Page 116 of Her Ivory Flame

“Let's go,” he mumbled and reached for her hand, tugging her behind him as they all quickly maneuvered down the hall to their room.

Her stomach twisted in knots, the decision to tell him eating away at her. The way his touch made her insides burn even hotter was intoxicating.

Chapter 44

As soon as all of them entered the room and the door was shut, Kaden bristled in anger. “Someone wanna tell me why I almost tore this entire fucking mansion down looking for her after feeling the multiple waves of emotions she felt?”

She had never seen him so angry, even when Silas was pissing him off he never used such an infuriated tone around her. His eyes were pitch black and she grabbed onto his arm to try and calm him.

“I was never in any danger.” She tried to say calmly, her voice shaking slightly at his angry tension.

“Calm down.” Xander snarled. “You think we would put her in any danger?”

Kaden’s chest growled but Xander seemed unfazed by the anger that being directed at him. If they had been friends for as long as they said, she was sure he had seen it many times by now.

“We found a secret room in the library,” she said quickly. “It had a dead Trencher and all the history books missing from the capital.”

Kaden’s eyes looked down at her, the fire in them slowly dying out and then he turned to Xander with a confused look. “Tell me more about the corpse.”

“It still had its head and looked like it was alive when they cut it open. All its organs were on the table next to it and looked to be dead for a while.” Xander answered with his arms crossed.

“A guess on the time?” Kaden questioned.

“At least a year if not more.” Xander’s voice got deeper and she realized what everyone else had seconds before.

“I thought Trenchers were new, like within the last six months?” she blurted out.

“That’s what we were told.” Kaden huffed and sat down on the edge of the bed, his body visibly shaking from anger. “I want you to take me there after Alyra and I train.” His eyes went to Xander.

Xander nodded and when no one said another word for a few minutes, the two men returned to their room leaving her and Kaden in silence.

“Care to tell me why you were panicking?” Kaden asked in a low growl.

She stood frozen in place, his anger still radiating off of him and she could feel her stomach start to twist again. She wasn’t used tothis side of him, and flashbacks of Silas’s anger made her suck in a breath.

Kaden instantly stood and walked a few steps to her, pressing her back against the wall again. His trembling hands moved to hold her, both landing gently on her hips.

“Don’t ever make me feel so helpless ever again.” his head resting against hers and felt him let out a long breath against her cheek, his body relaxing against her.

“I didn’t mean to worry you,” she whispered.

“You terrified me,” he admitted, his hand gripping her hip a little tighter but still soft enough not to hurt. “I felt the first wave and immediately started to look for you in the library but didn’t see you so I started searching the entire mansion. When I felt you again, it took all I had not to throw my full power out to find you.”

She reached her hands up to his chest, slowly gripping his shirt and took in a deep breath, smelling the lilac on him still.

“I saw the torture tools on the table and it reminded me of my time with Mavros.” she breathed. “And I read some stuff that made me realize a few things.”

“Mavros won't touch you again.” Kaden snarled and he pulled away from her, his maroon eyes bright and she felt her knees weaken. “Let’s go train before it gets too late and you can tell me about what you read tonight.”

“Ok.” She nodded and he pressed a kiss to her forehead before letting her go, turning to grab his sword and waiting by the door.

She put on some of her training leathers over her shirt and pants, grabbing her own sword before joining him at the door.

It was guaranteed she wouldn’t be able to focus well during training, but she decided right then she would tell him tonight, no matter how terrified of rejection she was.

- - - - - - - -

“I’m taking a bath,” she growled, throwing her sword onto the bed aggressively once they returned a few hours later.