Rahzlyn
I awokewith an insatiable craving between my legs.
At some point I’d drifted to sleep, with blazing eyes framed by black curls having replaced the drowning nightmare. Tempted to let my fingers take care of the need stoked by last night’s encounter, I settled into the bed and slid my hand down my torso. I hiked my nightgown up, my breath catching as I pretended my hands were his—large and strong and heartbreakingly curious.
My manhood is far from insufficient.Such a silly phrase—born from a poorly executed retort—shouldn’t have turned me on so much. I’d never ached so fiercely for a man. Not even Kole.
Letti’s abrupt knocks cooled my arousal. With a frustrated groan, I readied myself—physically and mentally—before granting her entrance.
Letti’s disruption was for the best. It was one thing to trust Raithe and find his company safe. Comforting, even. It was another, forbidden thing entirely to yearn for his presence and ache in his absence. If I touched myself, Felaf would hear everything, and I wouldn’t be able to face her afterward.
Still, I feared it was only a matter of time before I gave in, chasing the forbidden fantasy of Raithe.
The rest of the day dragged on slowly as my mind drifted to Raithe’s bedroom, wondering what he thought of last night. I knew desire when I saw it.
I missed Mel’s company more than ever. She’d be relieved to hear me gush about someone other than her brother for a change, especially when her brother paled in comparison to the flutters Raithe elicited in my chest.
My distraction earned chastising gripes from the advisors that I chose to ignore, along with additional reading assignments I now found myself trying to catch up on.
Exhausted and defeated after hours with Gregorios, I sat in my bed with a book onhudropropped between my knees, having reread the same line over and over.To have power over anything, especially the sacred element of water, one must first have power within oneself.
I skimmed through the book in frustration.How could I have power that I didn’t yet have?I wasn’t getting any closer to findinghudro, and the clock was ticking. And I wasn’t going to focus until I talked to Raithe again.
When at last darkness blanketed the room, I snapped the book shut, hopped over the stream of water surrounding my bed, and burst into the hall. I told myself it was to clear the air, but deep down it was more than that.
I found Raithe standing stoic as expected. I grinned, feeling elated from the weight of the realm’s expectations at the mere sight of him.
Something was… off. He didn’t turn back to look at me. I ignored the quiet warning creeping in the back of my mind. “Sleep well, today?”
“Fine.” His voice lacked any semblance of knowing.
My smile faded. “Everything alright?”
With his eyes locked forward, his arms at his back, he might as well have been a portrait—a statue. He was only a few inches taller than me, so when I stepped in front of him, I figured he had no choice but to meet my gaze. He looked right through me. My stomach sank.
“Have I offended you?” At his continued cold silence, I demanded, “So, that’s it. You’re ignoring me now?”
His jaw clenched. Seconds ticked by. Anger replaced my apprehension.
“Are we not even going to talk about what happened last night?”
“Nothinghappened last night,” Raithe said. His nostrils flared in warning.
I resisted the urge to flinch. “Nothing happened?” We both knew that wasn’t true. “You’re being cruel.”
“I’m being your guardian.”
He wasn’t wrong. Still, my heart refused to hear reason. It only heard rejection. “I thought we?—”
“I comforted you when you needed it. That’s all. Do you fall for every man who shows you a sliver of kindness?”
I sucked in a breath, and I could have sworn he did too. “Perhaps my mistake was ever thinking you capable of such a thing. Thank you for reminding me of who you are.” I waited a few seconds longer, secretly hoping he would prove my doubts wrong.
“Of who we both are,” he clarified. “Anything else, Princess?”
My heart cracked a little. He’d never called me by my title before. It shouldn’t have mattered, but it did. I fled before he could see my quivering lips. Once inside my room, I let my tears flow quietly free. My pillow muffled what little sounds slipped out of me, but Raithe undoubtedly could hear it all.
Good.
