Chapter 40
Cold air made her skin prickle when she opened the door back into the main bedroom a while later.
To her surprise, there was no fireplace in their room which meant there was no way to heat the area they would be sleeping in. Considering she had Kaden to keep her warm, she didn’t really want to complain.
Her towel draped around her loosely and her wet tangled hair fell down her back farther than she would prefer. She hadn’t cut it for a while now and knew if she didn’t soon it would drive her mad.
A tug in her stomach made her look towards the bed, Kaden staring at her with so much intensity she felt her knees wobble.
“Have a nice bath?” he said casually, his eyes still gazing over her half naked body.
“Yeah,” she said, her mouth suddenly dry.
Tension was rising in the room and she cleared her throat before taking a few steps towards her bag.
“It’s strange they don’t have a heat source in here,” she said, hoping to ease the tension.
“A lot of things are strange about this place.”
She could hear the weariness in his voice and finally started to open her bag to grab her cotton night clothes. His clothes were already laid out along one of the dressers and she figured she should do the same at some point.
“No fireplace, extravagant furniture, and a washroom the size of a normal sized house. It’s as if they entertain wealthy guests often.” She chuckled and turned to see him still watching her intently.
“Either that or they use these rooms for other things.”
She tilted her head and raised her brow in confusion.
“You mean like sex rooms?” she giggled.
“You saw the way that man looked you over, which by the way made me want to rip his head off.” he snorted and she tried to cover her laugh quickly. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he uses these for a temporary brothel or something for his guards.”
The concept was logical, and her skin crawled again at the image of Oak under any female.
It was his turn to laugh at her as she visibly shook from disgust and she shot him a playful glare.
“I really hope this room hasn’t been used in a while.” She gagged and headed back towards the bathroom.
“I can just close my eyes if you want to change out here.”
She threw a playful look over her shoulder and laughed.
“The bathroom is warmer.”
He smirked back at her and she disappeared behind the door to change, her body getting more exhausted by the minute from today's travels.
Once changed, she braided her hair into two long twin braids and walked back out to the room, her eyes casually glancing at Kaden.
He had undressed, his top half completely bare like usual and his bottom half was covered with dark silk sheets. Looking at his half naked body still made color rush to her cheeks, his physic one of perfection in her eyes.
She looked away before he could notice her face flushing and put her dirty clothes in a pile by the door.
“Don’t worry, I checked and the sheets are clean,” he joked.
“Good to know.”
Talking a quiet breath she started towards the bed, careful not to look at Kaden knowing she would give away her attraction to him. Things were already tense between them in a good way, she didn’t want to feed on that and go too far.
The silk skated across her skin as she crawled into bed next to him and let out a long breath when her head hit the pillow. Just as she got comfortable, another knock sounded on the door and Kaden once again answered it.
The maiden almost dropped her tray, her eyes wide as Kaden’s bare chest appeared in her face. The maiden’s outfit caught her eye though, or should she say lack of.
The female was in nothing but undergarments, fancier than ones someone would wear to bed and she knew then this place was disgusting. She was also adorned with an iron collar, and she wasn’t sure if it was a fashion statement or something darker.
“Your food sir.” the maiden’s face turning into a flirtatious smile. “The governor said to make sure his visiting male guests have everything you need, anything at all.” Her free hand tracing along her collar bone trying to draw Kaden’s eye to her breast.
Rage took over and before she could think she stormed over to the door, pushing Kaden aside.
“He doesn’t like whores, they are too dirty.” she snarled, white flame flickering at her fingers.
The female glared at her, but when she saw the flames she backed up a step. Others could be heard down the hall and she turned to see other girls similarly dressed trying to get into the other rooms with their theatrical display. To her pleasure, the girls didn’t succeed.
“We will take the food.” Kaden cleared his throat and grabbed the tray holding two plates of food on it from the maiden.
“Just pull that rope if you change your mind.” the maiden pointed to a dangling rope just inside the door. “We have many forms of entertainment at the ready.”
“Don’t count on it,” she snapped and slammed the door in the female's face.
She turned to see Kaden leaning against the small table he had set the food on and his face was full of pure amusement.
“What?” she barked.
“Do I want to know what would have happened if I would have been interested in her offer?” a smile tugging at his lips.
Catching herself overreacting she took a deep breath and crossed her arms. It wasn’t like they were together romantically, but the thought of that slut hitting on him boiled her nerves.
“I suppose you could still find out, just need to pull that rope.” she huffed and walked towards the table avoiding his eyes. “Just don’t expect me to touch you ever again afterwards or vice versa.”
