Page 139 of Sworn to the Shadow Throne

“Well,” he murmured above me, voice rougher than before, “that was a decisive victory.”

“For you?” I asked into his chest, voice muffled.

“For the pillows,” he replied.

A tiny giggle slipped out of me.

Almost reluctantly, he leaned back just enough to look down at me. The playful spark in his eyes had faded into something incredibly gentle.

“We should probably sleep,” he said quietly. “Tomorrow will be…unpleasant.”

Right. The Assembly. Because of course they have to come along and ruin a good time.

Reality crept back into the room like a cold draft under the door. I cleared my throat and raised one eyebrow. “You’re still on top of me,” I said briskly, flustered by the contact.

He smirked. “If you snore, we’re trading places.”

“Absolutely not,” I said. When he lifted his weight off me, the emptiness that remained was bigger than I’d thought possible.

He’s right there, and you already miss him.

As soon as I sat up, he began to take off his shirt.

Muscles. Every other thought vanished from my mind, leaving only the sight of a rippling abdomen behind.

I had to try very, very hard to keep my mouth from hanging open. “What are you—?”

“What? This is how I sleep at home,” he said, but his tone suggested he was toying with me again.

Two could play at that game. I got up and started unlacing my bodice then shimmied out of my outer dress until only my nearly transparent silk chemise remained.

When I turned back around, Owain was splayed out in the chair he’d been in earlier, watching me like a man who hadn’t eaten in weeks.

Hah! I win.

I strutted slowly through the room, snuffing out candles as his eyes trailed me. When I finally made it to my bed, I made certain to pull the furs tight under the fabric so my nipples would show through. “Goodnight, Owain.”

His blackened eyes finally made their way up to mine. He roughly cleared his throat before standing up stiffly to grab a few pillows to create a bed for himself by the hearth.

I pretended to sleep while watching him suffer through trying to get comfortable. The fear was still there, but it wasn’t leading me anymore. I finally gave in to what I wanted. “Come on up. There’s plenty of room.”

He was beside me before I’d even finished the sentence. Just for tonight, I would indulge in the possibility that wanting something and having it could be simple and straightforward.

Chapter 38

Lunette

I woke before dawn to the fire burning low, the chill creeping in beneath the door and settling into the room. It took me a moment to fully surface, my thoughts still slow and heavy with sleep. When my eyes opened, they found him immediately.

He lay on his back beside me, one arm crooked beneath his head, his expression more peaceful than I’d ever seen it. Hadn’t as much as pulled a corner of the blanket over himself. He’d acted with the exact level of nobility I’d expected from him.

And I’d hated every single minute.

I’d spent my time since leaving Selmont bitter. But looking at him now, cold because he had refused even the smallest comfort he hadn't been offered, I could no longer mistake that harm for carelessness, arrogance, or contempt. He’d brought me to the capital out of desperation, with total conviction that it was necessary, and total willingness to be hated for it. And ever since, he had been trying to give me back the room to choose him—or not.

I stared at him a beat too long before slipping off the mattress. The cold stone floor bit through my stockings as I nudged the embers back to life in the hearth and added a fresh log to the fire. I padded to the chair at the foot of the bed, my fingers clutching the soft fur of my discarded robe.

I’ve done this many times before, I had to remind myself as I leaned down and settled the robe across his torso, lingering a fraction longer than necessary before I forced myself to pull away.