Page 76 of A Whisper of Cinders

I nod and he starts walking towards the serenity room. I follow him, because, well, he is carrying my food, meaning I don’t have that much of a choice. I was planning on going there either way.

Watching Conláed walk in front of me is very distracting in the best way. His tall figure is one thing, but the strong shoulders that are clearly visible through his shirt, the muscled back that flexes as he carries the tray, his perfectly sculpted ass that is very accentuated in the trousers he is wearing and that fit perfectly tight around his upper legs…

Not wanting to stare too long, I force myself to lift my gaze to the back of his head. Perfectly tousled, brown curls bounce a little as he walks. How I want to run my fingers through them. They look so soft, like silk and —

I give myself an internal shake. That is enough, no more lusting over the handsome guy who brought you food.

He places the tray on the table and sits down on the opposite chair, patiently waiting for me to do the same. I pull the tray closer and take a bite, it’s delicious and creamy, not that I was expecting anything else from the staff here.

“Could we pick up the intensity of the training?”

He lifts one brow. “Is my training not exhausting enough for you already, feather?”

I quickly swallow away the pasta. “It is, I just mean, some one-on-one combat. Not just practice punches against a cushion, but real training battles?”

He thinks about it, really taking it into consideration. I appreciate that. “Hm, you did fuck up both of your hands pretty badly, so maybe we should indeed move on to the next stage.”

First off, rude. But secondly, he didn’t say no, a small victory for me. I hide away the grin that is trying to show by shoving some more food into my mouth.

“Keep running in your free time though, or go for a swim. Your endurance is equally as important, you know.”

I want that too, so that is an easy deal to make. “Of course, pinky promise.” He rolls his eyes and looks to the other side, taking in the view.

My eyes land on the plate in front of me, the enormous amount of pasta still there. “Would you like a bite?”

He takes me in, in that way of him, and I hold out my fork. But instead of taking it out of my hand, his big hand gently envelops mine, we pick up the pasta and bring it towards his mouth. “Delicious.”

I just fed Conláed. Some of the creamy sauce sticks to his lips and he licks it away, still holding my hand.

My core clenches and…aches. It has never done that before. It’s painful in a way that it’s nearly unbearable to ignore. His pupils become larger, nearly consuming the colour of his eyes.

A door slams shut behind us and I turn around, my heart skipping a beat. My hand still rests in his, and I feel his fingers tense around mine before he lets go.

I turn back around and lay down the fork, my appetite satisfied for now. “I think I should return to my room, it’s getting kinda late and I’m tired.”

I stand, so does he. “Perfect, I am coming with you.”

I laugh, but he doesn’t. “Wait, you’re serious?”

“Of course, I am. I wouldn’t want some beast to get you.”

I open my mouth to explain I really don’t need an escort, but the look he gives me says there is no debating this. Oh whatever, he was very kind tonight and I actually enjoyed his company. I can handle it for five more minutes.

We reach my door sooner than I anticipated and I’m about to reach for the handle and turn around to say goodnight, when he halts me. “Wait.”

“You know, there are no monsters here. It’s just my room.”

I might as well have said nothing. He stares intensely at the door, remaining silent.

“Conláed? Is everything alright?”

“Someone’s in your room.”

Not what I was expecting him to say. I take one step back and one of his hands pulls me behind him, keeping me there as he pushes down the handle and opens the door in one smooth movement.

A yelp sounds from inside my room, obviously female, and I quickly walk around Conláed, who is throwing angry glances at the woman who returned from the dead.

“Hi, Mai.”