Chapter 16
When he lowered to his knees in front of me, I knew if I didn’t get a hold of myself, I was going to start hyperventilating.
“What are you…?” The question trailed off the second his fingers touched me. The feel of his gloved hands against my bare skin made my thoughts scatter.
“I forget how breakable humans can be,” he murmured, and I would’ve griped at that, maybe fired off some witty retort, but with him kneeling there in front of me, I could barely hold a coherent thought. “You should have asked me to stop a lot sooner,” he added as if feeling guilty.
“I should have worn padded pants,” I muttered in return, thankful I could at least speak again. Although the nervous bubble of laughter that escaped me didn’t exactly scream confident.
My eyes widened when he bit down on the leather of one glove and pulled it free with his teeth.
“I’ll have to heal this if we’re to continue,” he said, and my mind quickly raced right back to that moment in the Warden’s office, when he’d healed my bruised hip. Before I could ask if he had any more of that mysterious ointment, he was already pulling the small vial from the satchel at his belt.
“You know…” I said, because anxious babbling was apparently my new thing, “You could make a fortune selling that stuff. A nice little side hustle. I would say you could save up for a penthouse, but you claimed an entire hotel, so I think you got that dream beat.”
He looked up at me then, and I knew from the curve of his mouth that he saw straight through my chatter.
“Tell me, does the thought of my touch make you that nervous?” he said softly, and I swallowed hard, refusing to give him the satisfaction.
“No. Of course not. You’re just… administering aid and being nice.”
He chuckled, low and amused.
“Nice,” he repeated to himself, before flicking open the clasp and coating his palm with the oil that shimmered faintly in the light.
Then he said the words that made my pulse stumble, “Spread your legs for me, Alexandra.”
“Excuse me?” The words came out a shaky squeak.
He smirked up at me and, God help me, winked.
“You’re starting to trust me, remember?”
All I could do was nod and obey. And the moment his hand touched my skin, that same electric current from the Warden’s office surged through me.
It was a warm, tingling, achingly intimate feeling I couldn’t possibly ignore.
I tried to steady myself, but when my knees wobbled, he wrapped an arm around me, holding me close while his other hand continued its careful work.
By the time he finished, my cheeks burned so hot I swore they could melt bone. He rose to his full height, steadying me with one last touch as he murmured, “Easy now. I’ve got you.”
At this point, it was starting to feel like his mantra and damn him, it worked every time. But as his words faded, a darker thought crept in… one named jealousy.
It came unbidden, curling around my ribs and tightening until I could barely breathe. Because I couldn’t help but wonder if he had left someone behind the day he stepped through the Rift. A queen, perhaps, someone regal and fierce just waiting for her warrior-king to return.
Or maybe a lover he’d promised the world to.
Someone who knew the weight of his hands, the sound of that deep, husky voice when it wasn’t cloaked in command.
For all I knew, there could have been a harem of them.
A court of beautiful creatures who would give anything to be touched the way I had just been, even if it was under the guise of healing.
The book he’d given me didn’t speak of its monarchy in that way, of kings or queens or lovers.
But it didn’t have to. My imagination did the damage all on its own.
The thought made my stomach twist in ways I didn’t understand. Because it shouldn’t have mattered.
He wasn’t mine to think about.
He wasn’t mine at all.
And yet… the idea of another woman hearing that low, velvet voice whisper ‘I’ve got you’ was enough to make my chest ache.
Another irrational thought to add to the ever-growing list.
So, I shoved it down deep, where all the other dangerous things lived, and told myself it didn’t matter.
“Feel better?” he asked, and that was when I realized my pants were still pooled at my ankles. I stumbled back and quickly yanked them up, avoiding his gaze.
“Yeah, thanks. It’s great. I’m great. Thank you. We should… get back. The horse will be wondering where we are.”
His amused chuckle followed me all the way to Acelin, and I chose to ignore it. Even when I turned around and found that damn smile still hadn’t left his face.
“I’m not laughing,” he said with a grin.
I gave him a look that was supposed to be stern, but it cracked under the weight of his ridiculous handsomeness. We both ended up laughing, and before I knew it, I’d given him a playful punch to the chest.
“Next time, let a girl pee in peace, yeah?” I didn’t miss the way he looked slightly shocked at my playfulness.
His grin widened. “If I did that, I would’ve missed the delightful sight of you scrambling to pull your pants up.” I rolled my eyes, despite the grin that made my cheeks ache.
