The betrayal… at first, I needed time to understand it. But gaining siblings who cared for me, who truly saw me, had put things into perspective over the past few weeks. Of course, he had tried to save his brother. How could he have known I wasn’t like my mother when we first met? He had taken a chance.
And yet, even if I understood him, I wasn’t sure I had any chances left to give.
He looked at me like I was the reason he breathed. I looked away. ‘River… can we just rest, please?’
A fragile smile flickered across his face before he turned away too. ‘You get the bed; I’ll take the couch.’
‘What?’ I glanced toward the tiny two-seater in the corner. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. You’ll get no sleep on that thing. Let’s just keep our fires contained, okay?’
His brows drew together, but his eyes lit with something brighter. ‘You mean… You want me in the bed with you?’
‘Gods, you have such a way with words.’ I blushed, turning slightly in the hope he wouldn’t notice. ‘I just want us to get a proper night’s rest, and if we stay on our respective sides, the bed is big enough for us to share.’
‘Works for me.’ He removed his T-shirt and tossed it aside before jumping under the cover. ‘Are you going to just stand there watching me, little witch?’
‘Oh, uh, no.’ I gathered my hair into a ponytail and lay down. My temples throbbed from the intensity of our connection. Other parts did too, but I refused to think about that. ‘Goodnight, River.’
‘Sweet dreams, Ava.’
River
Her leg rested over my groin, just enough pressure to have me begging the Gods for self-control. I stared at the ceiling, forcing slow breaths through my mouth. It was useless. Every time I allowed myself to look at her breathtaking form, my resolve faltered.
The little witch wasn’t just beautiful. She felt made for me. Everything about her was my personal temptation, and the struggle to contain myself was very real.
She had once thought me a cruel monster. I wasn’t about to prove her right by becoming something worse before she had truly forgiven me. Because once she did, all restraint would be gone. I wouldn’t just cherish her. I would consume her. And she would be mine, completely, unravelling for me the same way I unravelled at the mere sight of her.
Whether it was instinct or something deeper, having her near wasn’t enough. It was a blessing she allowed even that. I couldn’t complain, not after everything that had happened. But I needed more. And part of me knew she did too.
The way her light green eyes lit up when our flames finally mingled, the way her gaze lingered in the hot tub… I didn’t need her scent to know she wanted me. She had more self-control than I ever would. If she had given the slightest permission, I would have taken her yesterday.
I dragged a hand down my face. Her soft breaths were the highlight of my month. Not because she looked beautiful in her sleep, but because she finally felt safe enough with me to let her guard down. That meant I still had a chance to fix what I had broken.
I couldn’t resist brushing my fingers through her dark brown hair; its soft waves spread across the pillow. I was fairly certain I had swallowed one during the night. Waking up and trying not to choke, trying not to wake her, had been an experience.
I had never allowed anyone to sleep beside me before. I took my rest seriously, especially with war looming.
This was different.
‘Morning,’ I said as she rubbed her eyes. Then she startled when she realised the way she positioned herself on me and removed her leg. ‘Did you sleep well?’
‘Uh, yeah. Not bad.’
‘I’ll let you get ready for the day. Any requests for breakfast?’ I asked, sitting up, hoping to hide the growing bulge in my trousers.
Ava ran her fingers through her slightly tangled hair, loosened sometime during the night, before insisting she wasn’t hungry. I took it as my cue to leave and return with food anyway. If there was one thing I had learned about the little witch, it was that her mood took a sharp turn whenever she got peckish.
Just before entering the buffet, I stopped in my tracks, hearing a hushed conversation between two women.
‘I’m not supposed to say, but it happened again. I’m telling you, the same thing happened in the Air Kingdom recently,’ one whispered, clearly emotional.
‘How do you know they’re related in any way?’ the other asked.
‘My brother serves in their guard; he’s mated to an air noble, remember? It’s just like what has been happening there. Slashed throat. Dagger in the heart.’
A woman gasped. ‘But why?’
‘Who knows? Bad things have been happening recently, but in our Bergville? Nothing ever happens here… I’m scared, Patricia. How do we protect our children?’
