Chapter 9
Braxton
What in the name of the manes has gotten into me.
I have touched her.
Or even better, I forced her to look in my eyes.
I stood so close to her I could hear her breathing and saw her pulse flutter. My hands reach through my hair desperately. She smelled floral and fruity, like a perfect sunny summer eve in a garden.
She smelled like happiness.
Anxiety rises in my chest. It is something I want to smell again.
She is feisty.
With her head held high she came back at me.
And no, I could definitely not handle her getting dressed into her pajamas.
Why did she react so calmly and do I feel like I am burning inside?
An emptiness fills my stomach as I take off my pants.
We are going to share the bed. I am not the gentleman a girl like her dreams about.
I turn the shower on and the cold water runs over me.
I ignore the goosebumps that appear on my body.
I saw her stare at my body, at my tattoos and my scars even.
I prevented the situation of having to discuss them before she started to ask more questions.
What if she asks about them later tonight?
I shake my head in disbelief. No, she wouldn’t dare.
I drag the olive-green towel off the drying rack.
I dry my hair as I look out of the door.
Despite the blurred glass, I can see the girl changing into her pajamas and stepping in our bed again.
It is only her silhouette, but looking at her feels like overstepping.
Maybe I should take the floor? No, I can’t do that.
My reputation will be destroyed. Not that I like my reputation and neither is it completely correct.
Despite all of that it does help in this situation.
As far as people think, I don’t own the strongest or most extravagant signet.
My reputation scares people. They think I am a murderous monster.
And in a trial like this that might be my advantage.
I twist a towel around my waist and push the door open.
Her back is in front of me. I keep my mouth closed as I walk over to my side of the bed.
“Why doesn’t he say anything?” she whispers so softly, but it feels like she is screaming in my head.
“Mmm?” I ask her. She doesn’t react. I drop the towel and put on some underwear.
A little gasp comes from her throat, and I can’t help but smirk a bit before I sweep in the bed next to her.
The mattress sinking under my weight. I am pretty big and I am happy the bed is big enough to keep distance from her.
I am not sure I could stop touching her if I do it again.
I might be in for some fun, but this girl does look like the girl who wants a steady relationship, if she survives this trial.
Not everyone can dream to be loved. Not everyone deserves to be loved. And as much as I wish to be loved, my heart keeps telling me I don’t deserve it. All the people in my life leaving me being proof of that.
Eliane, on the other side, is loved. After Fintan came to me a week ago, I heard him whisper something about having to worry about two people.
I figured it out quickly after I saw Eliane.
He is the man who took her so many years ago.
The girl with the pretty face I saw being taken away on the day my mother left.
That’s why I did what Fintan asked me to.
I feel like I owe him. I don’t want Fintan to lose another daughter.
So when Zephron started to grab parchments out of the vase I used my signet to match myself to Eliane.
He kept chasing for another paper, but I forced the piece of parchment with my name on it in his hand as soon as Eliane’s name was called out.
I think, in some way, Zephron knew what I was doing.
I am not sure what Fintan’s knows that I don’t, but he is the closest thing I have to a father figure so I trusted him and did what he asked me to.
I do think it is better if I keep this deal or maybe better said incident to myself and keep this girl out of it.
I twist around a few times to get myself comfy.
I don’t cover myself in blankets like she does.
I am hot already. I close my eyes and let the darkness surround me as my mind already brings me back to the dungeons I have stayed over 1000 nights in.
Back to the bag being pulled over my head.
Back to the hurt that was done to Zephron in front of my eyes in the dungeons, the harm they did to me.
Goosebumps run over me. The only thing I wish for right now is that my nightmares won’t wake her at night.
The dark consumes me. I can’t see her lights anymore and feel the urge to ask her to sprinkle some lights in the air.
I hold my mouth stiff as I try to relax my body.
“I have nightmares sometimes too you know, it is okay,” she murmurs, already half asleep. I turn to her in surprise.
“I didn’t say anything,” I snap.
