Chapter 20
The door opening startled me into a yelp, and I scooted back in the bed, putting distance between us. I was instantly cold without his touch. Bereft. I wanted it back, to reach out and touch him again.
Focus. I likely wouldn’t survive the next few minutes, let alone long enough to feel his skin on mine again.
“A-apologies, Adelia. I-I …” As Wista’s words trailed off, relief flooded me the way it does when you jump in a creek on a hot summer day.
Thank the Gods.
I was worried it was the king. If he found us like that, I was sure it would be the end my life, wishes or not. As it was, heat still burned my cheeks; there was no way she hadn’t seen what we were doing.
Shade leaned back in his chair, rubbing his thumb against his lips in a perfect picture of casualness. Lips that had just been on mine. I swear there was a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. I narrowed my eyes, and amusement danced in those silvery depths of his.
Glad he thought my moment of terror was funny. I would have to get him back for that.
Wista’s gaze darted between us before she spoke. “Uhh, I brought you breakfast. I’m assuming you’re well enough to eat at the table.”
There was a teasing glint in her eyes. Apparently, she enjoyed my embarrassment as much as Shade. I glared at her too, and he released a snort I refused to acknowledge.
“The table’s fine, thank you,” I said, ignoring the humor in her comment.
I ghosted my fingers across my swollen lips, recalling the feel of Shade’s mouth there, and followed her into the main suite. With my mind distracted, my body reacted to my surroundings first: a familiar prickling of my skin and a faint tightening in my chest.
The birds.
They watched me. Judged me. And that icy stare was all I could see. The malicious intent as the king stood over me with bloody fists.
My breathing quickened, and I clutched at my throat, an attack approaching faster than ever before.
Then Shade was there, gripping my shoulders, and gray eyes locked on me. My breathing calmed, his smoky-purloe scent invading my lungs.
Fuck. I wasn’t going to succeed if I went spiraling into panic in my own room. If I couldn’t control it now, how would I do with seeing the king again?
“Adelia.” It took me a minute to realize Shade had said my name multiple times. His facial features sharpened as the haze in my vision cleared. His eyebrows were drawn close together, and his lips pressed into a thin line.
“I’m fine.” He hesitated before releasing his hold, then trailed his finger down my arm, brushing the back of my hand and grounding me even further.
I took a steadying breath and approached the table where Wista stood twisting her hands. She said nothing as I took a seat and gulped down most of the hot healing tea waiting.
I avoided looking at the walls and magnificent window, instead focusing on my breakfast of mixed fruits, eggs, and bacon.
“Have you seen Eleanor this morning?” I asked Wista before filling my mouth with food.
She nodded. “It was difficult to keep her away when she found out you were ill. Harkin was able to convince her by taking her on a tour.”
I scowled at her mention of the red-haired lord. “She’s not leaving the castle?”
“Just the grounds, he won’t take her past the gates. Pierce is with them as well.”
That relaxed me some. I trusted Pierce more than Harkin. Though they both worked for the king, which meant we couldn’t truly trust either of them at all.
“I’m not convinced she’ll stay away, she was quite adamant about checking on you,” Wista said, and I sighed.
My caring and strong-willed sister wouldn’t leave me alone for long, not if she thought I was sick. “I’ll deal with it when it happens.”
“I’m told Lord Orcan is on his way up,” she went on, causing me to pause with my fork halfway to my mouth. Shade shuffled closer, ready to protect me even though the lord hadn’t arrived yet.
“Why?” My voice grew strangled. Even if it wasn’t the king, Orcan had never been kind. In fact, he openly despised me.
“They need the next round of instructions to send to Yinora.”
Right. For the army I raised that only I could control and would have to command to kill innocents, even if only through the written word. My stomach soured, and I dropped my fork back to the plate, pushing my half-eaten food away.
When Lord Orcan arrived, it was a with a scowl on his face and grunted demands.
His eyes flicked toward Shade every few seconds, who stood with folded arms and an accusing glare at my back like a sentinel watching their guard.
His intoxicating scent enveloped me in a thick wave, forcing the lord to cough several times.
Once he left, Shade helped me onto one of the lounges while Wista prepared another cup of her healing tea. I sipped it slowly, wanting to stay aware long enough for what I needed to ask, what we needed to plan.
“What is it?” Wista asked after several minutes of silence.
“He threatened Eleanor.” My voice wavered, my chest tightening at the thought of Eleanor experiencing what I had. She would not be hurt. I couldn’t allow it.
Wista joined me on the lounge, taking my hand in hers and squeezing softly. “I’m not surprised, anyone can see how much you care for her.”
My eyes fluttered shut for a moment. It was my own transparency that had gotten us into this mess, now I needed to find a way out.
“We need to get out of the castle. Escape. I can only make a wish under the midday sun, but if we can get out, Shade can take us away.”
Wista pursed her lips, contemplating my words. “It needs to be in the sun?”
I nodded. “It’s the only way the magic will work.”
“The castle is busiest during the day, getting out then will be too difficult.” She hesitated before continuing, “There are rumors among the staff of escape tunnels built centuries ago when war from across the seas was a threat. If we can find them, I could smuggle you through the castle at night, then you make a wish on the other side once day breaks again.”
