Chapter 26
He doesn’t bat an eye at me making a house rule for his house. “Name it.”
“You can’t wear shirts at night,” I tell him softly.
“No problem there.” I can hear the soft affection in his voice, and I barely resist the urge to sigh. “I hate wearing shirts.”
I grin. “Good to know.”
I turn so that I’m on my back and stare up at the ceiling. “Are Veyra and Jespar okay?”
His voice is soft when he replies. “Yes. With her being pregnant, they’ll probably stick to the woods until the pups are born.”
His words settle any lingering unease I had, and I fully relax.
I can hear the sound of the small waves hitting the wooden beams that keep this house above water.
It’s soothing and relaxing, and I can’t believe how quickly I get sleepy.
I thought it would take me forever to fall asleep in a new place, but I’m pretty sure I'm out in minutes.
The next morning when I wake up, I notice right way that the sun is high in the sky.
I sit up, surprised I slept that long. My arm hurts today, but nothing like yesterday.
I’m hoping I’m past the worst of it. I sit on the bed for a moment, just taking in the sounds.
I can hear kids playing, adults conversing, and the sounds of tools being used.
It makes for a cacophony of sound that represents life.
I stand up and make the bed, pulling the light blankets up and over the linens.
There’s such a difference between Rysden’s castle, as Farrah calls it, and here.
Rysden’s castle has huge, heavy furs everywhere.
Here, they have light linens and light coverings.
Everything is sunny and warm. I grab one of the blankets and wrap it around my shoulders and head out to the main room.
Just as I get there, Kaldar walks in through the open door, shirtless with water dripping from his hair onto his chest. “Did you go for a swim?” I ask.
I watch as his eyes take me in and soften. “You’re awake.”
“I can’t believe I slept that long.”
“You needed it.” I glance behind him, and he follows my gaze. “And yes, I went for a swim.”
“Isn’t it cold?” I ask.
He gives me a soft smile. “It’s pretty warm; you should try it.”
“Oh, no thank you. I’m good, but...” I pause and look outside once again. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why would you go for a swim in the morning...or at all?”
He takes in my face and smirks. “You’re really not a fan of water, are you?”
“Not particularly. No. I just don’t get why you’d want to go in first thing in the morning.”
“I start out almost every morning swimming for an hour.”
My mouth drops open in shock. “You swim for an hour? For fun?”
“Well, it’s mostly for exercise; but I guess it’s fun too.”
“Do you go by yourself?”
“One of my five,” he stops and makes a face. “Four now. One of them always accompanies me. Usually, it’s Taren; but sometimes it’s one of the others.”
“Is that for safety?” I ask. He gives me a look. “Not that you can’t protect yourself,” I rush to say, even as I fight the smile.
“I can protect myself, even while swimming.”
“But your team doesn’t think so?”
“My team is overprotective.” He sighs. “But I get it. My father and mother were murdered; so they’re a little intense about the whole thing.
” He says it so casually, as if he’s talking about the weather.
I knew they’d been killed, but I didn’t know the details.
I’m completely in the dark about how to respond.
“Knock, knock.”
I whirl around. “Oh, Harper. Uh,” I glance at Kaldar, but he doesn’t give me anything. “Come in.” She’s practically in anyway. There’s only the see-through netting keeping her out. She steps inside.
“I can come back later,” she says dryly.
“No, no, it’s fine. Come on in.” I do my best to sound relaxed.
She eyes me and then eyes Kaldar before crossing her arms over her chest. “I gotta say. I didn’t think you’d move that fast. Shows you what I know.”
I feel my face heat to a thousand degrees. “This is not what it looks like.”
“Okay.”
“We’re not...like sleeping together. I mean we did sleep together, but we didn’t...you know...sleep together.” She looks at me expectantly. “What?” I ask.
“Oh, I was just waiting for you to say sleeping together again,” she says, drawing out the words.
I shake my head. I don’t even look over at Kaldar because I'm already wishing to disappear; I don’t want to make it worse. “I think—”
“Knock, knock.” I spin towards the sound and see a woman I don’t know standing at the door with a baby on her hip.
“Rakel, come in.”
I nearly jump at the sound of Kaldar’s voice near my ear.
At some point, he drifted way closer than I realized.
I paste a smile on my face as the woman steps through the netting.
“Good morning, Your Majesty,” she says with a deep head nod to Kaldar.
I stay quiet because I’m not really sure what to do in a situation like this.
When the beautiful woman turns to me, I’m pretty sure I’ve never felt more awkward in my entire life, standing there in Kaldar’s shirt.
I’m suddenly wishing I would have done a million things differently this morning.
Maybe shutting the front door would have been the best first move.
Or getting dressed; that probably should have been my very first move.
I blink and realize the woman is staring at me intently, and I inwardly cringe. I have no idea what she said.
“This is Harper,” Kaldar says nodding at Harper.
“Hi, Harper,” Rakel says, and Harper nods at her.
“And this is Kinsley, my mate,” Kaldar says, shocking me by slipping an arm around my waist. I hold myself very still and force a smile to my face, hoping I won’t have to talk. No such luck.
