Chapter 20
ARIANA
Knuckles rapped against the wooden door to my room, the sound echoing in the quiet space.
Turning from the darkness beyond the open balcony, I faced the entrance. “Come in,” I said, my voice steady.
A chilled breeze drifted from the balcony into the room, riding on the draft created when the door opened. Goose bumps spread over my arms as I faced the Lysian King.
Erik strode into the suite, shutting the door behind him, locking us in.
His broad frame shifted with each confident step until he stood in the center while I remained on the edge of the open balcony.
Dark blue eyes absorbed the room, likely looking for signs of threat before finally landing fully on me.
The sheer power in his presence, in his gaze, caused my heart to miss a beat. I forced a deep breath, willing my body not to tremble.
As we stood there in silence, my pulse climbed with each passing second. Erik had yet to say a word, and I could only guess at his state of mind. All I had were the facts: I was his prisoner, and I was now cornered by a lethal male.
“Do I frighten you?” He finally broke the silence, his voice low and smooth, yet holding an underlying warning that sent a chill skittering down my spine.
“Do you wish to frighten me?” I asked, somehow managing to keep the tremble from my voice.
His eyes darkened before they flickered briefly to my throat. A silent threat.
My hand moved to my neck as a reflex, the vulnerability of the gesture not lost on either of us.
“I did not mean . . .” Erik seemed momentarily thrown off, his tenor softening. “No, I do not wish to frighten you.”
“Right,” I said, my tone laced with skepticism. “You enter the room, cornering me without an escape, ask me if I am afraid, and then look at my throat. Threateningly. How should that be perceived differently?” My hand fell to my side as I squared my shoulders, refusing to cower.
“That’s not what I was doing, not what I meant to do,” he replied, his voice a mixture of frustration and apology as he glanced around the room before gesturing to a leather chair in the corner. “Mind if I sit?”
“It’s your castle,” I replied indifferently, though indifference was the farthest from the truth.
In reality, I felt torn. A part of me resented Erik, fearing the destruction he was capable of.
Yet another part was drawn to him, wanting to understand better.
I desired to help him find his sister; I did not have any siblings of my own but could imagine the pain he felt.
If someone ever took Landin or Willis, then I would not stop till I freed them.
Erik lowered himself into the chair, his gaze never leaving mine. “I looked at your throat because it is a weak point,” he stated.
“It’s what you would target if you wished to kill me,” I clarified, finding no comfort in his response.
“No. It’s what someone else may target if they wished you harm. I do not want to hurt you, Ariana.” He seemed exasperated. “I want us to be friends.”
Someone needed to teach him what it meant to be a friend and the best ways to make them.
“Friends typically choose the relationship; they are not forced into it.” If no one else would educate him, then I could at least offer that advice.
He tapped his thumb against the wooden armrest of the chair for three quick beats. “Why do you have to be so difficult?” he muttered, more to himself than to me.
I stiffened. “You prefer it otherwise? For me to pretend to be whatever you wish?” Just because I did not bow to him the way his Lysians did, he saw me as challenging.
I think it bothered him that I refused to fold in his presence.
He had no idea how difficult I could be.
He was lucky I was trying to gain their trust. Lucky that I wanted to be an ally and help.
“I suppose not.” Erik was quiet for a moment, as if in thought. “Are you agreeable to having a meal with me every other day? It will give us a chance to understand one another better.”
I hesitated, unsure whether it was a question, or a demand dressed up as one. Accepting allowed me to learn more, to possibly find his weaknesses if he had any.
“As long as I am not to become the meal,” I replied, earning a small, genuine smile from him.
“I swear to the Spirit you will not.” Amusement glinted in his eyes before retreating, replaced with muted concern.
A rift formed in our already tumultuous relationship, and he likely wanted to mend it but didn’t seem sure of how.
It was the first time I had ever sensed actual discomfort in him.
Erik had been furious before, after the whipping he had received under Fraser’s orders, but even then, he had a certain confident calm to him. This was different.
“The Spirit will hold you to it.” I moved deeper into the room, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, facing him.
“I hope so.” He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. His gaze drifted to the ground in thought and when his eyes met mine once more, gone was any spark of humor. “Ariana, I hope you know how truly sorry I am for the pain I have caused you and for that which I will continue to cause.”
I wished to hate him for everything. For tormenting the Bavadrins, for tearing apart our lives, and now threatening lives with Edda’s ridiculous plan. I wanted to feel nothing but disdain towards him, but at that moment, I did not. On the contrary, I found myself feeling in some ways sorry for him.
“I believe that you wish for peace between us and that you do not desire to harm my people or me. But that does not change the position we find ourselves in. You hold the power to alter the road my life takes yet refuse to take that chance. I hope that someday you recognize that I do not wish to be your enemy, just as I think you do not wish to be mine.”
Erik’s head moved ever so slightly, as if nodding without fully committing to it. “How is Edda settling in?” he asked, leaning back in the chair and changing the subject to something lighter.
My gaze drifted over the masculine features of his face.
The bridge of his nose was straight, lending a regal quality.
His lips held an edge of firmness that suggested he was not easily swayed, and behind them were teeth that could slice through flesh with ease.
Though somehow his eyes were more terrifying than his mouth.
It always took more effort than expected to meet his stare. To hold it.
“She will be fine in any situation. I worry more for Kole’s sanity,” I said.
A smile spread across Erik’s lips, softening his features, and I couldn’t help but meet him with one of my own.
“Kole certainly will have his hands full between the two of you. I have never seen someone so quickly get under his skin.”
I nodded. “Edda has a talent in that way.”
“You two are very close,” he observed.
“She is one of the closest things I have to family. I would not be the person I am today were it not for her years of guidance.” It was the truth.
In a life where I nearly lost my way every day, Edda was the compass that kept me centered and able to continue on my path.
She had been my protector and shield, and she had been the one to push me to grow and become someone worthy of guiding our people.
“Then I am glad she is here with you, even if Kole must suffer for it.” A handsome crooked smile pulled at his lips.
“Careful, you may hurt his feelings by talking like that,” I teased.
Erik’s smile widened, and for a moment, it felt like we were just two people having a conversation, the weight of our circumstances nearly forgotten. “He has survived worse.”
I lifted a brow at that statement. “Neither of you have survived Edda yet,” I pointed out.
Erik grunted out a laugh, rising to his feet.
I too stood as he moved closer. He stilled, just barely out of reach.
“Do you think me evil?” he asked, and I found myself stunned by the question.
His eyes stayed on mine for several moments before he finally turned to leave without hearing an answer.
The question tugged at something from within, and again I felt sadness for the Lysian King.
He was being pulled in various directions, including one to set me free.
He was lost.
“I’ve known evil,” I finally said, finding my voice when his back was to me.
He angled his body so that I could just see the side of his face.
“I have stared evil in the eye, felt its cold talons as they ripped apart everything good. I disagree with your actions, for I believe them to be misguided, but no. I do not think you are evil, Erik.”
Though the words spoken were true, shadows still danced in his eyes.
“Goodnight, Ariana,” he said, turning his back to me once more as he opened the door to leave.
“Goodnight, Erik,” I replied softly.
The room felt emptier without him, the lingering warmth of his presence fading as I was left alone with my thoughts.