“Yes, you did, dummy. ‘I hope my nightmares won’t wake her at night,’” she quotes before snuggling deeper under her blanket. She lies down under a creme blanket with a light pink fluffy blanket over it covering her body completely.
“Oh,” I breathe out.
“Goodnight, Brax,” she whispers before sleep takes her away from me. My eyes wide at her words, not sure how I need to react. This is the first time anyone has wished me goodnight.
“Goodnight, Honey,” I whisper back, way more confident than I feel.
I close my eyes and for the first time in years I sleep through the night without being woken by my nightmares.
Annie informed us earlier this morning we were to be expected for breakfast at 8 a.m. As we stroll through halls, I turn to the wall with a clock on it.
7.55 a.m. Just on time. This morning we pretended that nothing happened.
And maybe nothing really did happen. But why do I keep getting the feeling that I can hear her in my head?
Eliane went back to her sunny and bubbly, but fierce self while I stayed silent and the self-centered prick as Eliane calls me.
It almost seems like she is frisking. Every step she takes seems light.
I would swear she leaves luminous footsteps on the path she walks, but when I shake my head they are gone.
Her dark sparring clothes don’t make her look like the soldier they are meant to make you look.
A tight black long sleeve shirt hugs her body, and even tighter black pants make her curves pop out in all the right places.
A brown leather band is hugging her upper leg and arm.
The dagger she used on me before is sticking under it.
A girl comes jogging to her. Kailey, her name is I remember, throws her arms around her and whispers something in her ear.
Eliane responds in a head shake and light giggle.
Hazel runs after them as they enter the kitchen, but stops as she catches my brother sitting at the head of the table, nodding at every candidate walking in.
His eyes darken as he sees me. I don’t bother to nod.
I hold my gaze low as I walk past him. I chive my chair back and sit down next to Caleb.
He seems young, but also very smart. He is a metal wielder and welcomes me politely, but I remember him as the boy smashing a ball of iron against my head.
“Yo Braxton, do you always get to eat these great things?” Caleb mumbles, with his mouth full of chicken.
I freeze in surprise, but it does make me realize he is right.
I look at the table that is filled with all different kinds of food.
There are fruits like melon and apples but also a lot of different breads.
The candidates might not even have breakfast every day when they are at home, so I decide to answer grateful and nice, not wanting to scare everyone away just yet.
“Yes, I am actually really glad, I do, but I wish it would be this way for anyone,” I respond to him.
“You’re totally right. I come from Etakia.
My parents used to take care of the fact that my sister and I eat great every day, but I know that the people in Athios will tell you something different,” he tells me.
I nod as I take in this room. I never came here often.
I always used to go to my hide out spot if I wanted to leave the palace.
I bow over to take an apple out of the fruit basket when I notice someone glaring at me.
Aaliyah peeks through her already squinting eyes.
Her energy shifts and a white flash appears around her.
Instead of the little girl there is now a black mamba crawling over the table making eye contact with me. The snake hisses at me, the white stripe on top of the snake reminding me of the fact that we have a shapeshifter under us and this is definitely Aaliyah, not just a random mamba.
A scream erupts at the other side of the table. I don’t have to look to know it is the blonde-haired spoiled girl from before.
Gwen.
I shove my chair back and a ball of metal that changes into a sword reaches my hand. I grab it and push it forward, shooting Caleb a thankful look.
Before I can slice the girl snake in half, proofing my title worthy, a loud snap makes the snake shoot back and cramp together.
Eliane is hovering over the table, her dagger impaling the end of the snake’s body.
Her eyes burn like fire as she peers down at the dagger in her hand.
She pulls the dagger out of the snake, letting blood flow.
Before I can blink my eyes, Aaliyah is sitting in front of me again, holding her bleeding arm.
“That is what you get from fucking with my partner,” Eliane snarls at the girl in front of me. A small chuckle rises in my throat, and I can’t help but lift the corner of my mouth a bit. A proud feeling rises in my chest and I smile with my eyes. Eliane stares at me deeply before I hear her saying.