Page 89 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

I whirled around to him stalking toward me. His face softened when he noticed my tears, but then his expression became hard again.

“The note you found, I can explain. Nothing happened, I swear!”

He stopped directly in front of me, hurt etched into his features. “Did you want something to happen?!”

“No! I only wanted to hurt you!” I grimaced. Maybe it’s time for a new Emelin, I had told my mother. Except I didn’t like the new girl I was becoming.

“Well, you succeeded,” he said before turning away from me. He strolled to the bed and began fumbling with the covers. “If this is the marriage you want…different rooms, different lives, different…lovers⁠—”

“I don’t!”

He glanced at me over his shoulder. “Then stay.” The words were a plea and an ultimatum all at the same time.

My pulse ratcheted up as I eyed the bed. It was wide enough that we wouldn’t even have to touch.

“I need to change first,” I told him.

“All right.” The taut muscles of his back relaxed a fraction, but he sounded apprehensive as if he didn’t trust that I would return if I left the room.

“I will be back,” I promised.

I went to my chambers and changed into my nightgown. Adrian’s room was darker when I returned because the curtains over the balcony doors had been drawn. He wasn’t in bed, and the sound of running water in the bathing chamber let me know that he was showering. The place inside me where I had locked away the memories from our night together stirred, infusing my body with heat. Ignoring the flushed feeling, I walked to the bed and peeled back the blue covers on the left side, closest to the balcony. I sat down on the mattress, facing the canvas so I could admire it again. My heart squeezed as tears gathered in my eyes. The way in which Adrian had rendered me… I looked like a goddess, surrounded by twinkling stars. To be perceived like that… I couldn’t think of a greater honor.

“You came back.” Adrian’s breath of relief sounded behind me.

“I told you I would.” I turned around to look at him.

He stood shirtless, his damp hair glistening in the lamplight. My throat dried as the memories rushed to the surface of my mind. My hands on his hard chest, running down his sculpted torso, and lower… Swallowing, I turned back to the canvas.

“The painting is breathtaking,” I rasped.

“Because you are.” His voice sounded closer, washing over me like a gentle caress.

When the mattress dipped slightly, I dared a glance over my shoulder. He had thrown on a shirt and slipped under the covers on the right side of the bed. He was lying on his left side, facing me. I turned back to the painting.

“Thank you,” I uttered two simple words, knowing full well that I would never be able to properly express how the painting truly made me feel.

“You’re welcome.” The room grew quiet as I stared straight ahead of me, feeling Adrian’s gaze on my back. “Get in,” he said after a few seconds. “I told you I don’t expect intimacy. I won’t touch you until you want me to.”

Deciding there was no point in delaying it any longer, I climbed under the covers and turned to my right side to face him.

“How did your visit to Emeraldia go? I assume it was successful. Your patterns are gone.” He went to reach for me across the sea of silver satin sheets, but caught himself, pulling his hand back.

“It went well. Lady May took me this morning. And that time, I didn’t release all of the ancient magic into the land. I kept some for myself.”

“You did?” His brows lifted.

I nodded. “Lady May said that I could. She and I spent the afternoon training after we had returned from Nasyra. She wants me to learn how to use my powers for self-defense.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea. I can also train you if you like.” One side of his mouth ticked up, and my gaze dropped to his lips. His lips on my lips, my neck, my chest, my⁠—

I flipped to my back with a rough exhale.

“What can I do?” he rasped.

“What?” I glanced at him.

His eyes had turned darker, and his right hand was fisting the sheets as if it was taking everything in his power not to reach for me. I wanted to reach for him, too. It would be so easy to give in to this pull between us. To feel his touch on my flushed skin, his lips on mine, his hands⁠—