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Then he kissed my forehead.
When I woke up the next morning, my first thought was of him. My own fingertips pressed against the spot where his lips might have touched, and I swore a spiraling tingle of magic burst free from it.
It hadn’t been a dream after all. That kiss had been real.
* * *
The next several days passed by in a blur, yet I found myself thinking about Nykor’s lips on my skin often. I spent much of it healing, resting, and eating my fill of the delicious range of meals that he cooked especially for me. He would eat a small plate along with me, but I noticed that he put at least three quarters of it on mine. I tried to offer him some of my dinner one time and he shook his head, scolding me that I needed nourishment more than he did. He didn’t threaten to spank me, but when his hand flexed, I couldn’t help but imagine him doing that again. Instead, his lips thinned, his jawline tensed, and he left the warning unspoken, which somehow seemed worse.
“You will eat the rest of your meal, Ella, and that’s final,” he stated.
Once he’d deemed me healthy enough, he started patrolling the mountains during the day. He would return late at night to cook dinner. We would eat together, usually in an uneasy, tense silence, and then he would start preparing breakfast and lunch for me to eat the next day. He refused to allow me to make it myself, which was both sweet and frustrating at the same time.
I wasn’t an invalid. I could at least manage to cook for myself.
During the time he was gone, I slowly started exploring more of what had become a home to me, or at least something that felt far more like home than anything ever had back on Earth. Even though I hadn’t seen his home from the outside to confirm it just yet, I’d decided that it was some sort of castle or keep that had once been booming with people. There were several wings of the massive structure. One was devoted to the kitchens, as well as a massive dining room with the biggest table I’d ever seen. Another wing was devoted to guest rooms, while another seemed to exist for the sole purpose of gathering people together in opulent seating rooms and nooks. There was even a massive library stuffed full of every kind of book I could imagine.
I’d even found a witch’s spell book with handwritten notes inside.
At night, there were torches along the walls that lit without anyone lighting them. The only explanation was that it was by some magic, the same mystical spells that kept the place clean of dirt and dust. In my head, I told myself that there had been some royal sorceress or powerful wizard that had cast such a simple spell with nothing more than a flick of the wrist hundreds of years ago, maybe even thousands.
The better I felt, the more I explored, until eventually I happened upon a great throne room. I stood in the doorway for a long moment, just staring at the massive steel and ice structure of the throne. Icicles and spikes of metal rose up nearly ten feet, painting a picture of magnificence, especially when I imagined a king sitting on the throne.
What had this place been like? Why wasn’t there anyone left but Nykor to walk its great halls? Who’d graced that throne long ago and what had happened to them?
I lost count of the days as they ticked by, enjoying my solitude. All my life, there had always been someone barking orders at me, telling me what to do, where to go, where to sit, how to live. It was a new sort of freedom that I treasured, but somewhere around the two-week mark, I started to realize that I missed Nykor during the times he was gone.
When he was around, I felt safe. As much as I liked living here, this was still a strange new world to me. He made sure to see to my every need, whether it was for food or water or an extra blanket if I was cold after the sun set. As much as he tried to hide them, I saw his looks of longing. I wasn’t sure what was holding him back, but the longer he went without touching me, the more I longed for him to do it again. Most of all, I wanted to know if he wanted me, too.
On a particularly cold evening, I’d ventured into the wing I’d dubbed the queen’s quarters with the intention of enjoying a hot bath.
During my solitary explorations, I’d found a little slice of heaven in the lonely castle. Inside the bathroom connected to the bedroom, there was a giant copper claw-footed tub right in front of a magnificently large fireplace. I wasn’t sure how, but there was always fresh firewood in the hearth.
For whatever reason, I was feeling edgier than ever. Nykor was still treating me like I was a glass statue, which was sweet in a sense, but more frustrating than ever. My injury had healed faster than the two of us had expected, and I hadn’t had any ill side effects for a while—no headaches, no balance issues, nothing. As far as I was concerned, I was all better.
Why hadn’t he taken me to the southern castle yet?
Today especially, my thoughts had been consumed by him, how he’d rescued me, protected me, and all the sweet things he’d done since we’d met, but the thing that really consumed them was how he’d stripped me of every piece of clothing and seen my bare body. I hadn’t been awake to see his face, and I desperately wanted to know what he’d thought.
Did he want me as much as I wanted him?
Earlier today, I’d come up with a plan. He always arrived shortly after sundown, and I was usually there in the great room to greet him. Tonight, I wasn’t going to be there.
When he didn’t find me waiting for him, he’d come looking for me and he was going to find me naked, luxuriating in the lavish tub meant for whoever had lived in this castle before me.
I’d taken to wearing his long shirts with one of his thick belts around my waist, along with my fur boots and mantle to keep warm. The castle remained chilly even during the day, but it dropped a few degrees colder at night. I shrugged the mantle off and stepped out of my boots, keeping my feet on the fur rugs rather than the cold stone floors. I unbuckled the belt, running my fingers over the soft leather and laying it beside my other things.
Before I stripped completely, I turned on the water and let it fill. The water was already steaming as it emerged from the faucet. I’d found a pantry full of essential oils nearby, and I poured several into the running water. Immediately, I was surrounded with the scent of rose petals and sandalwood, along with the soft, muted aroma of vanilla. I pulled the long shirt over my head, which left me standing in nothing more than my bra and panties. I looked back to the door as I reached back and unclasped my bra, feeling the weight of my breasts drop slightly now that I’d taken away their support. It was easy to toss that aside, but then my fingers dropped to my panties, and I paused.
He had seen me naked before, both partially and fully, but neither one had been in my control. This was willful on my part, however. I was stripping with the express hope that he’d see me this way and finally claim what was his to take.
It was exciting at the same time that it felt especially naughty.
Would he know that I had done it on purpose? And what if he did want me? I’d seen the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn’t watching. His gaze roved over the bare flesh of my legs. Sometimes, it lingered on my lips like he yearned to kiss me, and other times, especially the ones where I was defiant with him simply because I could be, his hand flexed like he wanted to put me over his knee and spank me like he’d done back in the cave.
And what if it went further than that? What if he wanted to fuck me? Would he fuck me?
I’d been reluctant to admit that I definitely wanted to fuck him at first, but I wanted more than just to be rescued and carted away to safety. I wanted to know what being with a man was like, and I wanted it to be him.
