Chapter 18 #2
It seems he does because he pulls his finger back up to where he indicated the cottage was.
“We’ll follow the forest south until we hit this river,” he says as he trails the finger down, following the edge of the forest until he reaches a pale blue line that I see starts in the western mountains but flows east across the land.
“We’ll then follow the river the whole way.
East until we reach Shadow Lake and then south with the offshoot from the lake until we reach the confluence.
” His finger continues to trace the path until it reaches the place where the mountain river meets one further south that cuts through, dividing the land.
“From there, we follow the big river east until we reach the bridge into Seelie lands. We’ll need to keep off the main path for the most part, but with a little glamour power we can stay the night in Pontera,” he says, indicating the marker for a little village that’s just over the bridge into Seelie.
“From Pontera, it should only take about a day to get to Dawnspire.” He taps the capital marking again.
He looks up at me, indicating he’s finished. My fingers twitch and I can’t help but reach out and trace the southernmost river. “Is this the border of Seelie?” I ask, looking up at him.
“Yeah,” he nods as he grabs my hand, sending a pulse up my arm. He drags my finger up until it reaches a faint line that crosses through the forest. “And this is the Unseelie border.”
I look at the wide gap of space between the two borders. I let my finger circle over the space. “So, this is the Twilight Veil?” He nods. “It’s much larger than I thought it would be, but I guess that makes sense why the courts are fighting over it.”
“The Seelie border being a physical thing with the river makes it easy to have that demarcation. The Unseelie border is the more contentious one since it doesn’t really have the physical indicator,” he pauses a moment, “which is why the Queen is trying to push that boundary every chance she gets.”
I nod along. “I suppose that makes sense.” From the map alone I can tell that it’s likely difficult to enforce the Unseelie border against the push from the Unseelie queen.
I trail my fingers over the words written in the Fae language, letting it drift to where Bastian pointed out Dawnspire.
“This is where my parents live?” I ask the question as innocently as I can while trying to mask the nerves at being one more step closer to finally meeting them.
“In Summerswind Palace,” he nods. “The palace is set up on a hill so it can overlook all of Dawnspire and the other way around. The citizens of Dawnspire can look upon Summerswind and their royals.”
My nose scrunches. “Feels a bit gods-like doesn’t it? To put themselves on a pedestal like that for their people to literally look up to?”
He lets out a rough chuckle, melting away what remains of whatever tension had him acting like a grumpy asshole.
“I suppose so. But it’s strategic for safety, especially in times of war.
Being on the hill brings with it various defensive capabilities and visibility that will make it easier to defend should it come under attack.
” He tilts his head as he thinks. “Come to think of it, the Unseelie castle is set up the same way.”
“What? No, it’s not. I’ve seen it,” I argue.
“It is actually. But it’s built itself into the hill in a way that it doesn’t look like it’s structured like that.”
I try to think back to the castle I saw when I first arrived. I remember the steps up from the garden and the terrace, but I didn’t have the chance to get much of a view of any other part. “Huh,” I say thoughtfully.
“That’s not to say that Blackdown Castle is at all superior to Summerswind. Or vice versa. Both homes have their flaws and weaknesses.”
“And what are those weaknesses?” I ask, leaning in closer to him with a smirk.
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he gives me a wink before rising from the table. He begins rolling the map in on itself. “Do you need in the bathroom before I jump in the shower?”
The mention of him in the shower sends flashes of images of damp, tanned skin through my mind.
Heat climbs my cheeks and I internally scold my thoughts for falling into that scandalous rabbit hole.
Again. I drop my face away from his, focusing intently on a knot in the wood, tracing it with my finger in an attempt to distract as many of my senses as possible.
“Nope, all good.” I cringe at the way my voice comes out a little bit too squeaky.
I can feel the heat of his gaze as he watches me, but I refuse to look his way.
After a few moments, I hear his steps walk away until they fade into the bedroom and the bathroom door shuts with a snick.
I let out the breath I had been holding and all the tension leeches from my body.
I don’t understand why this male always has me so on edge.
But not in an I’m concerned for my safety way, but rather in an I’m doing everything I can not to visibly show how sexually attracted I am to him way.
Because I really shouldn’t be. He’s helping me out of the kindness of his heart…
or rather I suppose at the behest of the Fates.
I know we’re starting to drift into more of a friendship, but I can’t help feeling like I’m still an inconvenience to him.
There’s no reason he would need to accompany me to my parents, and yet, he insists.
And don’t even get me started again on how he’s Unseelie and I’m Seelie.
I haven’t had the full experience of the conflict between the two courts, but even the stories we could get back in Willowbrook advised on the severity of their hatred towards each other. I know he doesn’t care about who I am.
A Seelie.
A princess.
And I don’t care who he is as an Unseelie. But I have no doubt that it will be a point of contention should anyone on either side of our borders find out.
