Page 56 of Her Ivory Flame

That familiarity from his presence washed over her and she closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath.

“Sorry,” she whispered, her breathing finally starting to even out. “I should have warned you about my nightmares.”

She could see Kaden’s chest breathing a little heavier than normal under his cotton shirt and his arms were tense holding him up on the bed. He didn’t say anything but she watched as his eyes scanned over every part of her visible body as if looking for injuries.

“I’m ok.”

“You sounded like you were being torn apart,” he mumbled, his eyes finding hers again.

The maroon was darker than normal, only seen them that way a few times before in the few months she knew him. He was so close to her, it was hard not to see them with the moonlight reflecting off them.

“In my dream, I was.” she shrugged. “Memories of my captivity often turn into nightmares.”

“Do you have them every night?”

“Almost.” Her voice trailed off and she saw his eyes widen slightly. “Silas-” she cleared her throat. “He used to help calm me after them. I had them less frequently once we got here but started up again after he left.”

Kaden moved to sit on the bed by her feet, careful not to touch her, his body relaxing and for once he looked casual. There was no hint of the stone face or emotionless glare he would give her, just calmness.

“What did he do to help you?” He asked quietly.

“He uh-” she cleared her throat, a sting hitting her heart but she quickly pushed the hurt away. “He would hold me till I fell back asleep.”

She watched him tense slightly but she quickly shifted the blankets around her. “I will be fine, it will just be something we will have to deal with until I can figure out how to handle it on my own.”

“Have you thought about seeing a healer yet?”

“Are you actually showing some interest in my wellbeing?” she teased.

“That’s all I’ve ever cared about.” his voice low.

She felt her own body freeze as she met his eyes.

She knew he cared about her training, but to admit he cared about her in that way was shocking. He didn’t flinch or change his facial expression as she tried to process what he said, his eyes watching her curiously.

“Is that surprising?” he asked softly.

She looked away from him, the intensity of his eyes making her heart race faster than she would ever want to admit. She looked down at her hands as they fidgeted on her lap and took a deep breath before meeting his gaze again.

“I just assumed you were following orders. All we do is train and you haven’t been the friendliest towards me most of the time.” She kept her tone soft, but she could feel her anxiety rising from the tension building between them.

“I uh-” he cleared his own throat and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “I have a hard time letting people in.”

“No kidding.” She chuckled and for the first time since she had met him, he genuinely smiled at her.

Her face was paused in her own smile, his eyes soft which matched his smile that lasted only a few seconds.

“I’m not just some person.” she smirked.

“Not now,” he mumbled. “But when I met you, all I had heard was stories about you. For all I know, you could still be a spy for our enemy and faking your power loss.”

She glared at him, his face keeping a serious look but faded when she grabbed the pillow next to her and chucked it at him. He let out a chuckle and tossed it back at her.

“You are such a prick!” She giggled and kicked her feet towards him.

“Can’t be perfect.” he muttered back and rose to his feet. “I’m going to try and get a little more sleep, you should too.”

She just nodded and watched him walk back around the corner to the couch that was his current bed. An odd calm washed over her, almost like when Silas would hold her after such a nightmare but this was different. Just knowing Kaden was there seemed to cause the same effect.