“Yeah. And then?”
I chewed the inside of my lip. I knew what happened, but didn’t want to say it.
“You passed out, Maeve. You wouldn’t wake up. I had to carry you back to your room. You’ve been unconscious for hours.”
“Oh.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked angrily.
“Tell you what?”
“Why didn’t you tell me that harnessing your power hurt you?” His eyebrows were furrowed as he questioned me.
“I'm sorry, Seb.” My cheeks flushed as I caught myself using his nickname. “I didn’t want you to think I was weak, and in all honesty, I didn’t know the extent of it.” I felt a little guilty for not warning him about how draining my power was, but never expected for it to knock me out.
Sebastian shot up from my bed. “Well shit, Maeve!” He started parading around my room, running his hands down the front of his perfectly chiseled face. “Does anyone else know?”
“No.”
He nodded slowly. “Good.” He sighed in relief as he roamed my room.
I gathered all of my strength and stood up as well. “Is it really that big of a deal? I'm sure with more practice I will?—”
“Yes, Maeve, itisa big deal! You could get hurt! You could get killed!” He stormed over to me. “You can’t keep stuff like this from me! Not when I’m the one pushing you to your limits on a daily basis!”
“I'm sorry,” I said again, the anger in his voice triggering something in me. “That's never happened before. Usually I just get sick or get a bad headache.”
“Gods…I’ve been working you so hard and I had no idea it was hurting you.” He hung his head, and not even the oceans in his eyes could hide the sorrow that took over his expression. “How didn't I see this?” he asked himself. “I mean, I should have known something was up by the way you were fighting back there.”
“I didn't want you to know.” I shrugged. “Why are you so upset over this?” He had never shown me any indication that he truly cared for me until now.
He pivoted so he could face me head on. His hands collapsed around my upper arms, his fingers so long that they wrapped all the way around. “Fuck, Maeve! If my father finds out, I'm worried that he’ll change his mind and go through with the deal with Draemor.”
My blood froze in my veins. Seeing Sebastian lose control caused instant panic to overwhelm me.
“I never thought of that…” My voice quivered. If King Hawthorne found out that I wasn't as powerful as he had thought, he’d have no reason to keep me here. My eyes started to gloss over.
Sebastian's expression softened when he realized that I was getting upset. “Shit, no. I'm sorry. It’s going to be fine, please don’t worry.” He pulled me into his chest, holding me there and resting his chin on top of my head.
I held my breath, trying to work through the weight of my emotions. I allowed the embrace to comfort me and wished it would never end.
Sebastian rubbed a palm over the back of my head, his fingers gliding slowly over my hair. “I’m not saying that would be the case, but we can't take any chances. It’s going to be fine, I promise you. I’ll think of something.”
I nodded into his chest. Being this close to him caused my heart to slow and my mind to calm. I breathed him in—his unique scent of pinewood and fresh snow.
He pulled away from me suddenly, and I found myself missing the warmth of his body against mine. We gazed at each other, and the way his eyes drifted to my lips made me realize that there was something between us—something more than just a soldier and his responsibility.
He sensed it, too. I know he did.
“You should get some sleep. I’ll check on you in the morning. Don't worry about training tomorrow. We’ll take another day off.”
“Okay.” I still felt frail and depleted, and sleep was the only solution to that problem.
I laid back in my bed, snuggling into the warmth of my sheets. Sebastian flicked my lamp off before the door locked behind him.
Pinewood lingered on my clothes as I drifted off to sleep.
Chapter