“Haha, well, your magic potion came in handy again and I’m no longer cursing your horse,” I said, flashing him a grin. Clearly, he wasn’t done, because he stepped closer and pressed a finger to my lips, his voice dropping to a hushed whisper.
“Ssshh, he’ll hear you… and then sulk for a week.”
“Oh? Well, you know what to do if he does that, right?” I asked, curling my hand around his wrist, and pulling his finger gently away. His eyes followed the movement, and I could tell he was hyperaware of the fact I was willingly touching him, and I hadn’t yet removed my hand.
“And what’s that?” he asked, amused.
“Carrots,” I said, winking at him.
That earned me another one of those smiles, blinding, breathtaking, and transforming his regal features into something softer, something almost human. Something that felt dangerously like a lover’s smile. The thought sent a shiver through me.
“Come,” he said after a beat, his tone full of purpose again. “We best get going if we’re to reach the halfway point before nightfall.”
Before I could ask more, his solid hands found my waist and lifted me up with effortless strength. This time, I was ready for it, and a moment later, Atlas mounted behind me with the same fluid grace. His arms coming to rest on either side of mine as he gathered the reins.
We continued on our journey, crossing the shallow creek over a narrow concrete bridge. The water was low, its banks lined with pale clay and mud. I was grateful for that, suddenly aware of how easily the waterways could become hunting grounds for the monsters that still haunted this world.
The trail wound endlessly ahead. A narrow, broken road leading us even further away from the city.
To the right, the verge grew steeper and greener.
To the left, the creek swelled, carrying a healthier current than before that glinted between the trees.
The forest thickened on the other side, a wall of pines and shadows.
My eyes stayed trained on it, watching for movement.
Nothing. Still, my pulse refused to slow. I doubted it ever would in his arms.
Acelin was a creature of wonder. When Atlas urged him forward, the stallion transitioned from a trot to a gallop so smoothly it felt like gliding and yet, his speed was breathtaking.
The first time he broke into that powerful gallop, panic gripped me.
I reached behind instinctively for support, and Atlas’s arm came around my waist, pulling me back against him.
Instantly, I felt safer.
Balanced by his strength.
When he released me, I reacted on impulse, grabbing his arm and dragging it back around me. His laughter was deep and hearty, vibrating through my spine and forcing a reluctant smile to my lips.
It was only then I truly understood how his people had reached us at the compound so quickly. Acelin wasn’t just a horse, he was a weapon of speed and endurance.
The deeper we rode into the forest, the heavier the silence became.
The absence of birdsong, the hollow hush between the trees.
It all pressed against my ears until I found myself wishing, with everything in me, that I still had my knife.
The only sounds were the steady crunch of leaves under Acelin’s hooves, my too-loud breathing, and the soft creak of leather from Atlas’s seat behind me.
The day stretched long, and my backside was once again going numb. I shifted slightly, hoping for relief. Nothing. I wriggled again, this time pushing back a little too far in the saddle. Still nothing. With a grimace, I lifted one side and adjusted.
“Having problems?” Atlas asked, amusement thick in his tone.
“Yes, but you’re not rubbing any oil there,” I shot back.
He laughed, a deep and genuine sound, the kind that rolled through his chest, then he leaned closer, his voice a low murmur.
“You’re missing out.”
“Oh yeah?” I teased, though my heart was pounding.
“Most definitely,” he practically purred, his breath ghosting against my ear. Another shiver ran through me, and I knew he felt it.
But when the air between us grew too charged, he eased the tension with a gentle squeeze of his arm.
“We’re almost there, not much further now,” he said, and his words felt like a gift to my ass.
He wasn’t wrong, because barely thirty minutes later, we stopped in a small clearing nestled deep within the trees. A hidden hollow large enough for a tent, shielded on all sides by nature.
Atlas dismounted with the same effortless grace as before.
Then he turned to me, hands already reaching up.
As usual, I didn’t stand a chance. His hands settled on my waist and he lifted me down.
My legs gave out the second my boots touched the ground, and once again, he was there, ready to catch me in his unshakable hold.
This time, though, instead of letting me find my footing, he swept me up completely. One arm braced beneath my knees, the other behind my back, his strength so fluid it stole my breath. He carried me to a tall spruce, lowering to one knee as he set me gently against its trunk.
“Stay here and rest,” he said softly. “I’ll set up camp.” Then his hands lingered a moment longer than necessary before he finally stood and walked back toward Acelin.
I would have been lying if I said the caring gesture hadn’t shaken me.
Something had changed since last night. Something that went beyond mutual respect or easy alliance. Something dangerously close to…
Desire.