AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When I’m finally at Natalie’s door, I take a deep breath, knocking softly. “Natalie?”
I wait a moment, straining for any kind of response. My heart beats louder in my chest as I knock again, wondering if she heard me. When she doesn’t respond again, panic sets in, and I throw the door open.
At first glance, the room appears empty, and my pulse quickens at the thought of her having clambered out a window and losing herself somewhere in Ti’lith. All manner of demons roam the continent outside my manor, and the idea of her being scooped up before I can reach her makes my stomach churn.
I’m about to shout for the zonak when I notice a small form curled under the covers of the bed, her chest rising and falling softly. Relief pours through me as I cross to the bed, observing Natalie’s relaxed face, peaceful in sleep.
“Whatever am I going to do with you?” I consider as I gaze down at her sleeping figure. Before I can think better of it, I slide into bed next to her, laying on top of the cream quilt. She stirs slightly as my weight shifts the bed, and I freeze, unsure of what I would say if she were to wake up.
Thankfully, Natalie snuggles into the bed with a sleepy sigh as she falls deeper into sleep. A part of me wonders if I should wake her up, but she looks so content, so unafraid, that I can’t imagine robbing her of this small reprieve.
I watch her sleep for a while, aching to reach out to touch her. My fingers hover tentatively over her hair for a moment before I brush her dark hair softly.
The corners of her lips pull up into a sleepy smile at my touch, and my heart swells in my chest as I stroke her hair again. I’m fascinated by the way sleep softens her features, how beautiful and unguarded she looks in the soft candlelight.
Natalie’s hair is silken under my fingertips, and I contemplate touching her face, her lips, but decide against it- I don’t want to startle her. Instead, I lay quietly beside her, holding vigil while she sleeps, soaking in her radiant beauty.
She smells faintly of sun-warmed earth and new, springtime plants. I inhale deeply, unable to get enough of this moment. Of her. All my thoughts of duty and loyalty abandon me as the swell of her breasts rise and fall, the way her lips are parted as she dreams.
I can’t go through with this. Not tonight.
And the idea of forcing anything on her, much less forcing myself on her, is out of the question. I want to make her look like this. I want her to feel safe, to be happy and at ease, and to know that I would never hurt her.
I tuck the quilt tighter around her, and Natalie murmurs sleepily, curling in closer to me as if she knows that I am near. I continue stroking her hair tenderly, my decision already made.
I will always be near, if she wants me to be. I’m going to take care of her.
75
NATALIE
I surface from sleep slowly, sunlight seeping through the windows and illuminating the pale blue walls of my room. I blink against the sudden brightness, giving myself time to rouse.
I haven’t slept this well in ages, although I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that I’m sleeping in such a nice bed, and wasn’t woken to the sounds of crying or the demons cracking their whips and gnashing their teeth.
I smile softly to myself, wondering if I should just spend the day in bed, sleeping and reading, if there is a book I can read. My muscles are tight from sleep, and I extend my arms, fully intending to stretch them out when I freeze.
A pale, muscled arm is wrapped around my waist.
My heart leaps into my throat, and it’s an effort to bite back a surprised yelp as I glance behind me to find Kha’zeth’s face mere inches from my own, slack with sleep.
Why in the thirteen’s names is he in my bed?!
The memories of our conversation last night come flooding back, and terror chases up my spine. The last thing I remember, I fell asleep alone in this bed. Kha’zeth never came up to make good on his demand.
Did he come upstairs to fulfill his ‘duty?’ Did he drug me so I wouldn’t make it more difficult for him?
My mind races as fear grips me. I thought he wouldn’t hurt me, I thought he wasn’t like the others, who reveled in our suffering. Why would he do this to me? Was I foolish to let my guard down, even when I thought he had given up?
Before I can work out what to do next, Kha’zeth stirs behind me, mumbling and shifting his weight. I go rigid, unsure of what I can do. Do I run? Do I scream?
What if he isn’t done with me yet?
I watch as Kha’zeth slowly wakes, fear and fury mingling. Unable to keep a hold on my temper any longer, I throw his arm off of me and sit up, pressing my back into the headboard of the bed as I draw the covers up to my chest.
“What did you do?” I hiss at him. Kha’zeth looks up at me, not moving from where he lays on top of the quilt, blinking once, twice.
“What?” he grumbles, his voice thick with sleep.
