In those still moments in the dark, I was torn between two unknowns: the mind and the heart. My mind spun webs of fears of the Sidhe while my heart dared to hope for a different future.
45
ERIK
Iknocked on Ariana’s door before I could talk myself out of it. Darkness still lingered outside, but the sun was not far off. With the morning light, she would leave. Too soon. By the sounds of footsteps within her room, it was a sleepless night not only for me.
Her steps stilled their pacing, briefly frozen by my disturbance. Slowly, she approached the door, cracking it open. Wide green eyes looked at me in surprise.
“Erik.” Her voice softly murmured my name before she glanced down the halls, noting the guards at the ends standing at attention. None of them moved but were ready to, should she call for them. There was no one else walking the halls at this hour. Only me.
My gaze traveled the length of her. A loose silk robe cinched around her waist. The material ended at her thigh, showing off her long, lovely legs. The fabric hugged her curves in the most appealing of ways. Waves of brown hair flowed down her back, spilling over a single shoulder, half braided with little stones intertwined in long strands, as was customary for their Bavadrin ways. Ihad to admit, that look was particularly attractive on her. It added an almost savagery to her otherwise elegant appearance.
Stepping aside, she let me enter her room. “What are you doing here?” she asked after closing the door.
“I couldn’t sleep either. Figured it may be more enjoyable to visit with you than for both of us to pace around alone until sunrise.” The sheets on her bed were pushed aside, evidence of her failed attempt at rest.
“You crave my company?” She arched a delicate brow, a small smile curving her lips.
“I crave it so much that I rather you not leave once the sun hits the horizon,” I answered, focusing my attention on her.
The smile slipped from her. “It’s one dinner. We have gone over this. Edda ensures I will be alright. I am not discussing this any further.”
She was being so stubborn. And so was I. “How much do you trust Edda’s visions? Seers rarely see the future clearly. Their visions are often difficult to interpret.”
Her jaw clenched. “I trust Edda’s guidance. She has not steered me wrong yet. She said I would be alright when your Lysians came, said I would return, that I would be the future Leader Superior. She was not wrong about any of those things.”
“Does not mean she is right now.” Despite Edda’s certainty that Ariana would be safe, I felt in my gut that this would not go well. It put me on edge.
Ariana folded her arms across her chest. “Are you trying to start a fight?”
“No.” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I wished there was more I could say to stop this from happening.
Her gaze narrowed. “Why are you even bothering to waste your breath on this again?”
“It’s not a waste if it keeps you safe.”
Her head tilted, and more of that silky hair flowed over hershoulder. “You kissed me the other night and practically ran away from me after that. Now you want to talk about your desires to keep me safe? I do not have time for these emotional games, Erik. Neither of us do.”
The boldness of her words caused me to straighten. “I did not run away. I just prefer more time with you without this trip of yours casting shadows. This is not a game.”
She stepped to the side, attention never straying from mine, arms remaining folded across her chest. Her stance was a barrier, closing herself off from me, preparing to dispute my opposition. Narrowed eyes pierced me as if my answer was not quite enough for her. “Why did you come here tonight?”
“To keep you from leaving tomorrow,” I answered honestly.
“Your words won’t change my mind.” She shook her head slowly from side to side.
“I am not opposed to chaining you to the bed,” I stated, another honest thought. If words wouldn’t do, then that was another option.
She released a low laugh, arms falling to her sides, exuding pure confidence. There was that same spirit which drew me to her from the moment I first laid eyes on her. But her heart skipped an actual beat at my comment. “Even if you were to succeed with something like that?—”
“Oh, I would succeed.” I cut her off with a smirk. How delicious it would have been to have her at my mercy like that. Vulnerable.
Tension thickened between us, filling the room. Ariana’s gaze continued to hold mine. “You are but one Lysian. Conjuror or not, you alone cannot withstand all my Bavadrins, the Sparrows. And I doubt you want to burn everyone to bits if you need us to fight a war. And that isifI spared your breath.” Though her words challenged my suggestion, her heart beat harder. Like the suggestion did something to her.
“A minor oversight on my part,” I replied.
She laughed, the sound brilliant and light, drawing my smile to the surface. “Again, we are back to you being left with nothing but words to sway me. Like I said, that won’t work. I have no interest in arguing with you over this.”
