Chapter Eleven #2
He climbed the last few stairs and met Enosabe’s steely glare, tears welling on the surface that she would never allow to fall down her pale cheeks.
She was a titaness, and so was her twin, but Enosabe was far too fierce to show such weakness.
She departed with her small court behind her, leaving Boraleashe alone.
His viceroy and court were still traveling, so he had no one, no counsel, no advice or anyone to give him a few words of encouragement.
It was just him and his failures.
Boraleashe’s foyer was not as grand as Notalus’, but the crystal-and-diamond chandelier was grand enough to take any visitor’s breath away, but he had a hard time seeing its beauty at that moment.
He dragged his tired body up the curved stairs toward his private quarters. Servants lined the walls, bowing when he passed. Regardless, he kept his head high with a confidence he no longer possessed.
Boraleashe had kept his word to his brother, Boules, to raise his daughters upon his death and to love and honor them.
Boraleashe had been devastated for years at the loss of his brother, but he’d left behind his precious daughters, and Boraleashe had been proud to raise them. A blessing he never took for granted.
Enosabe and Kallos were the only children Boraleashe would have.
The girl’s mother, Alisha of the Ephoraa Titaness, died after an excruciatingly long labor. And now with Boraleashe’s death, the girls would have no family left.
He hated to leave them, and he’d miss them more than anything in all the worlds, but Boraleashe had no control over fate.
Two of the guards posted outside his chambers opened the double doors and closed them behind him with a deep bow of acknowledgment.
When inside, he waved away the other servants’ advance when they tried to assist Boraleashe in removing his robe.
He preferred not to be catered to, and much to his aide’s disappointment, he often took care of his own personal needs.
Boraleashe didn’t believe he deserved their servitude or their loyalty. Not after his selfishness.
Boraleashe’s bath aide stood shyly off to the side with his eyes cast downward, shaking with nerves while he wrung his long, slim fingers behind his back. “My lord. Your bath is ready.”
“Thank you, Royale, that will be all for the evening. You can retire to your rooms. I won’t be needing anything,” Boraleashe grunted, struggling to reach behind his back and unclasp the chest plate of his armor.
“I don’t mind, my lord. It would be a great pleasure to serve you,” he whispered. Royale’s smoldering incubus eyes were all over Boraleashe’s form. “After such a long ride, perhaps I may aid with your bath, lord.”
Royale’s loyalty triggered a bittersweet knot of pain in Boraleashe’s chest. He rejected him as politely as he could. “You have done more than enough, Royale. I will be fine from here. I think I just need some time alone before dinner.”
“Of course, my lord.” His bath servant still appeared upset, but Boraleashe couldn’t help that. With his plump bottom lip tucked behind his front teeth, he answered, “I’ll be just outside your chambers if you need me, lord.”
Boraleashe accepted the graceful bow and waited for Royale to leave before he continued undressing.
He hated upsetting anyone in his home, even his servants.
And while Royale seemed more than eager and willing to help Boraleashe unwind in the best way after his tumultuous journey, he knew it’d be downright despicable of him to take advantage of a man he didn’t desire.
Boraleashe refused to settle for another.
He knew the man that he wanted… he’d always wanted, and if he couldn’t have him, then he’d have no one.
Boraleashe released a long, relieved sigh, shedding his heavy blue robe, letting the frigid air seep into his skin. His bath chambers were one of his favorite rooms in his home, designed especially for him with its natural, arctic air flowing through the open floor-to-ceiling windows.
His bare feet on the marble floors would be annoying to most people, but to Boraleashe, it felt as though he were walking on clouds. He remembered when the sun was bright enough to reflect off the daily fresh-fallen snow, making the chrome and marble fixtures shimmer like glass.
His tub was more like a lake. He descended the steps, wading into the deeper end until the water rose above his sensitive nipples.
The bath had been cooled to the perfect temperature and scented with the fragrances from the Glaciers Forest. Pine, amber, and notes of oud.
Boraleashe found the cushioned bench in the deepest area and reclined against the edge, finally closing his eyes.
It took everything in his Imagination not to think of Theodor, to not think of what his titan pride made him leave behind.
That sweet fragrance of apples and spices and a touch that was able to reach clear through to his core.
Boraleashe sank deeper, his moan echoing in the vast space.
It was the soothing water that was making him feel, but it was his insistent thoughts of the man who’d embraced him in strong arms and caressing winds that made tortured groans escape his throat.
No matter how hard he fought to think of nothing or how fast he shoved the memories of their time together to the back of his mind, Theodor had a commanding presence whether he was near or far.
Boraleashe could do nothing but shake his head and let loose a slow, sinister laugh at his misfortune.
He was plagued with the most spiteful, agonizing curse known to a titan.
He was prohibited from projecting his true heart, but he was more than capable of feeling all the pain and loss times ten.
And now that the ending was near, Boraleashe would feel the worst of it.
He’d relive all the love he could’ve had right before he took his last breath.
“I wonder if he misses me,” Boraleashe whispered, even though there was no one there to hear him. “When I’m gone, I hope you will heal quickly, my beautiful treasure, that one day, you’ll be free to give your heart to another. To someone who will nurture it and return the love you give.”
Boraleashe grunted at the crippling pain increasing with each thought.
He clutched at his chest, helpless against the disease growing inside him.
His life was in its final stages; he could feel it as surely as the cool water against his skin.
While he drifted in and out of consciousness and pain, Boraleashe prayed to the gods that his daughters would mourn him, then one day forgive him.
He prayed they’d sing his praises of the ultimate sacrifice he made for his kingdom and that his name would live on gloriously when Amárach was prosperous once again.
It was all a true titan could wish for.
Boraleashe stayed in his bath until the same servant he’d dismissed earlier announced outside his chamber doors that dinner would be served soon. Boraleashe wasn’t relaxed enough, but he got out of the soothing water anyway, not wanting to keep his daughters waiting.