His smile faded, his eyes becoming shuttered. “It’s an old property of my family’s,” he answered. “Located to the south, outside Shira Forest.”
She nodded, events and memories returning. The dream she’d had replayed the same, even with the differences.
Reaching for the blankets, she made to shove them off, but Cethin reached out, gently placing his palm atop them, right below her breasts. It was barely a touch, enough to still her, but it made every part of her tense up andthatsent sharp agony along her torso.
“Please wait for Niara,” he said, his voice tight. “Your injuries were extensive, Kailia, and you’ve slept for quite some time.”
“How long?”
“Two days.”
She nodded. That explained the urgent need.
About to express that need, she glanced over at him again, but the words stilled as she realized he was shirtless. Pale skin and toned muscles were on display, but she’d never cared about such things before. A body was a body, male or female. She could appreciate beauty, sure, but in the end, everyone had one. Some came with dicks and some came with breasts.
There was a white bandage wrapped around his abdomen, and when she dragged her gaze up farther, across a firm chest, the column of his neck, and back to his face, there were faint traces of bruising. His hair was tied back, a couple pieces having escaped the leather band and brushing along his jaw.
A small smirk kicked up on his lips as he said, “This type of silence I will take from you for as long as you’d like.”
Her brow furrowed. “Silence is silence. There aren’t different types.”
He leaned in farther, his hand still resting atop the blankets. “That’s where you’re wrong,” he countered, his voice low and soft. “There are several versions of silence. Meek silence, where one is trying to shrink in on themselves. Purposeful silence for hunting or thievery. Clever silence for listening and learning, both in academic and social settings. Apathetic silence when one truly doesn’t care about what’s happening around them. Restful silence for the obvious. Domineering silence, which you prefer, by the way, where the lack of sound exhibits a steadfast power and makes others uncomfortable.”
“And which type of silence was I using?” she asked, both annoyed and intrigued by this conversation.
His smirk grew. “My favorite kind. Awe-inspired silence. When one is so stunned and enamored by what they are looking at, they can’t find words.”
Her features hardened. “That isnotwhat that was.”
He hummed, amusement dancing in his eyes.
“It wasn’t,” she insisted, shifting under the blankets and again attempting to uncover herself.
All humor and teasing disappeared instantly. “Wait for Niara,” he warned.
“I need the bathing chamber,” she retorted, wiggling her toes and rotating her ankles to get feeling back in them. Two days was a long time to not move her limbs. She felt stiff and lethargic.
He pressed his lips together in disapproval.
“You seem upset by that need,” she said, trying to understand his reaction. “It is a basic one.”
“I know that,” he replied. “I just worry about you getting out of bed before Niara has checked you over.”
“That is an unnecessary worry. I’ve survived worse,” she said, once again moving to shove back the blankets and furs.
He let her this time, something dark in his tone when he said, “Tell me more about that.”
“Not necessary. What is necessary is me using the bathing room in the next two minutes,” she said sharply, and he straightened at the bite in her tone.
“Yes, all right,” he relented, brushing back the strands of hair from his face. “Can I at least help you up?”
“No,” she said, sucking in a sharp breath when her abdominal muscles contracted as she attempted to sit up. She could do this.
“Kailia…”
She said nothing, controlling her breathing. If he touched her, it would be worse. So much worse.
It took far too long to get her legs over the side of the bed, and she slowly slid to the floor. Her bare feet sank into a soft rug, and the hem of her tunic brushed her knees.
