give them some privacy,” she said out the side of her mouth.
I shot a sidelong glance at Bellamy, who twisted her hands together.
“Fine.” Driscoll huffed as Leoni pulled him away, then looked back over his shoulder and mouthed, “Tell me everything.”
They disappeared out of sight, and Bellamy turned to me, rubbing her arm up and down, uncharacteristically shy. “We have a lot to talk about,” she signed.
I thought of my journey over the last week and a half. “We do, and that’s part of what I want to show you.”