Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ALINA
My blanket felt too damp, and I uncovered myself one more time. But the early morning chill was already freezing my skin. There was no way I could get any sleep when he was not around.
Why didn’t he come to me? Did he need more space?
Frustrated, I turned to my side and forced myself to close my eyes.
Nothing worked. After another half an hour, I got up with a groan, my body protested any new movement.
It seemed to only want one thing, me returning back to bed, but I could not get comfortable without the warmth and security of Tynan’s body beside me.
It only took me a moment to close the distance to the door and I opened it trying not to make much noise. The scents, the sounds were all different and unfamiliar, and in all this uncertainty, I craved to be with the one person who made me feel safe.
Biting my lip, I knocked on his door, worrying about waking up the others.
He did not respond, he was probably already sleeping.
There was no need to be selfish and wake him up, just because I could not sleep.
I pressed my forehead against the wooden panel, convincing myself to go back to my room, when the door suddenly opened.
I was not expecting that, and lost my balance.
Strong, familiar arms wrapped around my torso.
“I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” he said.
Carefully, he pulled me inside and closed the door behind us.
In the dim light, I could barely make out the outlines of his shirtless body.
The strong muscles of his chest and shoulders rippled as he walked to the side table and quickly lit a candle.
I pressed my back against the door, uncertain if he truly wanted me there.
I could not fully trust the bond between us – not yet.
At times, I was convinced I could sense what he was feeling, but other times, I questioned everything.
I knew he valued his solitude. I needed him, but I did not want to overwhelm him.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“Yes.” I bit my lip.
“Come here.”
I moved closer, and Tynan took my hand, but contrary to anything I thought would follow, he led me straight to his bed.
When both of us got comfortable, Tynan wrapped his body around mine and stilled behind me.
His warm breath was on my neck, his arm over my shoulders.
His scent was familiar and safe. Listening to his strong, deep breaths, my muscles relaxed and my eyes closed involuntarily.
My mind just slipped to the land where there were no undead monsters, red crown, Corliss, Lord Dayton, or the capital. It was a new, pleasant feeling of comfort and familiarity that allowed me to get a much needed rest at last.
I slept through the night without waking even once.
I vaguely remembered Tynan getting up and standing by the window, staring at the outlines of the mountains, but even that did not fully rouse me from my sleep.
By the time I opened my eyes again, Tynan was fully dressed and freshly shaven.
My hand rested on his pillow as I watched him move closer to the bed.
“How long did I sleep?” I asked, but my voice sounded like it did not belong to me, and for some reason, I found it embarrassing.
Why was I so nervous around him? It did not make any sense. Why now?
“Six hours,” he said and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“Did you get any sleep?”
“Yeah. I had plenty.” He leaned even closer and his hand brushed the side of my exposed shoulder. What I felt when his hand brushed my skin was impossible to explain. I craved his touch. I craved to be with him physically, and I was not far from begging him to take me right there and then.
“I need to talk to Hanoch.” He placed a small kiss on my forehead.
“Do you want me to go with you?” I asked, hoping he would say yes.
“No. Get more sleep. I’ll be back in no time.”
He gave me a last parting look before opening the door.
Long after he was gone, I stared at the ceiling not understanding how to act, or how to feel about the complicated male. More than anything, I wished he would tell me things, let me in. Allow me to share the burden he was carrying all by himself.
The sun was warming the hills outside when I returned to my room and made my bed. I washed up in a basin and called for a servant, asking where I could bathe and get a change of clothes.
The maid, a sixteen-year-old girl with light, curly hair and intelligent dark eyes, brought me a light green, velvety dress and two sets of undergarments.
Blushing and twisting the handkerchief in my hands, I asked her if she could fetch me a pregnancy-preventative necklace.
When she did, I quickly hid it in my pocket, unsure where to look.
Shortly after, two bulky men brought in four buckets of water. I thanked the maid, whose name was Cara, and before she left, I detained her for a moment.
“Do you live here with your family?”
“Yes. My mother works in the kitchen, and my father is a handyman.”
“I don’t see any walls separating the city from the outside.” I could not help observing.
“We don’t have any crawlers here. We’re too high in the mountains. There’s no way up from the ground.”
“Do you have any people living here?”
“We have some. Not many. Under the previous clan leader, many of them got pushed out of the city.”
“How so?”
“Lady Darragh was all about the purebloods.”
“Lady Darragh? Tynan’s mother?”
“Yes. But, I better get going and help the others,” the girl said, evidently not willing to spread gossip.
When she was gone, I stripped my dirty dress off and lowered myself into a bathtub. The copper tub was shaped in such a way that you could only sit upright. The design used less water, and I could not help but think it was a very practical way to save time and resources.
I leaned back, enjoying the heat of the water on my skin.
My eyes closed and the images from my dreams filled my head.
Every day I saw more of what Tynan told me.
It felt like we had been in this place before.
I could clearly envision the vast fields filled with wildflowers, and walking, my arms stretched out in front of me, as the palms of my hands touched the delicate buds.
Frid was telling me something, and from time to time, I could hear that irresistible laugh of hers.
Victor was walking beside her, watching her profile with a half smile on his face.
Tynan was on the other side of me, my hand in his, our fingers intertwined.
Sol walked right behind us with a serene look on his face, an unfamiliar girl with beautiful dark eyes walking beside him.
The next vision came, and I saw Grace with her sophisticated updo and the carefully thought out dress. She was smoking her long pipe, and playing with the beads she wore around her neck.
I sighed, picking up the soap that smelled like lemon balm and honey. Carefully I lathered my hair and removed all the remains of blood and dirt off my body.
When my hands touched the light outlines of the monster’s bite on my ankle, I remembered those final moments in the palace and could not believe that Ty had rescued me, and we escaped.
Maybe that was what was weighing on Tynan’s mind. He could not easily forget because he was the one who had to deal with the circumstances alone. He had to guide everyone out of the capital while I was turning.
A sudden knock on the door made me return to reality.
“Come in,” I said, wrapping myself in a towel.
“This just came for you.” Cara walked in with a wrapped package.
“What?” I could not believe my eyes.
It must have been a mistake. No one knew I was here.
I picked up the package which looked like it had been repeatedly exposed to moisture as the writing was barely legible.
Yet the address still read: To Aly Webber.
My hands shook as I peeled away the crumpled paper.
Underneath was a shiny new flying suit, black as the darkest night.