Which was why it was so surprising that she was feeling drawn to spend more time with Alexander before she fell asleep.
It hardly seemed possible that she had someone in her life now, but she was already enjoying it, even if their future was uncertain.
She felt ill at the thought of everything Alexander had revealed. It didn't seem possible for someone to hate him so much that he had murdered Alexander's parents, and the fact that he was coming back was terrifying.
And they didn’t know how he would react to Alexander already being married.
Guinevere murmured a good night, and Beatrice responded with a quiet smile. Neither of them had felt much like talking tonight while Guinevere helped with her hair and dress, each preferring to ponder in silence after the events of the day.
Dietrich had chosen to stay at Eldenwilde. Between the storm and the fact that he was unwilling to leave until Beatrice’s safety was assured, he was very adamant that he was not leaving yet, so he had borrowed some of Jenkins' clothes and was staying in a guest suite not far from Beatrice’s room.
But Beatrice didn't feel the urge to go talk to Dietrich. She wanted to talk to Alexander.
After Guinevere left, she took a deep breath, made her way to the adjoining door, and knocked. She waited for his muffled “come in” before she opened the door and entered, suddenly shy, even though she’d done the same thing the night before.
“Are you well?” Alexander asked. He was already sitting in bed, the covers tucked around his waist.
“I was hoping to talk to you,” Beatrice said, looking away from his bare chest.
It was the first time she had ever entered a man’s bedroom for the express purpose of talking to him, and she wasn't sure what to say or what to do or where to go.
“Come sit,” Alexander said, patting the bed beside him.
Beatrice glanced sideways at the bed.
“We don’t have to fall asleep,” Alexander said with a grin. “I will help you stay awake, but it will be easier to talk if you’re not standing across the room.”
So Beatrice crossed the room and gingerly sat down on the bed next to her husband. He reached over to take the blanket placed on the table beside his bed and give it to her. Had he put it within reach in case she visited him?
The adjoining door snicked open, and an orange kitten padded through from Beatrice’s room, hopping up onto the bed and settling in Beatrice’s lap with a contented purr.
“Are you going to transform?” Beatrice asked her, “or do you prefer to purr as a kitten right now?”
Rose turned into a dragon in an instant but continued to purr.
“Was she a kitten or a dragon when you found her?” Beatrice asked.
“A dragon,” Alexander said. “She looked so tiny and pitiful and cold, surrounded by broken pieces of a green shell, and I knew I had to do something to help her. I had no idea what to do with a baby dragon, but thankfully, she transformed into a kitten before I got her into the house. I could only hope that her kitten insides were the same as her dragon parts and that she would be able to digest milk. Mrs. Jenkins was more than happy to oblige. I think she was happy to see me find a friend, even if it was only a kitten.”
“They seem to care for you very much,” Beatrice said.
Alexander reached over to pet Rose, and his fingers brushed against Beatrice’s. “They were the closest thing I had to parents after I lost mine,” he said. “I don’t know what I would have done without them, but I would not be the man that I am today.”
“I’m very thankful that you had them,” Beatrice said. “I happen to be partial to the man you are today.”
Alexander let out a sound that could maybe be described as a chuckle. “I should hope so, given that you married me.”
“Did I have a choice?” Beatrice asked, bumping his arm with her shoulder.
“Absolutely,” Alexander said, his voice turning completely serious. “You had the choice, and I would never have pressured you to change your mind if you had turned me down. I will admit, though, that I’m glad that you didn’t,” he added, his voice turning a little less serious. “It’s been lovely having someone who knows my secret, and it hasn’t even been a day. I can’t begin to tell you how much weight it has taken off me to know that I am not alone.”
“Well, you’ll never be alone again for the rest of your life.”
“However long it may be,” he said glumly.
Beatrice shook her head. “We are not thinking like that,” she said. “We are going to figure this out, and we will protect you from him.”
“I’m more concerned with protecting you,” Alexander said. “You didn't go into this with the full knowledge of what you were entering into, and I am not going to place importance on my life over yours.”
