Tristan stretches and pulls my head on top of his pec. “A pillow can’t leave the bed on its own,” he teases, stroking my hair. I love how affectionate he is. A rare thing in the world of Grindr and my emotionally avoidant boyfriends.
I’m half asleep when I hear his voice again. “Nate?”
“Hm?”
“Will you come with me?”
“After this? Yes.”
Tristan lets out a happy chuckle and finally settles. I open one eye and see moonlight stroking his face. You only live once. If my grandparents can sell their farm and go on a cruise, I can do this.
Whateverthisis.
Chapter 8
Nate
My mouth is so dry.
I stretch and twist my lower body until I lie prone in the middle of my bed, eyes fixed on the lamp above. A brief glance left and right confirms that I’m alone, that I likely only dreamt of the charming knight who dueled Richie to defend my honor, and that I must have drunk way too much last night.
My head hurts whenever I move, but the sole cure is hydration, so I make myself roll closer to the edge of the mattress and reach for the water bottle. It’s lukewarm, and I would have liked it better with lemon slices, but beggars can’t be choosers.
I roll my shoulders to relieve some of the tension in my muscles and place my feet on the floor. My clothes are scattered close by, even the fancy velvet cape, but then my gaze settles on a pauldron of dark metal, and some water drizzles down my chin, because—what? Am I still drunk?
I am definitely on my own. And naked. I glance down my body, and my cheeks heat up when I spot a hickey on my pec.
Would my knight in shining armor have just left his costume behind? As soon as I think ‘costume’, I’m reminded of the unnatural phenomena he presented to me last night as proof of him coming from a real-life fantasy world. And while I might not bethechosen one, apparently my human shadow is special enough to warrant my move to the Nightmare Realm.
I freeze at the sound of voices beyond my door. But as soon as Tristan’s rich baritone reaches my ears, I frantically wrap myself in a sheet and glue my ear to the door with my heart pounding.
Something sizzles, so maybe Viola’s making breakfast? But before I can step away from the door and regroup, she speaks, making my blood boil.
“Don’t think I won’t have my eyes on you at all times. Nate can act all cool, but deep down he’s very sensitive, and if you plan to toy with him, I am going to make your life hell.”
Nausea crawls up my throat, because the last thing I need is her instilling in Tristan’s head that I’m some delicate flower in need of constant care. I press down the door handle and burst into the hallway, heading straight for our small but bright kitchen.
“Ha. Ha. Very funny,” I say, shoving one side of the sheet over my shoulder so it creates an impromptu toga.
Viola smiles at me. “Finally up then? And there’s nothing funny about my protective instincts. Everyone knows you’re a softie, Nate. Might as well embrace it.”
It’s hard to focus on an answer when Tristan is standing by the kitchen island shirtless. At least the shadowy eels are no longer moving. Maybe that was a figment of my imagination after all? His long red hair is damp, so he must have taken a shower, and the leather pants fit him so snugly I’m not sure they’re appropriate to wear outside of a nightclub.
When our eyes meet, he smiles so warmly my heart melts. “Nate! I didn’t have the heart to wake you up, but Viola took good care of me.”
He seems genuinely excited to see me.
This shouldn’t make me so happy. Haven’t I just broken up with a man I thought I was in love with? It’s too early to reinvest my feelings into someone else, especially a man so handsome he will likely drop me for someone better within the fortnight.
Nobody likes a clingy guy. I’ve learned this many, many times, and when I think back to last night, I’m afraid that getting my heart broken by him might be something I would never recover from.
“And she is talking too much. I have nothing against hookups.”
I said this many times and meant it never.
“‘Hook… ups’…?” Tristan repeats, and behind him, Viola winks at me.
“You need to explain words like that to Prince Tristan. He’s from the Nightmare Realm after all.”
