Chapter 27 Hell
Icaught my foot on a pile of discarded clothes and stumbled.
Heat rushed to my cheeks. I probably should have tidied my room before volunteering it as our meeting place.
Rafael stood rigidly against the opposite wall, wringing his hands while I stepped behind the folding screen to change out of my trousers.
If I intended to sleep, I was at the very least going to be comfortable.
I smiled to myself as I noticed his eyes fixed firmly on the floor. Until they weren't.
He glanced up for only a heartbeat before freezing.
His eyes widened. Color rushed into his face so quickly I thought it might consume him whole.
I frowned, then looked toward the window behind me.
Right. The afternoon sun was shining straight through the silk.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
Well…That explained why he suddenly looked as though he wished the floor would swallow him.
I bent to pull off my boots just a little more slowly than really necessary.
When I peeked through the narrow gap between the folding panels, his chest rose and fell in uneven breaths as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
I decided to end his torment. I slipped into a nightgown, wrapped my robe around me, and stepped back out.
“You do realize you can come in now, right?” I gave him a teasing look, letting him know I was fully aware of what had just transpired.
“Oh. I... um...” He cleared his throat and stepped carefully around the piles of clothing, doing his best to avoid looking anywhere in my direction. I settled back against the pillows just as Margaret entered carrying a tray with a teapot balanced atop it. I took the cup she offered.
“What no rolling pin?” I smiled.
“I did not think your head could handle anymore. Do not worry though, I changed the recipe. I am positive that this blend will put you to sleep.”
She poured a full cup of dark purple liquid for me, and then poured only a half cup and offered it to Rafael.
“You will not need nearly as much. The last blend seemed to work quite well for you.”
Rafael took the cup as he settled onto the floor next to my bed.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to get comfortable, we may be in there for a while. Do you have a spare pillow up there?”
I stared at him.
“Blacksmith.”
He looked up. “Yes?”
“..Are you an idiot?”
He blinked. “I simply thought it improper that we...” He gestured vaguely toward the bed.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You are about to enter the mind of a madman with me. We have held hands, shared dreams, and I have quite literally cried on your shoulder.”
I pointed beside me, toward the empty half of my bed.
“The bed, Blacksmith.” He sighed and settled himself onto the bed.
He kept to the very edge of the mattress, as far from me as he could manage.
Unfortunately for both of us, it was not a very large bed.
He was still close enough that I could feel him.
His warmth radiated like a furnace and the smell of pine and smoke wrapped itself around me.
I scooted myself closer to the edge of my side of the bed, trying to calm my racing heart and the twisting warmth in my stomach.
This was an incredibly inconvenient time for my body to be doing things against my wishes.
I dared a glance toward him. My cheeks warmed when I found him already looking back at me, the corner of his mouth tugging into the faintest smirk.
Gods. He knew. He looked entirely too pleased with himself.
“Ugh!” I shoved a pillow between us just as Liv’s giggle interrupted whatever was happening.
Liv stood in the doorway, wearing a smile that looked as though it might actually hurt. Ezra stood beside her with a plate of snacks balanced in one hand and several books tucked beneath the other arm.
“...Should we come back?” Liv asked, barely containing her laughter.
“No,” I grumbled. “You two are supposed to keep watch and make sure we do not get stuck in there.”
Liv's eyes drifted to the bed. “...You put a pillow between you.” She scrunched her nose. “Why?”
I rolled my eyes. “...It seemed strategically necessary.”
“Strategically?” she repeated, unconvinced.
“Can we just begin, please?” I reached for the ribbon resting on the table beside the bed.
Raf placed his hand atop the pillow between us without a word.
He did not question what I was doing as I wound the ribbon around our hands once...
twice... before tying it neatly into a bow.
We both settled back into our spots on the bed.
“We may be in there for a while this time,” Raf said before taking a careful sip of his tea. “We do not know when, or if, Stanhope will be asleep. We will need to wait until he is before we can find his dreamscape.”
“Do not wake us unless one of us appears to be in pain... or starts screaming.”
I threw back the contents of my cup in two enormous gulps.
“Pulling us out too soon could waste the entire trip.”
Rafael stared at me in mild horror as I let out a belch powerful enough to rattle the windows. Liv did not so much as blink.
Liv set the metronome on the table beside me and started it. Click... clack... click... clack... I matched my breathing to its steady rhythm. Margaret returned carrying a clock and placed it on the mantel above the fireplace.
“Oh, good.” She smiled. “I see the tea is already taking effect.” I turned toward Rafael. He was already fast asleep.
“I do not think it will work on...” Before I could finish the thought, my head began to swim. The room tilted gently beneath me. Margaret only chuckled. My eyes grew heavy, and I struggled to keep them open as sleep threatened to claim me.
“Have a nice nap, my dear.” Margaret's slightly smug smile was the last thing I saw before sleep claimed me.