Chapter 33
Chapter
Thirty-Three
Bokkan
As much as I wanted to take Leda’s body with mine again, I worried that she was still healing.
Instead, I washed her, then myself. She insisted on drying her own body.
Instead of wearing the clothes I purchased for her, she went to the wardrobe and grabbed another of my rarely worn shirts.
The garment hung down past her knees, and I had to help her roll up the sleeves, so her hands were free.
Though I almost never wore shirts, I felt an edge of possessiveness at the sight of her in my clothing.
Once I built the fire up in the fireplace, aware that the house was becoming much cooler now that night had fallen, I went to the bedchamber door and removed the bar. When I opened it, I found a tray with cold roasted fowl, cheese, bread, and two apple tarts. There was also a jug of wine.
I carried it all into the bedchamber, pausing to bar the door again. I wanted no interruptions tonight. It might be the last night I had with Leda. I fully intended to memorize every moment of it.
When I brought the food to the couch, my human mate shocked me. She waited until I sat down before she draped herself across my lap, her back resting against the arm of the sofa.
Even as I fed her bits of the fowl and cheese, she did the same for me. We shared a glass of wine between bites. It was the sort of thing I had dreamed of doing with my mate someday, but never thought I would be able to experience. Every moment filled my chest with contentment.
I loved sharing a meal with her, though it was amusing when I tried to share her apple tart. My little mate growled at me, turning so she could eat the dessert by herself. I held back a laugh as I picked up my own tart.
Once we were done, Leda leaned her head against my shoulder and all but melted into my lap. I cuddled her closer, leaning back into the cushions of the sofa. We sat in silence, watching the fire, until Leda yawned.
I picked her up and carried her to the bed, tucking her beneath the furs. I walked around the bedchamber, turning off the lamps and stripping out of my trousers.
When I turned back to the bed, Leda was curled up beneath the blankets, and the shirt she had worn moments before was draped over the foot of the bed.
I pulled the furs away to find her bare beneath them.
Once again, she immediately got close to me, curling against my side with her head on my chest. Her naked skin felt like cool silk against my hot flesh. I wrapped my arms around her, boosting her up until she was sprawled across my chest.
She laughed softly against my throat as I cupped her ass in my palm and cradled her in my arms. The sound pierced my heart, leaving a crack behind.
If this were to be my last night with her, I would wrap myself in her so I could remember this night until the madness took me or I’d lived out a long, lonely life.
The sky was still dark when I woke the next morning. The fire had died in the hearth, and the bedchamber was cool, even to me. Leda was still draped over my side, her face tucked against my neck. Her breath was warm, and her back moved steadily beneath my hand. She was still sleeping soundly.
Carefully, I slipped from the bed, tucking the furs tightly around her before I crept to the fireplace and added several logs to the flickering embers. I managed to stoke the fire without too much noise.
Though the light from the fire was dim, I could clearly see Leda sprawled out in the center of the bed, her long brown hair blending in with the furs that covered her. I wanted to stand there and watch her until she woke. Or crawl back beneath the furs and pull her to me again.
But there were things that must be done.
Yesterday had proven my worst fears were true—my mate would never be safe with me. I would never be able to protect her in a place where she had no real power.
It was time to send my little human home.