Chapter 21
VIVIENNE
The fire has burned down low, casting flickering shadows against the tent canvas. The night is quieter now, and the wind has grown a bit colder.
And Auren is still outside.
I sit at the edge of my bedroll, my fingers clenching around the soft fabric of my nightshift.
I’ve never seen a Gargoyle up close before. Even though Thalric is injured, he’s still massive and rather intimidating looking. Aurora seems nice, but part of me is still worried that this might be a trap of some sort, and we should leave.
And yet Auren, the reckless fool, is far too trusting… willing to risk himself for people who could just as easily slit his throat in his sleep.
I push back the flap of the tent and see him speaking in low tones with Thalric, his broad shoulders relaxed, and a smile on his face.
When Thalric goes to speak with Aurora, I stomp over to Auren, catching his wrist firmly in hand. He frowns. “Vivienne, what are you—”
“Get over here,” I hiss, dragging him back into the tent with me.
He opens his mouth to speak, but I press a finger to his lips, silencing him. “Listen to me, Auren. We don’t know these people. They could be dangerous.”
“They’re not going to hurt us, Vivienne,” he mumbles around my finger. “Besides, if Vaelen felt they had any ill intent, he wouldn’t have left to hunt.”
“Oh, well that just makes it all better now, doesn’t it?” I say sarcastically, placing my hands on my hips. “So, because a wolf thinks they’re friendly, all is well?”
“Vaelen happens to be an excellent judge of character,” Auren counters.
“Oh, really?” I reply tartly.
Auren arches a teasing brow. “He likes you, doesn’t he?”
“Well, that’s different.” I tip up my chin. “For all you or Vaelen know they could be murderers or thieves.” I gesture in the direction of the other tent Auren set up for them. “Thalric’s a Gargoyle. He could kill you and—”
“And you’d be devastated.” He smirks. “Is that what you wanted to tell me?”
“No,” I scoff. “I’d simply be annoyed that I’m lost in the woods without a guide.”
The words sound like a lie, even to my own ears.
“Of course,” he agrees easily.
“You’re ridiculous,” I mutter.
Auren hums, considering me. “Don’t worry, Vivienne. I will be right outside your tent. If anything wants to harm you, it’ll have to go through me.”
He starts to leave, but I call out, “Wait!”
Auren turns back to me.
“I don’t want you to sleep outside, I want you to stay in here tonight.”
I expect some sort of teasing remark about me liking him, but his jaw drops instead.
“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” I huff. “I’m merely being practical. It’s safer for us to stay together.”
His mouth curves into a devastatingly handsome smile that makes my stomach flip. “If you wanted me to sleep with you, my dear wife, all you had to do was ask.”
I stop short of rolling my eyes and toss a pillow at him. “Just don’t hog all the blankets.”
His brows shoot up to his forehead. “You’re letting me share the bed?”
“Don’t make me rethink it,” I grumble, fluffing my pillow aggressively before settling onto the bedroll and turning onto my side.
I hear him removing his armor, stripping down to just his pants. He normally sleeps with his upper half bare. My mind drifts to the memory of his broad shoulders, the thick cords of muscle that wrap around his arms, the hard ridges of his chest…
Closing my eyes briefly, I try to force the images from my mind.
The bedroll dips as he slides beneath the blankets. He’s so close that the warmth of his body radiates to mine, and I can hear the steady sound of his breathing. I glance over my shoulder. He’s lying perfectly still, flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling.
And yet, his presence fills every inch of the tent.
My gaze travels over his bare chest, down his abdomen to the V that disappears beneath the waistband of his pants.
His eyes sweep to me, and I gasp, realizing I’ve been caught once again. I clear my throat and then turn back to face away from him. “Will you please turn off the light?”
He snaps his fingers and the tent immediately goes dark.
Must be rather handy to have the use of magic at one’s fingertips. If we had children, I wonder if they would—
I force my thoughts to a screeching halt. I am not thinking about a future with Auren. I simply have to make it past the thirty days and then we’ll part ways.
But that presents its own set of problems. My birthday is in a few months. If I’m not still married to Auren at that point, I’m stuck marrying the Goblin King. On the other hand, once we reach Valethryn, I could seek out the Dark Elf King.
Auren said that he wanted me. Even though I don’t know him, surely he’s a better choice than the king of the Goblins. And… he’d be able to give me an easier life than I’d have as a soldier’s wife.
And yet, as much as I’ve tried to keep him at arm’s length, Auren is…
starting to grow on me. When we wed, I didn’t expect to develop any feelings for him, but I cannot deny that I have.
I think of how he cares for me, protects me…
treats me as if I’m something cherished instead of as a problem to be solved, as my father so often did.
I glance over my shoulder again at my Dark Elf husband.
He’s also insufferable, incorrigible, and the most exasperating man I’ve ever met.
My mind tries to rationalize that we’re not a good match.
That we’re far too different from each other.
He’s a warrior and I’m a princess. But as I gaze at him, my heart insists that those things don’t matter.
I release a small huff because all of this is very inconvenient. I’ve seen what love can do to a person, as it did to my father… how care can turn into control. Auren swears he would never restrict my freedoms, but I’m not sure I’m ready to trust that completely.
Sighing heavily, I push these troubling thoughts aside.
We still have a few more days of travel, and a few more weeks before I must make a decision.
I suppose I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it…
and try not to think about how much harder that choice is becoming with every mile we travel together.
My muscles slowly begin to relax as my eyelids grow heavy.
The fire outside crackles. Auren shifts slightly behind me, careful to maintain a respectful amount of space between us.
Sleep drags at the edges of my mind, and I let it take me, lulled by the warmth of the furs and the quiet steadiness of his breath.