~ DIADRE ~
Neither of us moved, staring at that door.
What had she heard? Why was she listening? How long had he known she was there? Was that why Jann had said those terrifying things—just so she’d hear them? Did he suspect Caelan was betraying us? He hadn’t warned me not to say anything delicate, but…
I stared at Jann, whose shoulders were tense, his hands opening and closing at his sides while he stared at the door, the tension vibrating in him.
‘Did you know she was there that whole time?’
‘Not initially, but when I realized I hadn’t heard the door into the corridor creak, I wondered.’
I took a breath.‘Is she… betraying you?’
He shrugged, but the lines in his face deepened.‘The truth is, I don’t know. But I’m not taking any chances. I feel eyes on my back with every step, from every side. I don’t know who to trust anymore.’Then he turned and looked at me.‘Except you.’
Relief flooded my veins.‘You can trust Melek, and Yilan is—’
‘Yilan’s opinion of me changes by the moment. Melek trusts me, but his soul is braided with hers. If she grows too wary, he’ll step carefully with me.’
I frowned, simultaneously aching for his pain and the feeling of isolation I could sense in him. I was also worried about the words he’d spoken and what they meant for what was going on in his head.
“Jann—”
‘From now on, assume every word spoken aloud in this chamber is overheard. Just to be safe.’
I sighed, but nodded. Jann raked a hand through his hair, then crossed the floor towards the bed, quickly unstrapping his weapons, unbuttoning his shirt, and tugging it out of his leathers.
I watched him in silence. I always enjoyed watching him undress—even when he was dirty and sweaty. There was something about seeing the pieces of him slowly revealed, until finally he was naked and…
He’d just toed off his boots and yanked off his leathers, when he straightened quickly and turned to look at me, an expression of amused surprise on his haggard face.
“I thought you were tired, and sick?”
I bit my lip and considered my body. Ihadbeen feeling very unwell before he arrived, and so tired. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush. Or maybe just having him close… but I felt much better now. Still tired, but not nauseous. I smiled and shook my head.
Now naked, Jann pulled back the sheets and blankets and slid into bed, urging me to do the same, because he’d laid me on top of them when he caught me.
Moments later, we were both under the sheets. He put a hand to my lower back, and pulled me across the bed to his side. Thenhe leaned over me. I thought he’d kiss me, but instead he held the sheets and blankets high, and scanned my body, his gaze warming in a way I adored.
Then, as if that gaze were a candle snuffed out, his eyes shuttered and he shook his head. “You need to rest,” he murmured. “Roll onto your stomach. I’ll help you relax.”
I grinned at him, but he ignored me, and when I didn’t roll fast enough, he pushed up to kneel, grasped my hips, and flipped me onto my stomach.
I squawked, but he was already moving down my body, shifting under the blankets until he knelt at my feet, the bedcovers draping off his massive form like a cloak.
Sliding one hand under my ankle, he lifted my foot and began a long, squeezing press up my calf all the way to my knee, kneading with the heel of his hand as he went.
It felt so delicious, I groaned and let my head drop to the pillow. “God, Jann. That’s heavenly.”
“Do the Fetch soldiers not train in massage to loosen muscles?”
“Yes, but… well, you can imagine, it’s a little more awkward for me as a woman—and their superior.”
Jann growled and moved to my other leg, then pulled my feet together, straddled my legs and began to massage my thighs and backside.
I kept groaning, and slowly his breath grew heavier.
I smiled, closed my eyes, and waited to see what he’d do as he moved up my body, his long limbs and strength making easy work of kneading sore muscles and releasing tense knots.