“Kinsley, you are beautiful, just as she said. I took the liberty of bringing over a few items of clothing. She said we wear the same size, but I do not think that will work.” My eyes drift over her frame, and I get exactly why she says her clothes won’t work.
We might be the same height, but where she is thin and tiny, I am.
..not. My chest is probably three times her size, and my hips definitely are much.
..hippier. “I am a fast worker, though, and I should be able to have some pieces to you by the end of the day.”
I stare at her. “Um. I’m sorry. What are you talking about?”
Rakel stares at me a moment and then laughs. She has a beautiful laugh, I have to admit. “Let me guess. Mae didn’t talk to you.”
“No,” I say slowly. “No, she did not.”
“Rakel is a seamstress,” Kaldar fills in for me.
“Ah.” Now it’s starting to make sense.
Rakel smiles at me. “I get the honor and privilege of making your wardrobe for you. If you have any colors or styles you like, be sure to let me know.”
“You don’t need to do that,” I tell her.
She glances over my shoulder, and I know just who she’s looking at. “I asked her to do it,” Kaldar says kindly but with authority.
“Well, thank you. Please let me know how much I owe you.” I have like no money to my name, but maybe I can work out something.
“I’ve already taken care of it,” Kaldar says. His hand tightens on my waist for just a moment.
“Oh. Thank you,” I manage to say to both of them.
“Do you have in mind the kind of styling you like?” Rakel asks kindly.
“No. Whatever is appropriate attire for your kingdom will be great; thank you.”
“I am pleased to be of service. Is this a good time to get your measurements?”
Kaldar gives me one last squeeze and then steps away. I miss his warmth immediately but don’t say anything. “Sure.”
“Let me borrow my mate for a moment, and then she’s all yours,” Kaldar says, taking my hand a moment later. We walk back to his bedroom, and he shuts the door. “Sorry. I didn’t realize she was coming today, or I would have given you a warning.”
“It’s okay.”
He studies my face. “You don’t have to wear anything you don’t like. And if you have anything you prefer, she really is good. You can just tell her.” I nod. “Is this okay?”
At his question, I look up at him. “It’s fine. I mean I still don’t have my bag, but I didn’t have a lot of clothes anyway. And if I don’t find my bag, it’s not like I can just wear your shirts everywhere.”
He shrugs. “You could.”
I shake my head and smile. “No, I can’t.”
He walks over to his wardrobe and pulls out a clean shirt to put on. “I have to get going. I’m going to try to get back sooner today, so I can show you around.”
“I’d love that,” I tell him honestly. I watch as he puts his harness on and tightens the buckle on his chest before sliding his sword into its sheath on his back. I shake my head, knowing I'd probably take off my own head if I tried to do that.
“Okay, I’ll be back.”
“For lunch,” I add.
He turns to me. “For lunch?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Mae says you don’t eat and don’t take enough breaks. If yesterday was any indication, then yes, for lunch. I'm going to make sure you eat.”
He smiles and takes a step towards me. “Are you worried about me, Kinsley?” His voice is low and soft, and I can hear the affection there.
“Nope. Mae is.”
He shakes his head, still smiling. “Okay. I’ll do my best to meet you for lunch...for Mae.”
He turns towards the door. “On that note, though, what do you do for food around here?”
He frowns. “What do you mean?”
“Just that there’s no food here. What do you eat?”
“Mae didn’t show you to the Grove? I can tell by your face that she didn’t. I’ll take you there today.”
“What’s the Grove?”
“It’s the gathering place of our people. Every meal is served there.”
My eyes widen in surprise. “Really? You all eat together there instead of in your homes?”
He shrugs. “People still eat in their homes, but food is always plentiful and available for those who want it in the Grove.”
“That explains so much. Harper and I couldn’t figure out why you had like no food in this house.”
He frowns. “I’ll get anything you or Harper want.”
I wave him off. “That’s not what I meant. I just didn’t know how you ate. Of course, your cousin is convinced you never eat.”
“Mae’s dramatic.”
I don’t argue with him because I caught that a little, but I do think she has his best interest at heart. Before I can say as much, a knock sounds on the bedroom door. “Your Highness and Miss Kinsley, Jorren is here.” Kaldar strides over to the door and opens it.
“Thank you, Rakel.”
She glances over at me. “I have a few items I think we can make work for clothes if you don’t want to wear the king’s shirt everywhere today.” Her lips turn up at the corners, and I appreciate her kindness.
“That would be great. Thank you.”
Kaldar turns back to me. “If you need anything, have Veyra reach out to Jespar.”
“Okay, I will. And you remember to eat lunch and dinner.”
His eyes soften. “I will. Mae should be coming here this morning; make sure she shows you to the Grove.”
“I will.” I stare up at him a moment, unsure what to do next so it’s not awkward.
He shows no such sign of awkwardness as he steps close and wraps an arm around my back and pulls me close.
He kisses me lightly on the lips, and my breath catches in my chest. The kiss is over far too soon, and he pulls back.
“Have a good morning; I’ll see you soon.”