But I also can’t help the fact that I feel drawn to him. Connected in some way. More than him being the one to find me on the outskirts of the castle the first night. But I can’t put my finger on what it is. Why we feel like this. Because I know he feels a similar pull. Or at least he did…
Does he still?
I shake my head, scattering the train of thought. Rising from the table, I make my way to the bedroom. I shuck off my leggings before I crawl into the warmth of the blankets.
The creak of the shower faucet shutting off startles me as I remember Bastian is very much not clothed on the other side of that door.
I hastily roll over so that my back faces towards the bathroom door.
I burrow down into the blankets as the bathroom door opens and a wave of humidity reaches the back of my exposed neck.
Slowly, I roll over enough so I can try to catch a glimpse out of the corner of my eye as he’s pulling a shirt over his head.
The brief glimpse of his muscled chest and stomach is enough to follow me into my dreams for weeks.
Maybe even more than that. Heat rises to my cheeks again and I duck my face further into the bedding to hide the evidence.
“Have a goodnight, Liv,” he says, amusement heavy in his voice.
Don’t do it. You shouldn’t do it. It’s asking for trouble. Don’t do—
“Wait,” I call out before he can get away.
Fucking hell, Olivia, you did it.
He freezes half in the doorway and turns to face me where I’m now sitting up in the bed. He raises an eyebrow at me in question. “This is your house,” I say softly.
“Yes, thank you for pointing out the obvious,” he says, leaning his upper body against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, his cotton pants hanging loose off his hips.
I let out an exasperated breath. “What I mean to say is that this is your house. Your… bed. We’re about to not see a bed for the next however many days so you may as well sleep here.
” His eyebrows climb high at that. “We’re both adults.
I don’t see why we can’t platonically share a bed for the sake of comfort. ”
“Liv, I don’t know…” he trails off, uncertainty written on his face and something else that almost looks like… hope?
“For fuck’s sake, you slept on a floor last night!” I throw my arms out wide. “And maybe not even at all in the cave the night before. I can’t let you sleep on the sofa again.”
“You can’t, can you?” He smirks which sends warmth flowing through me.
I cross my arms over my chest. “No, I can’t. So, you might as well sleep in the bed.”
His eyes dart between mine, looking for any sign or wariness on my behalf. “Are you certain?”
I sigh. “Yes. Now come on before it gets too late, and we don’t even get to sleep at all.” His eyebrows jump again and this time I realize the innuendo in my words. I’m sure I look like a tomato right about now with the way my face burns. “I didn’t mean it like that,” I stammer.
He lets out a chuckle. “I know.”
With a shake of his head, he closes the distance to where I have the blankets flipped open for him.
The bed dips as his weight settles into the mattress, causing my body to involuntarily tilt towards him.
I try to sneakily slide away from him as much as possible.
I know I’m the one that suggested—more like fought—for us to share the bed, but us touching seems intimate in a way that I don’t think he wants.
Even with the distance between us, I can still feel the heat radiating off his body.
It has a pull of its own, drawing me in like a moth to a flame.
“You didn’t have to do this, but I appreciate it all the same,” his voice penetrates the stillness of the room.
“It’s not a problem,” I reply, voice coming out weirdly breathy.
“Sweet dreams, Liv.”
“Goodnight,” I whisper back as I roll so my back faces him.
I thought for sure I would be so tired that I could pass out the second my head hit the pillow, but with him in this bed with me, I’m tense and on edge.
My mind won’t shut off as it does everything it can to keep my body from turning into his.
It’s running a mile a minute with possibilities and what not to do while we share this bed.
I shift again, trying desperately to get comfortable against the hyperactivity of my mind.
“You’re thinking too loud.”
I turn onto my back looking at Bastian to see his eyes closed but a small smile on his lips. My brows furrow together. “Can you hear my thoughts?”
His smile widens, but his eyes remain closed. “No, that’s what makes it all the more impressive that your thoughts are so loud.”
I let out a small sigh of relief for the reprieve that he can’t read my mind. I would rather be swallowed up by the ground if that were the case.
He lifts the arm closest to me above his head. “Come here.”
“Excuse me?” I cough out, eyes wide.
He waves the raised hand towards him. “You need to stop overthinking this and get comfortable. Come. Here.” I don’t move. Don’t breathe. Don’t say a thing. I stare at him with rounded eyes. He lets out a sigh. “I won’t be getting any sleep if you keep doing this, so you’d be doing us both a favor.”
I hesitate before I obey his command. I scoot closer to him, my chest almost touching his side.
His arm comes down around my shoulders and tugs me so I’m flush against his body.
The second our skin connects, a pleasurable scorch sears at every point we connect and all the tension melts from my body.
I sink more fully into him which only seems to further spur him on into pulling me in closer, as close as he can possibly get me.
He sighs in relief. “Much better.”
I can’t help but think the same. All previous thoughts in my head have fled with the warmth of his body and his citrus and pine scent that further relaxes me. So much so that I find myself suddenly fighting against heavy lids.