A grip on her arm made her pause and she was suddenly being pushed against the wall, Kaden’s hand winding around the nape of her neck. His breathing was ragged, a rumble in his chest sounded and she froze in shock while his other hand rested on her hip.
“Are you jealous I was getting attention from someone?” he purred, his eyes feral and his grip firm against her.
“I’m a queen, I don’t get jealous over my guards.” she smirked.
“Whatever you say princess, but I can sense you want something.” His breath brushed against her lips as his head dipped closer.
It took effort to keep her lips in a hard line, not wanting to give into his game. It was no secret they had been tip-toeing around one another for a while now, but she wasn’t going to make that first move.
As soon as his hand moved from her neck and gripped her chin, she knew every ounce of fight she had melted away. Gently, he brushed his thumb against her lower lip, his eyes starting intently and she let out a shuttered breath.
“What do you want, Alyra?” he voiced with urgency and she felt butterflies in her stomach again. She could tell his eyes were a mix of panic and curiosity, himself showing a small amount of vulnerability.
Every ounce of her wanted to say it was him, the hold he had on her the past week overwhelmed her and she parted her lips to let out a shaky breath.
“Kaden, I..” She struggled to speak, her voice cracking as she closed her eyes as her vulnerability shattered.
He leaned in closer to her, their bodies now pressed fully against each other and his head dipped down so close she could feel his breath on her lips.
“What do you want, princess?” his tone yearning for her to answer and could feel his hold tighten on her.
“I-”
For the third time in the last hour, there was a banging on the door and both jumped. His body slammed into her, protectively encasing her against the wall and she squealed in surprise.
“I hate this place already." He growled and walked to the door, throwing it open with such force she thought he was going to break it off the hinges.
She could see Oak standing outside the door, her stomach instantly getting nauseous and she stayed slightly hidden against the wall.
“Kaden, correct?” Oak asked, his eyes looking around the room, she assumed for her.
“Yes.” Kaden said back with gritted teeth.
“I wanted to ask if I may escort Lady Alyra around the grounds one of the days you are here. She would be safe with me and my guards as I would like to show her a few things I modeled after her people.” Oak’s tone was more of a demand than a request and she saw Kaden’s back flex.
“She doesn’t go anywhere without me, or my men.” Kaden said with an annoyed tone.
“Do you not trust she is safe with me?” Oak asked with an annoyed tone.
“She is mine to protect and she will not go anywhere without me in a place she is unfamiliar with.” Kaden’s voice growled. “If you decide otherwise and force her then I will make sure you know exactly why I’m the King’s choice to protect her.”
She could see Oak eyeing him curiously but she didn’t see him flinch at Kaden’s words. “Why don’t we let her decide.” Oak smirked and leaned his head over enough to fully see her. “Lady Alyra?”
Kaden glanced over his shoulder towards her, tension rising and she stepped next to him, wrapping her arm around his waist. She pulled herself up against him, her free hand resting on his chest and casually tilted her head to the side.
“I would love to see the grounds, however King Emris has ordered Kaden to stay by my side. If something did happen, I’m sure you wouldn’t want the wrath of the King for ignoring his orders.” She plastered on a fake smile, acting innocent to the creepy man standing in their doorway.
Oak obviously noticed her up against Kaden’s half naked body, and his eyes narrowed on her with annoyance. That gesture itself confirmed her suspicions and made a mental note to never be alone with him.
“I would never want to upset my king.” Oak said bluntly. “Maybe we can just talk in my office, Kaden could wait outside.”
She made sure not to let her face falter, even though the thought of her being in his office alone made her want to puke. “We will see how it goes, I do have to train and that can take most of the day.”
Oak’s eyes darkened and she felt Kaden’s arm wrap around her, his hand squeezing her hip.
“We were just about to eat and we are both exhausted. Can we finish this conversation tomorrow? It’s been a long day.” Kaden’s hardened voice cut through the tension and even she flinched.
“Of course.” Oak smiled, noticeably irked by their answers and bowed his head before heading back down the hall.
Kaden slammed the door and she instantly pulled herself into his chest, her body shaking from the revolting thoughts going through her mind. This man wanted her alone but she couldn’t figure out what his angle was.
As she leaned her head against him, she felt his arms tighten around her and he rested his head against her.
“Don’t worry princess, I’ll rip his head off if he tries to harm you. No one will ever take you away from me.”
Her heart stopped beating for a single second, his words sinking into her and a genuine smile formed on her face.