But Valen is clearly getting really impatient.
“I promise not to lay a single fucking finger on you,” he growls. “And even if I tried, you’re wearing the ring, and I have on the collar. You could order me off you or freeze me in my tracks like you did in the dungeon.”
Well, he has a point there. Though I’m not anxious to repeat the feeling of having a sharp stake driven into my eye, I’d take the pain over losing my virtue. I still remember my mother lecturing me about that.
“Remember, my darling,” she has often said to me. “Men can get away with almost anything, but a woman’s reputation is fragile—once your virtue is lost, it is lost forever and there is no bringing it back.”
But Valen is looking at me like a man who wants to do nothing more than just sleep after a long, arduous journey. And my full belly and a sleepless night are making me wish for the same thing.
I’m wearing the ring, I tell myself. I’m safe—it should be safe to lay beside him as long as I don’t touch him.
“Fine,” I say at last. “But I want the bolster between us.”
“Fine.” He takes the long, leather bolster from the head of the bed and lays it in the middle of the bed at once, creating a barrier between the sides. He does it so quickly it’s almost insulting. What about all those things he was saying earlier about my soft hands and mouth and…other areas?
Valen glares at me because I’m still hesitating.
“Now will you come to bed?” he demands.
“Yes,” I say primly. “But if you try anything, I’ll freeze you again.”
“The only thing I’m trying to do is regain my strength after being kept a prisoner for a year and flying over the fucking desert,” he growls.
At last, I relent and go to lie down beside him. I’m tense at first, but the moment I lay my head down, Valen turns on his side, away from me, and seems to relax completely.
He gives a deep sigh and—before I can even become anxious or worried—goes immediately to sleep.
I find that sleep is dragging at me as well. Should I give in to it?
Before I can answer the question, the darkness pulls me under and I know no more.
20
IRENA
I wake as the sun is fading from the sky and have a moment of complete panic when I look around the unfamiliar room. What am I doing here and who is the half-naked man in bed beside me?
Then Valen stirs in his sleep and I remember in a rush the events of the day and night before. Going to my brother’s room to find the key and ring…slipping into the dungeon. Arguing with Valen and then making a bargain with him and then the escape on dragon-back and winding up here, at The Slaughtered Lamb.
It all feels completely unreal and dreamlike but when I sit up, I’m stiff and I feel awful from sleeping in my clothes. The unpleasant sensations are real enough to convince me I’m not dreaming. I feel grimy too—I’ve been wearing the same thing for over twenty-four hours at this point and my lovely Court dress is beginning to look creased and worse-for-wear—though miraculously it isn’t stained or torn anywhere.
I look longingly at the wooden tub. Do I dare to take a quick wash?
I glance over at Valen, who has turned toward me, and see that he’s deep asleep. He has surprisingly long eyelashes for a man—they lay like black fans against his high cheekbones. His cruel mouth is almost beautiful in sleep—his lips are full and well-shaped.
For a moment I remember stroking him in the tub and the way he groaned when I touched him…then I push the memory away. It was most improper, and I’ll never do anything like it again, I promise myself. My only concern right now is to wonder if I can take a bath without waking him.
I slip out of bed and go to the tub. First, I rinse it thoroughly and then I fill it halfway. The fire has died down so the water is considerably cooler than I’d like but I don’t dare to poke up the fire because it might wake Valen.
Slipping out of my dress, shift, and underthings, I stand naked in the barely warm water, which reaches to my calves. I dip the sponge in the water and take a quick cat bath, scrubbing myself all over with the harsh, abrasive soap and then rinsing just as quickly. All the while I’m keeping an eye on Valen to be sure he’s still asleep, but he doesn’t so much as stir. Good.
Despite the less than ideal conditions, I find the bath refreshing. I rub myself dry with the ragged but clean bit of towel left by the tub and then slip back into my clothes. I wish there was something I could wear besides my Court gown—it looks wildly out of place in this rustic setting, but I didn’t exactly pack for this journey.
I make a mental note to plan better before I go on another quest but for now there’s nothing I can do but put my gown back on. There’s an old, cracked mirror hanging on the wall. I go over to it and I finger-comb my long hair and rearrange my golden hairpins until I look somewhat respectable. There—I feel more like myself.
I hear muted voices and the clinking of glasses coming from the other side of the door and realize there must be more people at the inn now. I debate on going out into the common room on my own, but my stomach is growling—it’s been hours since we ate—and I’d really like to get something to nibble on. Maybe I’ll hear something useful from the locals too. After all, they live on the edge of Thornmere Forest—they must know something about navigating it safely.
Still, I don’t want to draw too much attention to myself. I’m sure my appearance will attract unwanted attention if I go out as I am. So I put on my traveling cloak, which is long enough to cover me completely—all but the hem of my gown—and draw the hood over my head. This casts my face into shadows and when I look in the cracked mirror, I can scarcely see anything but my eyes gleaming in the shadows. Perfect.
