Chapter 11
AUREN
This storm is relentless. Wind howls around the building, heavy rain pounding against the roof as rolling thunder booms overhead.
I lean back against the headboard, exhaling slowly. A low growl rises in my throat as I recall the human male trying to force his way into Vivienne’s room. I hate that he made her so afraid. The acrid scent of her fear was so strong, it took all my control not to end him.
If he had touched even one hair on her head, I would have killed him without hesitation, consequences be damned.
I’ve heard that the fated bond allows mates to sense each other’s emotions when they are strong enough.
I’d thought that since Vivienne is human, it might not manifest between us in this way, but I was wrong.
When she was in danger, I felt the pull of her fear.
And even now, I can sense she is still shaken. It’s faint, but it’s there.
After what happened, I’d hoped she would ask me to stay with her, that she would admit she wanted me near. Because leaving her alone now feels wrong, in a way I cannot ignore.
But of course, she has too much pride for that.
I enjoyed traveling with her today. Closing my eyes, I think of the way I held her as we rode. The way her delicate scent filled my nostrils. And how—
A soft knock at the door interrupts my thoughts, and I sit up in bed. “Come in.”
The door eases open, and she stands in the threshold, framed by the dim candlelight behind her. She blinks several times as she scans the room, her eyes wide and her expression uncertain. My instincts snap to attention as a hint of her fear scent touches my nostrils.
“Auren?” she calls out, her voice a bit shaky.
It’s only now that I remember humans don’t see well in the dark.
“What is it?” I ask, rushing toward her. “Are you alright?”
I’m glad when her shoulders relax as soon as she can see me. “I just wanted to see if you were comfortable,” she says. “If you, um, wanted another pillow, perhaps?”
Despite my concern, I find myself biting back a grin. I recognize a thinly veiled excuse when I hear one.
Thunder cracks, shaking the walls, and she flinches, confirming my suspicions. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” she replies, but I can see through the lie. She’s frightened but too proud to admit it.
I hate seeing her afraid. Fierce protectiveness surges through me, and it takes all my restraint not to pull her into my arms and hold her close.
She bites her lower lip, her gaze sweeping toward the hearth where the fire has burned down to mere embers. “There’s more food. If you’re still hungry,” she offers.
I shake my head. “I’m fine, Vivienne.”
She shifts restlessly, clearly searching for another excuse, another reason to stay.
So, I decide to help her. “I can’t sleep,” I lie. “If you’re not too tired, I could use some company.”
A flicker of relief flashes across her face before she can hide it, but then her gaze darts to the bed and her expression falters slightly, probably assuming I mean to have her sleep beside me.
Before she can panic, I motion toward the sofa by the fire. “What do you say?”
She nods and steps inside without hesitation. She’s dressed in only her shift, with a thin shawl.
I guide her to the couch and then quickly go to her room, retrieving her blankets. I carefully drape them around her, to make sure she’s warm, before I return my attention to the fireplace, coaxing the embers back into a roaring blaze.
The warmth of the fire chases away the chill, illuminating her lovely face and her long red hair.
She truly is the most beautiful female I’ve ever seen.
When I’m finished, I pour her a cup of tea, still warm in the pot from her lavish dinner, and hand it to her. “Here. That should help keep you warm.”
The tea seems to soothe her. After she finishes the first cup, I pour her another, watching in satisfaction as some of the tension leaves her shoulders. “Are you warm enough?” I ask. “Comfortable?”
She nods as she stares down at the cup, a look akin to guilt crossing her lovely features. “I… shouldn’t have ordered so much food earlier.” She glances around the space. “It was wasteful. Along with the extra room.”
I’m stunned by her admission. “It’s alright. This is a rather big change for you, I’m sure.”
Vivienne gives me a reluctant nod. “I suppose I’ll need to learn how to live… more modestly than I’m used to.”
While I’m glad for her new awareness, I don’t want her to worry about the future. “You won’t want for anything. My vow.”
She smiles, but I see the doubt in her eyes, and I understand. This is a very different life than what she had in her father's palace. But she needs to learn this, just as my father once taught my brother and me.
He would take us out of the castle when we were boys, not on grand processions, but without fanfare, walking the market streets and the farming villages so we would know our people's faces. So we would never mistake comfort for the whole of the world.
I can still picture the way he moved through those streets, stopping to speak with anyone who approached him. He never looked like a king trying to appear humble. He simply was.
