But it was a passion he couldn’t act on. Not with her. Not when his health was so up in the air and everything about his future was chained to duty, including his mating with Alitta.
“Sven?” Her voice was quiet. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he managed. “Just, thank you.”
She adjusted the pillows, and once he was settled, exhaustion pulled at him. He squeezed her hand and reluctantly let go. “Thank you for everything.” Sleep dragged him down, but he fought it, unwilling to let go of her presence. But when her hand brushed his forehead, peace found its way into his mind and he collapsed into sleep.
Fire woke him. He looked around and realized that he was awake, but in a dream.
Flames danced all around him, fierce and consuming. In the heart of it stood a woman with brown eyes that burned hotter than the blaze. He could feel the heat singe his skin and hair, but when she reached for him and their hands touched, the fire didn’t affect him. Instead, it ignited him. Every nerve and every passion roared awake.
“Bryn…” he whispered in his sleep.
And then everything calmed and the peace returned. A kind of tranquility he hadn’t known he’d been searching for.
When Sven stirred again, it was dark in his room. A quick glance at the clock showed that he had been asleep for about twelve hours. The fog in his head had disappeared, and he wiggled his toes and fingers to make sure nothing hurt. He shifted his core but none of the discomfort he had experienced remained. He moved his arms to stretch and realized he wasn’t alone in the bed.
Bryn was next to him.
Curled in an awkward slump against the edge of the bed, her head tilted against his shoulder and her arms cradled around his own, her breathing deep and even. She must have sat in the chair beside him and drifted off. At some point, she had tipped over and came to rest against him.
Sven didn’t move. Couldn’t.
He knew in an instant that she was the reason he felt so much better. Just a mere touch from her started to heal him. If she had maintained contact for hours, she had completed the healing process, knowingly or not. At least that was a good theory to go on at the moment. For the first time, he felt protected. It was a unique feeling when he usually did the protecting.
He closed his eyes to savor the sensation, unwilling to shatter it.
But then the door creaked open.
Lars stepped inside, boots heavy against the floorboards. His sharp gaze landed immediately on Bryn, still asleep against Sven. His brow shot up. “Well. That’s unexpected.”
His voice jolted her awake. Bryn jerked upright, eyes wide. Her hair flew wildly around her as her cheeks flamed. She scrambled back from the bed as if caught in some forbidden act.
“I…I must have…” she stammered. She brushed at her hair as she backed away. “I didn’t mean to…”
Sven opened his mouth, but she was already out the door. The echo of her footsteps down the corridor faded out.
Lars turned back to Sven with a look that was equal parts amusement and warning. “Careful.”
Sven ignored the jab as he swung his legs off the bed and stood. He took a full stretch and groaned at the relief. “She may not know how, but she is definitely good for whatever ails me.” He forced his mind back to business. “What news?”
Lars’s expression sobered instantly. “Word came through that Erik is safe.”
Relief surged like a wave through Sven’s chest. His hands clenched into fists. “Where is he?”
Lars shook his head. “We don’t know but he’s alive.”
Sven exhaled. Alive was enough for now. “How do we know? Did he call?”
“He did. I didn’t speak with him myself, but the guard that did recorded the call.”
“I want to hear that recording.”
“Of course. And there’s more,” Lars continued. “Alitta is gone. Fled sometime earlier. We have no idea where she disappeared to but she left a note that she will not participate in the ceremony.”
“But I just saw her. Before…whatever happened to me, happened.”
“What’d she say?”