I blinked rapidly to clear the stinging in my eyes at her loyalty. I hadn’t even asked, but Wista knew the lengths I would go in order to protect my sister, and she was willing to help. “Do you know where they are?”
“These are just rumors, but I’m told there’s one in the library and another in the garden.”
Odd. Would it not make more sense to have these escape tunnels somewhere closer to the royal family?
Like a study or bed chamber? At my confused expression, Wista chuckled.
“The queen back then spent a lot of time gardening and reading, her husband wanted to make sure she had an opportunity to escape if they were invaded.”
I narrowed my eyes on her. “You seem to know a lot about it. Are you sure it’s just rumors?”
She chuckled again. “The staff like to talk, who knows how much is truth and what is embellishments. But I’m confident the tunnels exist.”
“Well, it’s a better idea than nothing at all. Will you help us look?” I asked.
“It will be easier for you, Adelia. If I stray from my duties, questions will be asked, but you are to be a woman of leisure, the future Queen Consort. No one would question your walking through the garden or visiting the castle library.”
I frowned. Although she had a point, I wasn’t familiar with the castle at all. I wouldn’t even know where to begin, particularly not while I was under watch every hour of the day. “Nathanial …”
“I’m sure you can find a way to be subtle.
” There was a knowing glint in her eye, and I smiled.
I did indeed know how to be inconspicuous at times, how to move without notice.
To do a job that was required of me without drawing attention.
At Port’s Tavern, attention was the last thing you wanted from its patrons, and Madame Dee had taught me a trick or two.
I yawned, the effects of the tea working through my system. My body softened and my eyes grew heavy.
“Rest for now, Adelia. You can start the search tomorrow.” She squeezed my shoulder, then packed up my breakfast dishes and left the suite.
Shade helped me into bed, tucking me in, and settled in his chair beside it.
I stared at his beautiful face, all sharp lines and pale skin.
He took my hand and raised it to his lips, placing a kiss on the inside of my wrist. In my tired state, I couldn’t help but beam at the contact, and his answering smile was utterly breathtaking.
I wanted to see it every day, to never look away.
I kissed him.
Not only that, but I had been ready to take it further. All the way, if I was being honest with myself. The usual hesitation—the innate feeling which normally stopped me—didn’t intercede.
I would need to banish the feelings unfurling behind the walls around my heart, I couldn’t allow them to peak through.
I was suddenly glad we’d been interrupted.
Being forced to marry the king meant I couldn’t give anything to Shade, not in the way he deserved.
It was as I’d feared—we were to be each other’s destruction.
My eyelids drooped, a sleepy fog overtaking my brain.
Tomorrow.
I would face reality tomorrow. Until then, I would bask in this feeling he evoked inside me. The warmth and comfort and safety. The strange spark that always flared in my chest at his nearness.
My next blink was long, far too long. When I forced my eyes open again, Shade let out a rumbling chuckle, the sound sending that pleasure-filled warmth and contentment through me. “Sleep now, Solis.”
The pet name set my stomach alive with the rapid beat of a hummingbird’s wings, but my eyes refused to open as sleep dragged me down. Lips brushed my forehead, leaving a tingling sensation in their wake, and unconsciousness claimed me.
The next morning, we were about to leave for the library in our first search for the escape tunnels when a knock sounded on the door.
“Lia?” Eleanor’s voice was muffled, and I leaned against the door, my gaze resting on Shade, who watched me with a soft expression. The door handle rattled, and my sister called my name again.
“I’m here, Eleanor,” I said through the closed door.
“Lia? Why won’t you open the door?”
I couldn’t let her see me. Although Wista’s tea had helped with the pain and aided the healing, the bruises on my face were a deep, ugly purple and my ribs twinged with each breath.
“I’m unwell, I don’t want you to catch it.”
She snorted and rattled the door handle again. “Come on, Lia. This is ridiculous, I’ll be fine. Just let me in.”
“It’s quite horrible, vomiting day and night. I can’t keep anything down. You’ll be bedridden for days and won’t be able to attend your classes.” She’d always said vomiting was the worst illness you could get. If she was to be sick at all, she preferred a chill or fevers.
An exasperated breath sounded from the other side of the door. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I’ll be better in no time at all.”
At her pause, I questioned everything. If I was doing it right? If I was keeping my promise the way my mother intended?
“You’re sure?” Her words were filled with concern, and I rested my forehead against the white timber.
“I am, I promise.”
“Alright. Harkin mentioned a gallery of paintings he wanted to show me today. Have Wista fetch me if you need anything.”
Despite her earlier seriousness, excitement laced her words, so I immediately felt better about lying to her. She should be out enjoying her time, not worrying about me or the future. “Of course, and Eleanor?”
“Yes?”
It was my turn to pause, mulling over what I should say, and finally settled on “Be careful.”
She snorted again. “You worry too much, Lia.”
I waited until the sound of her chatter to a silent Pierce faded away before I slumped against the door.
Shade stepped closer, trailing a finger down my arm and leaving gooseflesh in its wake. Everything about the touch was comforting and electrifying. “You could tell her.”
I met his gaze, the questions in them clear. “She doesn’t need to know, to see me like this.”
I would shelter her for as long as I could, to ensure she experienced the childhood I never did.