Chapter 26
VIVIENNE
The pain pulls me from sleep in slow, relentless waves. Drawing in a careful breath, I press my hand to my stomach as I lie still beneath the furs, willing the worst of it to pass, but it only grows stronger.
It’s the middle of the night, but I need to change my cloth out again, and I’m desperate to rinse off.
Auren is asleep beside me. I touch his shoulder and whisper his name.
He wakes at once, and turns toward me, his eyes searching mine. “What is it?” he asks. “Are you okay?”
My chest tightens at his concern. “I need to go to the river again.”
“Alright.” He doesn’t question it or hesitate. “I’ll come with you.”
It’s been two days since my courses began, and Auren has been so gentle and attentive to my every need.
The forest feels different at night. The fire behind us has burned low, and the air has grown cooler, heavy with the scent of damp earth and the faint promise of rain.
Every sound seems sharper in the quiet—the soft rustle of leaves, the steady movement of Vaelen at our side, the distant murmur of the river growing louder as we approach.
I draw Auren’s cloak tight around my shoulders, grateful for the warmth. When we reach the riverbank, he automatically turns his back to give me privacy.
The river gleams faintly beneath the thin sliver of moonlight filtering through the canopy above, its surface broken only by the gentle current. In the dark, I can see nothing below the surface. Thoughts of Kelpies and untold dangers fill my mind, and I hesitate at the water’s edge.
“Auren?”
“Yes?” He turns around to face me. “What is it?”
I hesitate, my gaze lingering on the water as my pulse begins to quicken. I hate that I’m afraid, but I’m not too proud to admit it right now either. “Will you… wade into the water with me while I bathe?”
His jaw drops.
“It’s dark,” I add, heat rising in my cheeks. “I would feel safer if you were closer.”
“Of—of course,” he replies immediately.
I put a hand on his arm, stopping him abruptly. “Just… keep your eyes up here,” I gesture to my neck and my face as a nervous smile crests my lips. “And I’ll do the same. Alright?”
He gives me a solemn nod.
I turn away quickly, my heart beating faster than it should for something so simple. The cool night air brushes my skin as I remove my clothing, raising goosebumps along my arms as I hear the sounds of him undressing behind me as well.
When I turn back toward him, my breath falters. True to his word, his gaze remains fixed on my face.
Standing this close, both of us completely bare, my body hums in awareness of his.
I step carefully toward the water, but the ground shifts beneath my feet, and instinctively I reach for him. My fingers close around his hand, and his grip tightens immediately, steady and reassuring as he helps me keep my balance.
Together, we step into the river. If not for the darkness, I’d wade in to my shoulders, but because it’s night, I stop when we’re waist deep.
“Stay there,” I say, glancing at him. “But turn around.”
He turns without question, giving me privacy.
As I begin to rinse off, something brushes against my leg. I freeze in place, wondering if I imagined it.
Alarm bursts through me when I feel it again. “Auren!”
I spin back to him, and his muscular arms close around me immediately as he pulls me against him. “What is it?” he demands, looking past me into the darkness.
“Something touched my leg.”
Lightning fast, he hauls me out of the water, to the riverbank, holding me to his chest as he scans the area for any signs of danger. Vaelen’s ears prick forward in alert as he moves to our side.
Panic rips through me as a flicker of light darts beneath the current. “What is that?”
“It’s a water sprite.” Auren sighs in relief. “It won’t harm you. It’s just being mischievous.”
My breathing begins to steady, though my pulse still races.
“It’s alright, Vivienne,” he murmurs. “You’re safe.” Gently, he lowers my feet back to the ground and then grabs his cloak, wrapping it around my shoulders. “I’ll turn while you change, alright?”
He turns his back to me and I do the same. And as I hear him moving behind me, a faint smile crests my lips. I don’t know when things changed between us, but I know something with sparkling clarity. I trust Auren. Completely.
When we return to our camp, he sits with me before the fire, handing me another warm cup of tea to ease my agony. Vaelen is behind us and Auren’s gaze is fixed on the tree line, ever vigilant for any signs of danger.
Early morning light filters through the trees as I sip my tea, studying him discreetly. When I first awakened him two nights ago, before I could even explain what was wrong, he was already ready to defend me.
Since then, he’s stood guard at the river while I bathed, built fires, made tea, and used his magic to ease my pain… never once making me feel embarrassed or small for it.
Warmth wraps tight around my heart as I study my Dark Elf husband. He asked me to give him thirty days to prove himself, and I thought it would be easy to walk away at the end.
But now… I find myself imagining a future at his side. And for the first time, the thought doesn’t unsettle me.