CHAPTER SIX #2
“Oh? Has something happened?” Aemon asks, concern leaking into his voice as he sets his drink down on the circular wooden table next to his chair.
“You need an elite squad here, whenever we go. The warriors here now have not seen bloodshed, and I worry for the safety of our future Queen,” I state. This is not something I’ll let go of.
He nods, smirking. “I know. I’ve sent out pixies to the warriors Rav has blood-sworn to her. Who better to protect her than the fae who have joined her Royal Guard.”
I blink… that was easier than I thought it was going to be. “Good.”
He nods, glancing at Jesper, and somehow I sense a conspiracy of some sort brewing. “We need you to watch Ravina tonight. We need to meet with the blacksmith and do some errands in town, and if she wakes, she won’t want to be alone.”
I fucking knew it.
“Why don’t one of you stay and I’ll go with the other?”
Jesper shakes his head. “We won’t need brute strength for this. We don’t need to scare them away. You don’t need to get into bed with her—just sit in the chair, take a nap. She’s not going to bite, you know.”
“Unless you ask,” Aemon adds, his lavender eyes twinkling with mischief before he downs the rest of his drink. “We will be back in the morning.”
Panic starts to claw at my chest. “You won’t even notice I’m there, if I go with you,” I state, nearly begging, but I know it’s a lost cause. They’re determined, and I won’t leave her unprotected. Scheming bastards.
Jesper raises a brow. “No one’s going to notice the seven foot tall, hulking male of muscle? Sure, yeah, not happening. Give my Little Beastie a kiss for me!” he says as Aemon’s shadows wrap around them and they vanish from the library.
Cursing them, I storm towards Ravina’s sleeping quarters.
The castle is quiet, with the exception of a few staff scurrying about, prepping for tomorrow’s duties.
When I arrive at her door, I raise my knuckles to knock, pausing a breaths-width from the light wood.
I don’t want to wake her, so I suck in a deep chest-full of air, holding it as I gingerly test the knob, silently cursing those two for knowing my weak spot.
They know I wouldn’t be able to stop myself with my overwhelming urge to protect her.
I can only hope I’m also strong enough to protect her from myself.
The hinges creak and I slip into the darkened room. Feathers rustle and my eyes dart to Nero on his perch, eyeing me. My hand slides into my pocket and I pull out a handful of trail mix before slowly approaching.
Without taking my gaze off of him, the side of my hand grazes the wood of her end table, placing the treat down for him.
“I’m just here to keep her safe. I’ll just be sitting in that chair,” I whisper to her familiar as he watches me with an unhinged and slightly murderous glint in his beady little eyes.
Ravina groans, rolling over in the bed, and I freeze, hoping I didn’t wake her. Nero freezes too, waiting. After a moment, when she doesn’t stir anymore, Nero hops off his perch and begins to devour his offering.
I let out a soft sigh and move toward the chair next to her bed, lowering myself into it for the rest of the night. It creaks slightly and I momentarily worry it will collapse under my weight, but when it doesn’t, I finally let my body relax into the cushioned furniture.
Once my eyes fully adjust to the darkness of the room—with only the moon and stars as a light—I can’t take my eyes off her or the way her wavy reddish-brown hair is splayed across the pillows, her lips slightly parted and her arms thrown with abandon across the bed.
Like a sea star. The thought of someone so little taking up so much space has a smile tugging at my lips.
I watch her until the moon is high in the sky: every little shuddering breath, and twitch of her brow.
Every toss and turn she makes and the sheets get more tangled around her.
It’s addicting. It’s why I always guarded from outside the room.
Knowing that Aemon and Jesper were always with her gave me that peace of mind, but looking at her right now, I can’t find it in myself to curse them.
A small sob breaks the silence and I stand rashly, almost knocking over my chair when I hear it again and realize my Little Warrior is crying in her sleep. My chest seizes and my blood turns to ice. Do I wake her? What’s the protocol here?
Feathers rustle again and Nero tilts his head as if he’s saying “What the Fates are you doing just standing there? Are you really scared of some tears?”
My fingers squeeze and my blunt nails dig into the meaty part of my palm as I debate what to do. Maybe she would want one of her friends?
Another sob rents my heart and I’m moving before I even realize what I’m doing. I crawl into the bed and pull her to me, wrapping her in my arms and holding her tight.
“Kill?” She mutters sleepily.
“Shh, sleep Little Warrior, I have you,” I whisper, and her flesh burns my skin, but not in the normal way—in a way that sets our bond alight.
Within moments she’s passed back out, curling into me, and it’s everything I could have dreamed of. A relapse if you will. I’ll treasure this night—not the tears, but the way she feels in my arms and how her breath skitters across my neck.
This is dangerous and I know I can’t risk falling asleep, but I can’t seem to pull away. It’s like the bond has pulled taut, anchoring me to her. So I’ll hold her until the sun comes up. I’ll live the dream of us being true mates for this one night and then never again.
A tear slips down my face, shocking me, but I hold on to this, letting myself feel the hope for us until I need to lock it away again. After all, it’s safer for both of us that way.