Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Torchlight flickers as I rush through corridors, just shy of running, toward Mayah’s guest chambers. The last two hours have been the longest I’ve been away from her in nearly six weeks. Agitation settles heavy in my gut.
Faramir couldn’t have done anything in the short time we were apart. I’d been there with him in the throne room. I’d have known if he’d given orders to a guard under his thumb.
Still, my legs pump faster until I reach the hallway in the east wing. The door opens as I approach, handmaids marching out in a neat line, gazes fixed on the floor as they file past me.
“Mayah?” I call as I enter.
She’s still in the washroom. So I wait, shifting on my feet, trying to ignore the way my power latches onto her thrumming energy signature, faint through the wall, but there.
She remains inside for longer than I expect, but I suppose that’s normal after only bathing in the occasional stream for over a month.
The handle turns slowly, and she emerges.
My heart stops.
Bare skin everywhere I look. The handmaids dressed her in a short black nightgown, a matching silk robe thrown over it.
My faithless eyes can’t decide where to look first—the tops of her breasts, begging me to feather kisses over them, the bare expanse of her legs, her still-dripping hair, curling around her face. I want to worship every inch of her.
Thighs. My gaze lingers on her thighs, where the lace of her nightgown brushes her skin. She shifts on her feet, and I manage to tear my gaze away and meet her blue eyes.
“Are you all right?” My voice turns rough, and I clear my throat, my eyes wandering again to her legs.
“The bath was nice. Aggressive, but nice.”
I frown. “I can assign you different handmaids, if—”
“No, no.” She shakes her head. “They were fine, truly. And so are the guards outside. Thank you.”
I chew the inside of my cheek, studying her face. No prickles. The handmaids can stay, then. Again, my eyes fall to her bare thighs, pressed tightly together.
“We’re not married yet,” Mayah says, cinching her robe tighter. “So, um…”
Shit. I take a half step back. I’ve made her nervous with my incessant gawking. “I’m not here for that, Mayah.” I clear my throat again, forcing myself to stare at the wall above her head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“Why are you here, then?” she demands, crossing her arms.
“If I know my brother, he’ll pay you a visit tonight.”
“Oh. And tomorrow?” she whispers, naked vulnerability threading her voice. “Will you expect … that … from me tomorrow?”
“I’ll never force you to do anything, Mayah,” I murmur, hand wavering at my side. I want to cup her face, reassure her that she’s safe with me. “I’ll only come to your bed when you invite me.” I gesture toward the large bed. “Throw me a pillow. I’ll find an extra blanket and sleep on the floor.”
That seems to alleviate her worries.
After taking as quick a bath as I can manage in her washroom, I settle onto the floor beside the bed. Even in darkness, I’m painfully aware of Mayah—her every breath, every movement that rustles the sheets wrapped around her.
“This is stupid, Zev,” she mutters, her voice soft in the dark.
“Hmm?”
“We’ve slept beside each other for weeks. You can come up onto the bed.”
A beat passes.
“Are you inviting me into your bed, Mayah?” I ask her in my deepest voice, knowing full well what she means.
“To sleep! I’m inviting you into my bed to sleep. Nothing else.”
“Noted,” I chuckle, picturing her flushed cheeks. The mattress dips beneath my weight as I lie down beside her, resisting the urge to haul her against my chest.
Her breathing is soft at first, but slowly comes faster, and she tosses and turns until she’s yanked the blanket off me entirely. Even cocooned in the sheets, she seems ill at ease, huffing an exasperated breath.
“Mayah,” I whisper. “Stop thinking. Go to sleep.”
“Stay on your side,” she warns over her shoulder, exhaustion weighing on her words.
“Whatever you say, baby,” I rumble, but she’s already half-asleep.
I don’t sleep, though. Not when it’s only a matter of time before Faramir comes sniffing around.
And I’m right.
Within the hour, I sense his chaotic pulsing heading down the hall toward us.
I’m out of bed, striding across the room before he’s even reached the door.
Torchlight flickers into the room when I yank the door open, blocking the view inside with my frame.
The guards flanking the entrance stare at their feet, silent.
Faramir stands in the hallway wearing a smirk and his sleep trousers. And no fucking shirt.
“Leave,” I snarl before he can open his mouth.
His smirk grows sharper, crueler. He tsks, crossing his arms. “Have you no decency, little brother? Can’t stay away from my betrothed for even a single night?”
Thunder rumbles through the stone walls behind me.
“She’s. Not. Yours,” I bite out, knuckles tightening on the door frame. “Don’t go anywhere near her.”
“Hmm.” He steps closer. “She wasn’t yours, either. That didn’t stop you from fucking her in the woods.”
Another crack of thunder shakes the room, chased by Mayah’s muffled yelp. I glance back at her. Fuck.
“Leave. Right. The fuck. Now,” I growl, angling myself farther in the doorway.
“Come now, brother,” the bane of my existence drawls. “I just want a taste. Enjoy a few ‘liberties,’ as you did. It’s only fair. I’ll even let you watch.”
A bolt of lightning flashes, its bright glow lighting Faramir’s glinting eyes. I inhale deeply—I need to calm down before I send Mayah into a panic.
“If you go near her, or harm her in any way, I swear by the Skies, Faramir, I will gut you. Carve your entrails from your body while you’re still alive and wrap them around your throat like a necklace. Stay the fuck away from her.”
I slam the door shut before he can respond, stalking back to the bed. The storm begins to fade as I pull a wide-eyed, panting Mayah against my chest. She melts into me, arms twining around my neck, like it’s exactly where she belongs.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur into her hair. “No one angers me like my half-brother. He came to ‘take liberties’ with you. I knew the guards wouldn’t be able to stop him.”
“Will he come back?” Her words are muffled against my chest.
“No. And tomorrow you’ll move to my chambers. Our chambers. You’ll be safe.” I run my hand down her back in a soothing caress. “Sleep now, Mayah. We have a big day tomorrow.”
Still, she lies awake in my arms for another hour.