I nodded. “Go. I’ll watch over him.”
I only left him unattended for a few minutes. I needed to bathe, desperately. The Phoenix’s awful stench clung to my clothes, my hair. The water was still cool, but I didn’t mind it. I embraced it, actually. I needed to feel something other than fear and nausea.
I settled for one of Aegir’s shirts, a white tunic that fit me like an oversized dress. I let my own dress soak in the bath for a while and later hung it with the hopes that it would somehow smell nice tomorrow.
Then I sat quietly on the edge of his bed, my thoughts circling back to their faces. The twins, shaking and crying in Sabriela’s arms. She looked so terrified. But she did well, covering their faces and holding them near. Heartfelt pride swelled in my chest. I would visit her once I was sure Aegir was all right.
I tried to remain seated upright as thoughts drifted in and out of my mind, but the day was too long, too spirit consuming.And so I found myself curled up at the edge of his bed, soon after drifting off to sleep.
“Cordelia.” The mere whisper of my name had me jolting awake with a gasp. I saw him extend his hand towards me; with the other, he held his pained side.
“What’s wrong?” I blurted. “Do you need me to get the healer?”
His brow creased. “I want you to come here,” he rasped, running a hand along the other side of the bed. He must have seen my hesitation, but how could I not blink? He was not wearing anything beneath that blanket. “You’ll hurt your back, curled at the edge like that,” he added. I narrowed my eyes at him, giving him a suspicious look. “Fine.” He sighed. “I just want you next to me.”
I rose to my feet and moved the opposite way, towards the dining table. I poured him a glass of water and grabbed a handful of grapes. I approached his side of the bed.
“Drink first,” I ordered, extending my arm towards his face. He winced and grunted as he propped himself on his elbows. “Slowly,” I instructed. Then I offered Aegir my palm. “Eat.”
He ate the grapes from my hand, his lips, his tongue, touching my palm when eating the last few.
“You do know that my hands are working just fine, right?” he asked impishly. Even when in pain he found the time to act in mischief.
“Then why didn’t you eat them from your own hand?”
“And pass on the opportunity of Cordelia Wildheart feeding me grapes? I would never.”
I rolled my eyes at him, yet I still found myself moving to the other side of the bed. He carefully lay himself onto his left side, and I lay myself onto my right, beside him.
He smiled softly at me, then whispered, “My hero.”
I broke eye contact and scoffed under my breath. “Hero? You’re the one lying injured in bed like this. You shouldn’t have let yourself burn in my stead.”
“Cordelia,” he murmured, forcing my eyes to lift. “I would let the whole world burn in your stead.” I was still searching for the right words. “I’m still angry, you know. That you put yourself in danger like that…but…if you hadn’t, I would be more than just burned.”
“I…”
“You know you’re truly astounding, right?” he said quietly. I blushed, once more finding it insurmountable to keep his stare. His smile slowly faded. “I shouldn’t have sent all of them away.” I gave him a tight smile. “You think so, too, huh?”
“We could have used Alarik,” I whispered.
He, too, gave me a small nod with a hint of a smile. Then he reached for my face, his thumb brushing my cheek, my jaw. My eyes grew heavy-lidded, my skin melted at his caress.
“I know what you did for me.” The words just left my mouth. They rolled softly off my tongue. “I saw his hanged body. His face was healed.”
His gaze turned piercing, his tone quietly assertive when he dared ask, “Are you afraid of me?” I watched his eyes subtly flicker, desperately searching for an answer through my own.
“No,” I whispered. And that was the truth.
“Good.” He let out a shuddering breath. Then he caressed my face with the back of his fingers. “Move closer.” And so I did. I moved so close, I could feel his every crisp breath on my face. Our eyes locked and lingered in silence.
“Gods, you’re so beautiful,” he murmured. “I swear, you’re the most fascinating thing to ever exist.” My lungs hitched at the unexpectedness of such words. Then he cupped my face in his palms and brushed his soft lips against mine.
Our kiss was shy and slow for the first few strokes, his hands gently cradling my cheeks, my own cradling his. Then it intensified, each graze sending flutters of glowflies to my stomach, lower.
His hand moved through my damp hair. He brushed the whole length of it until reaching my hip. Fingers sliding beneath fabric, he stroked my side, moving his hand along my ribs, higher. He caressed my breasts, firm and visible through the soaked white tunic. My skin bristled with goosebumps, all over, and soft sighs drifted from me at his delicate touch. I wished for my hands to roam all over his body, to explore every inch of him, but I only held his face, in fear of hurting him. He, on the other hand, did not hold back. His hand trailed all the way down to my inner thighs. He smirked at the mess he found.
He broke our kiss, only to whisper against my lips, “Look at me.” I lifted my heavy lids. “Let me see you.”
