Feeling lighter, she turned away and crossed to the side of the bed.“Ancelin, may I come inside and stay with you now?”Krevan’s voice drifted in from the doorway.She stopped mid step.
“Oh, Krevan—I didn’t realize you were waiting out here for me to call you in.I’m sorry.Of course you may come in.This is your home, after all.I heated up some leftovers for your dinner; there’s a plate on the kitchen counter under a cloth.”
“Thank you for thinking of me,” he said softly.“I’m not hungry now.And this is our house.May I come in to stay with you?”
"Yes, come in.I took something to help me sleep."Ancelin patted the mattress beside her, her words were slightly slurred.Krevan entered, undressing unhurriedly while her gaze followed him through increasingly heavy lids.
"What did you take, Ancelin?"
"Can't remember the name."Her tongue felt thick in her mouth."Bathroom sink.Little bottles.For anxiety, sleep.After my parents...Earth was unbearable.Didn't need them until yesterday, with those men showing up."
"And now you need them because of what I told you?"Krevan paused at the foot of the bed.
"It's all fine now."She reached for him, palms open."I love you."
"One moment."He disappeared into the bathroom, returning with orange prescription bottles."Are there more?"
"Travel bag.Few extras.My doctor made sure I wouldn't run out for a while.”
Krevan's silver eyes narrowed as he examined the labels."These are powerful drugs, Ancelin.Dangerous for humans.Addictive.With your education, you must understand the risks of long-term use."
The mattress dipped as he sat beside her."You've been taking these for months, haven't you?"
"I'm not dependent," she murmured."Didn't take any for days before yesterday.I can stop whenever I want.I have my reasons for needing them."
"My sweet girl, go to sleep and we'll talk about this later."Krevan brushed her hair back from her face, his fingertips lingering at her temple."I'll be here with you tonight."
Ancelin put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, breathing in his scent.She pulled him down into her arms and kissed the side of his face, her lips brushing against his face."Krevan, I love you," Ancelin murmured as the drugs pulled her under.
He waited until her breathing deepened, then carefully extracted himself from her embrace.
In the bathroom, he gathered each pill bottle, his throat tightening as he counted them—one, two, three types of addictive substances.They would forever disappear.He caught his reflection in the mirror, eyes soft with worry, brow furrowed.
Returning to the bedroom doorway, he watched the rise and fall of her chest, his fist clenched around the pill bottles until his knuckles whitened.He'd buried many patients who started with prescriptions just like these.Of course, the medicines were not prescribed by him."You've got a new doctor now," he whispered, his voice a raw edge in the darkness.
Chapter 9
Ancelin surfaced slowly from sleep, her mind still thick with sedative haze.Outside, the sky had darkened to gunmetal, promising rain.She rolled toward Krevan's empty impression in the mattress, still warm from his body, and registered the shower's steady rhythm from the bathroom.Something quickened in her—a small, reckless courage.She thought of those mornings when he'd looked at her, water beading his shoulders, and asked her to join him—remembered how her skin had tingled at the possibility.
She eased the bathroom door open just enough to peek through."Room for one more?"The words came out softer than she'd intended.
"Always," he answered, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through her.
Her pajamas dropped forgotten to the bedroom floor as she pushed the door wider.Steam enveloped her, carrying Krevan's scent.Through the glass, she could make out his powerful silhouette waiting for her.The bathroom embraced her in its humid warmth as she approached.The door slid open at her presence, and she stepped into the cascade.Water sluiced away the remnants of sleep-fog as strong arms drew her against a wall of muscle.His arousal pressed insistently against her.His mouth found the sensitive curve where neck met shoulder, teeth grazing just enough to make her gasp and press closer.
"Perfect," she murmured.
"You are," he agreed, voice rough with desire as his hands slid lower to cup and pull her firmly against him.
"You slept late today."Ancelin gazed into his emerald eyes while trailing her fingertips across his torso, feeling each defined muscle tense beneath her touch.Something primal stirred within her.
"I'm wide awake now," Krevan murmured, his tone playful yet charged with meaning.He guided her against the cool shower wall, his movements deliberate as he entered her with a slow, controlled motion.A deep groan escaped him as their bodies joined completely.Ancelin wrapped herself around him, pulling him closer, deeper."You feel incredible," he breathed against her neck.His unhurried rhythm suggested he was savoring every sensation.Steam swirled around them as the water cascaded over their bodies.Dizzy with mounting desire, Ancelin rocked against him, silently urging him for more."Shall I move faster, harder?"Krevan asked, maintaining his measured pace.
"Yes," she breathed against his ear, her voice breaking."Please."Her fingernails dug half-moons into his shoulders as he pressed her harder against the cool tiles, their bodies moving in desperate rhythm.Steam clouded around them as Ancelin arched into him, her lips parted in silent ecstasy.The world narrowed to the places where they connected—his mouth on her throat, her legs wrapped around his waist, the exquisite friction between them building to something unbearable.When his pace quickened, she whispered his name like a prayer.Their eyes locked in that final moment before Krevan shuddered against her, triggering her own release.Wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her trembling body until she collapsed against him, breathless and dizzy with bliss."I never knew," she whispered against his wet shoulder, "it could feel like this."He held her there, still joined, as the water rained down around them.
His eyes locked with hers, burning with an intensity that made her breath catch."Thank you for not leaving me," he whispered, his voice raw."The thought of losing you tears me apart."His fingers trembled slightly as they traced her collarbone.
When he withdrew from her body, the loss of connection was almost painful.He pressed her against the tile, his soapy hands claiming her breasts, her shoulders, marking her as his.She answered his hunger with her own, her nails dragging across his slick muscles, memorizing every ridge and valley.The steam swirled around them like desire made visible.
