My mind wandered to Cebrinne. To Leihani. “Maybe he did escape,” I said. “Maybe he’s out there somewhere. Happy.”
He glanced at me. “Maybe,” he said after a long moment, though he didn’t sound as though he believed it.
The quiet fell around us again. Too thick. Too heavy.
“Will you be gone in the morning?” I asked.
He folded his knife, storing it back in his pocket. “Probably.”
I shivered, and he pushed off his perch against the wall, motioning for me to stand so he could make the bed. He fit the sheets over the mattress, shook out the blankets, held them away so I could slide in. Halfway under, I met his eyes.
“Would you lie down, too?”
He sighed through his nose and whispered, “You know I can’t.”
“Please?”
His eyes closed at that word, spoken in the candlelight. Then he gave a reluctant nod toward the bed, prompting me to climb in.
I sank onto the mattress, scooting to offer enough space for him to join. After an eternity of silence, he climbed in after me, keeping to the very edge.
The soft glow behind him illuminated his hair, the strands escaping his bun cast in quiet fire.
I suddenly craved his warmth. The hard wall of his body next to mine, the weight of his arms wrapped over me.
“Would you hold me?”
His heart sped. He’d taunted me over that once.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.
“Try to get some sleep.”
I didn’t want sleep. Nightmares came when I slept. Sirens who crawled from the water to take me from my home.
“Please?”
His jaw clenched, and he sighed hard enough to send his breath tumbling over my nose. But he scooted closer, collecting me in, winding me into the heat of his body. His chin curved over my temple, his hip pressed firm against my stomach. I breathed the scent of him in. Clean and warm and earthy.
“Pheolix?”
“Yes, heiress?”
“Would you kiss me?”
42
Pheolix
Idrew a deep breath. And held it.
The hollow of Selena’s cheek sat under my thumb, and I grazed it softly, skimming the edge of her lower lip. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”
“Please?”
I shook my head. “How are you awake? I’ve never known a Naiad to take injuries like yours and not immediately sleep them off.”
I’d seen sirens need a nap after a simple scratch. Naiads healed fast, but they always required sleep to do it. As much as I trusted Thaan’s ability to replenish blood and seal wounds, I couldn’t understand how she’d managed to ward off slumber, especially after consuming alcohol and whatever the King had given her.