I miss him every day, but I’m thankful he shaped me before I lost him. It is the greatest gift he gave me.
“I’ve never stayed somewhere like this before.” Vivienne sighs, pulling me back from my memories. “It’s… an adjustment.”
I bite back a grin. “I imagined as much.”
She narrows her eyes, but her lips twitch, giving her away.
Even when she’s irritated, she still finds me amusing, and I count it as progress.
“The few times I traveled with my father,” she says, “we always stayed in the local Lord or Lady’s estate. Never inns or taverns.”
“I suppose you never camped either,” I venture.
“Camped?” She looks at me like I’ve grown two heads. “Of course not. Ladies do not sleep in tents.”
I bite my tongue. She’s in for a shock tomorrow evening. There isn’t an inn nearby on the next leg of our journey. We’ll have no choice but to camp in the woods.
“But I suppose I’m no longer a lady now that we’re wed.” She sighs heavily, staring at the dancing flames in the hearth. “And it’s all my fault,” she adds in a voice so low I’m certain she thought I wouldn’t hear it.
Little does she know that my people possess exceptional hearing. I hate that she seems so despondent and yet…
As she takes another sip of her tea, I study her. Everyone knows the reason her father was desperate to marry her off—to avoid the bargain he’d made with the Goblin King. But Vivienne seemed determined to sabotage every match he tried to make for her, and I don’t understand why.
I tilt my head. “Why didn’t you want to marry, Vivienne?” Before she can answer, I add, “Would you have rather been bound to the Goblin King?”
“Of course not,” she replies vehemently. “Why do you think I married a common—”
She stops short as if only now realizing what she was about to say. So, I decide to finish her sentence for her. “Dark Elf soldier?”
She at least has the decency to appear chagrined. “I’m sorry.” She huffs. “I didn’t—”
“It’s fine.” I pause a moment as I consider her. “Still… you had your pick of suitors. Even my King wanted you, but you wouldn’t even entertain his offer.”
I want to know why she never considered me, even knowing that I was interested.
Vivienne tips up her chin. “If you must know, I didn’t want to marry because I enjoy my freedom. I was… afraid I’d be shackled with a husband who wanted to control me.”
I meet her gaze evenly. “I won’t do that to you.”
She narrows her eyes, as if gauging the truth of my statement before she adds, “And I thought I could somehow find a way around the bargain.” She sighs heavily. “But I realized that was simply denial.”
“Ah,” I say, understanding. “So that’s why you went through with our wedding.”
She gives me a prim nod. “Why did you agree to marry me?” she asks. “It certainly wasn’t for the coin, since you refused the dowry my father tried to offer you.”
I could tell her of the fated bond. About how my soul recognized her as mine. But her people do not have fate bonds, and I’m not sure she’d understand. Besides, it’s not the only reason I desired to take her as my wife.
I wanted her before the bond even revealed itself… when I saw her in the ballroom eviscerating every suitor with that sharp tongue of hers.
We’re still so new to each other, I worry the intensity of my feelings might be more than she wants to hear, but I cannot hold back.
“From the first moment I saw you, I admired your spirit… your inner fire.” I meet her gaze evenly. “You were living flame wrapped in silk, and the most beautiful female I’ve ever seen.” I pause. “Only a fool would have turned down the offer of your hand.”
A pink blush spreads across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, accentuating the tiny smattering of spots on her otherwise pale skin.
I stare at her, transfixed, curling my fingers into my palm to resist the urge to reach out and trace them. To count each and every one, committing them to memory.
Deafening thunder shakes the inn, rattling the windows. Vivienne’s entire body goes tense, her breath catching in her throat.
I’m not sure why the storm unnerves her so much. Perhaps, it’s because she’s used to life in the castle. The thick stone walls provide a sturdier barrier to the elements. “It’s alright,” I reassure her. “We’re safe in here.”
Her jaw tightens, chin lifting. “I’m fine,” she says, trying but failing to hide the slight tremor in her voice. “I’m simply tired. That’s all.”
My lips twitch as I watch her pride grappling with instinct as she refuses to yield to something as common as fear.
“I should return to my room.”
“As you wish,” I say, because I will not press her. Not when she is fighting herself already.
She sweeps toward the door with all the dignity of a queen leaving court, not bothering to look back as she shuts the door behind her.