Chapter 11 #2
Almost instantly, as if the gods themselves are testing her resolve, lightning arcs across the sky as thunder crashes again, shaking the walls.
I stand very still in the center of the room, staring at her door, wondering if she’ll return. If her fear will override her pride. I bite back a grin as she knocks once more. I’m already moving toward the door when the latch turns.
She stands in the doorway, chin lifted in her signature stubborn look.
“Yes?”
“There is no reason,” she begins, voice carefully composed, “for a married couple to sleep separately.”
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. “Of course not.”
Her gaze flicks to the bed behind me, then to the hearth, and back to me.
She steps inside, walking past me as if she owns the place. “We should sleep in this room. It’s warmer in here.”
I incline my head solemnly. “As my wife commands.”
She strides past me before I can see whether my words please or irritate her more. Her delicate scent of jasmine and vanilla trails in her wake.
She climbs into the bed, gathering the blankets around herself like armor.
Swallowing hard, I start toward her. This is it. The moment I’ve been waiting for. For her to allow me closer.
I’ve already decided I’ll lie on my back. I’ll let her come to me if she wishes. And if not, simply sharing the same bed is enough. In fact, it’s more than I expected at this point.
My hopes dash as she tosses a pillow. It strikes me square in the chest and falls to the floor. I lean down to pick it up and she throws a quilt at me as well.
“Very generous of you,” I tease lightly. “To give me something soft for the cold floor.”
It’s not actually that cold. At least, not to me. She, on the other hand, seems to truly need the mound of blankets she’s currently under.
She purses her lips, but there isn’t any irritation in her eyes. “You could use the cushions from the sofa,” she offers.
Thunder rolls again, vibrating through the floorboards, and it’s easy to see Vivienne is still unnerved. Although now, I’m beginning to wonder if it has less to do with the storm than it does the fact that she’s still shaken from what happened in the hallway.
I could simply sleep on the sofa, but I get the feeling she’d prefer me nearby. Even if it’s not in her bed.
I gather the cushions and then arrange the pillow and blanket, settling onto the floor beside her. The cushions are a bit thin and don’t provide much support, but I’ve slept on worse.
I would sleep on stone if it meant she did not tremble alone.
Stretching onto my back, I lay the quilt over my lower half and put my hands behind my head. When I look at the bed, I find Vivienne staring at my chest.
I’m dressed in only my pants, and if her blush is anything to go by, she likes what she sees. A smile curves my lips. “Goodnight, me’lira.”
She makes a soft huffing sound—half irritation, half something else—and shifts under the covers. The mattress creaks as she turns onto her side.
The storm continues its relentless assault, lightning flashing bright enough to illuminate the room before plunging it back into shadow.
As the minutes pass, I listen to her breathing. It’s uneven and shallow, her heart hammering. But as the thunder grows more distant, her pulse slows a bit.
The mattress shifts again and her arm slides off the edge of the bed, the tips of her fingers brushing my shoulder.
I go still. Her touch is featherlight against my skin, but it warms my heart all the same as her breaths become soft and even. As if she is instinctively seeking and finding comfort with me… even in her sleep.
Staring into the darkness, a troubling thought comes to mind. She already has me wrapped around her finger. And she cannot find this out… not until I know that she’s mine, just as much as I am already hers.
A sudden ripple of unease moves through me, and I go still. It’s faint at first, barely more than a whisper brushing the edge of my senses, but it sharpens quickly, tightening into something jagged and wrong.
Fear floods my veins, and I realize it’s not mine, it’s Vivienne’s.
My head snaps toward her. “Vivienne,” I murmur under my breath, but she’s asleep.
The bond pulls again, stronger this time, and I feel it more clearly now. Not just fear, but something deeper threaded through it… cold and watching.
A small whimper escapes her as she shifts restlessly on the mattress.
I rise quickly and move to her side. “Vivienne,” I say firmer, trying to rouse her.
Her eyes remain closed, trapped in a nightmare. A soft sound slips from her lips, barely more than a breath, but it twists something in my chest all the same. “No, please.”
Carefully, I brush my hand over her arm. Her skin is warm beneath my touch, but she flinches as if burned. “Vivienne, wake up,” I say sharply, but she doesn’t stir.
“Please, no,” she pleads again.
A low growl builds in my throat as something dark brushes against the bond. This is no ordinary nightmare. This feels like the work of magic.
Worry coils tight in my chest as I sit on the edge of the bed and take her hand. “Vivienne,” I murmur, softer this time. “Wake up, you’re having a bad dream.”
Her breath stutters a moment before her eyes snap open. She gasps, her fingers curling around mine as if trying to anchor herself.
“It’s alright,” I murmur, tightening my hold just slightly. “You’re safe.”
Her gaze flicks wildly around the room before settling on me. “Auren?”
I brush a strand of hair back from her face. “You were dreaming.”
She nods, her chest rising and falling too quickly. “I was walking down a long hallway, and there were these vines everywhere. They were full of thorns,” she whispers. “And I saw these terrifying eyes.”
I go tense. “What kind of eyes?” I ask quietly.
She shakes her head, pressing closer as if she doesn’t want to remember. “Gold,” she murmurs.
“Did you see anything else?”
She shakes her head.
A sharp, vicious instinct rises inside me as I recall the darkness brushing against the bond. My jaw tightens. “It was only a dream,” I say, though I’m not sure I believe that to be entirely true.
She nods, but her gaze is fixed on the far wall. “I’ve dreamed of this before,” she whispers, still shaken.
I frown. “Before?”
She nods faintly. “My father had a mage look into it once. He said it was tied to the Goblin bargain.”
I go still.
“I used to have these nightmares more often when I was younger,” she adds quietly. “And they were always the same. But I haven’t had one in a long time.”
She glances at the ring on her finger. “I thought they would stop once I was wed.”
They should have. The fated bond should shield her from outside magic… especially something like this. Unless there is more to the bargain than her father realized when he agreed to the terms.
Then again, this could simply be a recurring nightmare and nothing more. I’ve heard the bond can work this way… allowing bonded couples to sense each other’s emotions.
Perhaps that’s all this is, and that’s how I was able to feel the pull of fear through our connection. And yet… something about it feels wrong.
I push the dark thought from my mind as Vivienne shivers slightly. I grab the blanket and carefully tuck it around her. “It’s alright,” I murmur. “You’re safe here.”
She swallows hard and nods. “I know.” Clearing her throat, she tips up her chin as her pride reasserts itself. “I’m fine. Truly. I’ve had these before. It’s simply… a nightmare. Nothing more.”
I hope she’s right, but Goblins are clever creatures. I wouldn’t put it past their king to have slipped something into the bargain that has yet to be met to settle the terms. Or perhaps it’s merely a lingering effect now that she is wed.
Whatever it is, I know one thing for sure. As long as I draw breath, the Goblin King will not touch her. Vivienne is mine and I will never allow her to fall into the hands of that monster.