AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Fohri is the ruler of this household. Whether he is here or not.” Brilyk practically snarls the words at me.
I take another step towards him. “I am telling you to leave.” My voice is dangerously low.
We are about the same height and build, and I could easily put him down.
He might be part of the rebellion. He won’t be meek and mild. He’ll fight back. You are both equally matched.
My face is an inch away from Brilyk’s, and I hear the scraping of the chair against the wooden flooring then.
“Please. Both of you, stop.” Eleanor places a hand on my lower left arm, and pulls me away from Brilyk.
I step out of his space unwillingly, but I do what Eleanor instructs me to do.
“Please Brilyk,” the plea in her voice is obvious. Ellie is clearly not oblivious to everything that is happening right now. “I am fine. I will not disobey Fohri and leave. And Ihohka and I won’t be completely alone. So I’ll be fine.”
Brilyk is still reluctant to leave. I step away from Ellie slightly, as the two of them look at one another deeply. Eleanor’s gaze is soft when she looks at Brilyk, and I cannot help feeling uncomfortable standing there, in their space. She is looking at him with such fondness that I almost wilt with disappointment.
How could she possibly want me when she is looking at him like that?
Finally he leaves, giving Eleanor a soft nod before he goes.
19
ELLIE
The room is eerily silent after everything that’s just occurred, and I can feel my heart begin to quicken. Just when I thought it possible to escape the fear that’s been such a part of my life since arriving here now that Fohri is away, this happens.
“Please, sit,” Ihokha says. “I’m sure we can put this little…incident, behind us.”
I hope he’s right, though I have no idea how he’s going to react. After all, I’m supposed to belong to his brother. But to add to the confusion, he’s been protecting me from him, and I’ve seen the way he looks at me.
It’s a mess!
But even though Ihokha is fairer than Fohri, he’s not stupid, far from it. After Brilyk’s little display he’s going to be left in little doubt about the pair of us being involved.
Still, I do as he says, and hope that we can salvage something from tonight. He joins me at the table, the chairs placed close to each other in an intimate setting. This gives me further hope that perhaps he feels something for me, as I am beginning to do for him.
“I’m happy you chose to join me for dinner,” he says once he’s seated. “With my brother away, I thought you may appreciate some time to relax a little.” His face works into a frown, despite his attempts to stifle it. “I know more than most how he can be.”
His admission shocks me, though I’m not about to disparage Fohri, as much as I’d like to tell him exactly what I think of his brother. But I know better than that, even if their relationship isn’t steeped in brotherly love.
Instead, I wait for the moment to pass, and leave all thoughts of that vile creature behind as we dine together, enjoying how attentive Ihokha is towards me. There are times that he stares so hard at me as we talk it’s almost unnerving. Though he’s nothing like his brother at all, he’s still formidable—regal, masculine and serious, though I sense a glint of something softer, more humorous in his warm, golden eyes.
“Ah, dessert,” he says, as a zagfer arrives with two plates adorned with sweet treats, garnished with berries. I’m reminded just how lucky I am to be experiencing such things, and tuck in hungrily, though trying to maintain some dignity—he is royalty after all, and I don’t want to let myself down.
“Is it to your liking?” he asks, a small smile on his face as I try to stifle my moans. I nod and take another bite.
“Thank you for the invitation tonight,” I say once I’m finished. “It really is very thoughtful of you.”
“You’re more than welcome. I like to see a woman taking pleasure in things,” he says, a hint of something in his tone.
“Really?” I ask.
“Of course. It’s one thing to take your own pleasure, quite another to derive it from a beautiful woman experiencing it.” I swallow, not quite knowing what to say to that, despite my often smart mouth. There’s something intimidating about someone so refined, powerful and self-assured.
Silence falls upon us and he leans towards me. I’m about to close my eyes and wait for his mouth to land upon mine, but instead he closes the space between us then turns, his lips brushing my ear.
“I can show you a much better time than some guard,” he whispers. My breath hitches, and instantly heat rushes to my pelvis. “What do you say, Eleanor?”
