“Theo!” I snapped, not appreciating being kept in the dark, though I still managed to keep my voice low. My body was suddenly tense and ready to parry an attack at any moment with his behavior.
It was obvious he was on high alert, and seeing as we were in his castle and he still felt the need to be on the defense, an uneasy feeling had quickly settled in the pit of my stomach.
His hand on my lower back as he guided me back to our wing would have normally been the first thing I corrected before moving an inch, but I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit it made me feel a modicum safer. Something about the warmth of his hand andthe possessive touch had me under some delusion that he would actually protect me if something were to happen.
He ushered me up the steps that finally led to our wing at the corner of the castle. “Hush, wench.”
From the little I’d seen, there was no one around the castle to hear us, but it wasn’t worth arguing with him about. Our footsteps were light and quick as we walked down the hall of portraits, but as my eyes snagged on his mother once more, curiosity got the better of me, causing me to break the silence again.
“You look like her. Are the two of you close?”
His steps faltered briefly before his hand pushed on my back, guiding me forward again. “She’s dead, so I’d hope we’re not close.”
Despite the brisk nature of his tone, I didn’t sense any actual animosity in his response. Just deflection.
I, too, was a big fan of using dark humor to cope.
“I didn’t mean physically,” I murmured as I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. The tiniest curve tilted the corner of his lips before it was gone.
So it seemed we couldn’t have productive, mature conversations, but morbid jokes were on the table. Got it.
I wanted to ask what happened to her, but it was clear he wasn’t ready to dive into it, if the non-answer to my first question was any indication.
Focusing on the warmth that flowed over me as he opened the door and pushed me through, my toes curled in delight. It seemed he’d come back to his room after his flight, considering the large bed was made and the fireplace had been renewed with fresh wood thrown in, crackling merrily in greeting. Thankfully, the dresses in my chambers fit well, despite being a few inches too long. They would keep me from freezing to death in this icy tundra, where fireplaces seemed to be a rare commodity.
His hand fell from my back as he closed the door behind us, and I made my way closer to the blazing warmth. I rubbed my cold hands together, using friction to my advantage before settling into one of the armchairs.
“The last time I saw her in that dress was my seventh birthday.”
The sudden admission was personal, and also unnerving as I glanced down at the navy material pooling on the floor around my feet. Yeah, because wearing your deceased mother-in-law’s gowns was entirely normal. I suppose it made sense, considering Theo didn’t know my sizing and couldn’t have prepared a wardrobe for me prior to my arrival.
I knew I couldn’t demand much, given my situation, but perhaps if I inquired nicely about where I could retrieve my own clothes, he’d take pity on me. Being without money or anything of value had a sense of vulnerability, something I wasn’t used to, settling in.
Glass clinked together behind me where he stood at his collection of alcohol. As the sound of his drink splashed into his chosen cup, I asked, “Could you pour me one as well?”
A hum was all I received in response before his heavy steps drew closer. A glass full of amber liquid was presented as he stepped around my chair. Our fingers brushed against one another as I closed my hand around the glass, and I stilled at the contact. It wasn’t as if it was the first time we’d ever touched—but as our eyes met and neither of us moved, I could say with the utmost certainty that it was the first time the semblance of even a single butterfly took flight in my belly.
I cleared my throat and averted my gaze to the beautiful crystal as I brought it to my lips, shattering the moment. The alcohol burned a path down my throat as I tipped the entirety of the contents into my mouth, suddenly feeling the need for liquid courage.
I couldn’t stop the coughing fit that overcame me. Whatever this was, it was far stronger than anything I’d consumed before. There were hints of cinnamon and honey on my tongue in the aftertaste, but it was hard to focus on that as my throat constricted and my eyes burned.
“First time you’ve had bourbon?” he asked, amusement clear in his tone as he settled into the chair across from me with his hand on one of the curved arms and his glass atop the other.
I shifted uncomfortably beneath the weight of his stare that was suddenly fixated on my lips as my tongue swept over them. Coughing a few more times, I held my hand to my chest as if I could somehow will them to stop with the motion.
“No,” I croaked out, shaking my head, “I actually drink this to hydrate myself during sparring sessions. Very smooth. I just had a tickle in my throat.”
Either the world was coming to an end or he actually cracked the smallest smile for the second time in the span of ten minutes. Of course, it was gone and replaced with an icy mask of indifference in the time it took me to blink, but I’d not imagined it.
Suddenly, my eyes slammed shut as a piercing pain slashed into my brain. “Fuck!” I muttered, holding my free hand to my temple. “Son of a bitch, that hurts.”
A rumbling laughter floated through the air as I forced my eyes open once more. “Well, perhaps the alcohol loosens your lips, wench, but I’m glad you’re able to keep your mental wall in place still. I had to be sure before we dive into the logistics of the remainder of your stay here.”
Either I was an extreme light-weight, with this bourbon hitting quickly, or my brain hadn’t heard him properly. “The remainder of my stay?” I parroted. “Wouldn’t that entail, I don’t know, the rest of my life, considering we’re married?”
His eyebrows slanted and the skin between them pinched as he seemed to ponder either my words or his own before responding. He seemed rather uncomfortable as he took a long drink from his own glass instead of responding. He lowered it from his lips for a second but then shrugged and downed the rest as I had, albeit with no coughing fit.
Show off.
