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“A lot of good the first one did.”
I said nothing as we crept along, my senses on high alert, but as I guided him toward the back stairs, the heaviness of the black spell seemed less now. The worst of it had diminished—at least for the moment.
“I will kill whoever is responsible for this,” Cade vowed, doubling over to collect his breaths, and I stopped to rub his back, enacting what little healing I could muster back into him. The back-and-forth trade of our powers had only served to weaken us both, but I was sure that between the two of us, we could make it upstairs and regain our strength.
“A matter for another time,” I murmured. “Come on.”
Maywin finally did find us with a small herd of guards, but not before I had managed to bring Cade to his suite of rooms. I ordered them to stand outside and keep watch, closing us inside as I tucked him into the center of his round bed.
“Rest now,” I ordered him, stroking his face, and he fell into an immediate sleep, knowing that he was not going to be hurt with me at his side. I waited until I was sure he was deeply asleep before rising from his bedside.
As exhausted as I was, too, I wouldn’t rest until my king had woken, and I was sure he had fully recovered from all he had gone through to save me. It was bound to be a very long night.
Chapter21
Cade
Never in my life had so much of me been taken in one sitting. I didn’t know how Zephy had managed to lead me up to my suites, but like the true queen she was, she had taken charge and guided me to safety. It hadn’t been my intention to fall asleep. However, my body gave out under all the exertion, and I had no choice but to give it what it needed.
When I opened my eyes, dawn filtered in through the partially opened curtains, and Zephy sat rigidly on the mattress, her hand in mine. Her eyes were trained on the wall over my head, her mind clearly lost on other matters, giving me an opportunity to study her smoldering beauty without her knowing. Even in her clear state of fatigue, she had never looked more beautiful, her soulful eyes rife with concern as a thousand thoughts danced through her head.
A cool compress sat on my forehead, a fact I didn’t notice immediately, but as I turned my head, it fell to the side.
“Oh!” Zephy gasped, her face warming as I moved. “You’re awake.”
“I didn’t intend to fall asleep,” I admitted sheepishly.
“Hush now,” she told me chidingly. “You should rest more. You’ve only been asleep for a few hours.”
“I don’t need more sleep,” I promised, sitting up without effort.
Relief colored her face as she read the truth in not only my words, but my actions as well.
“Don’t push yourself,” she urged, placing her hands on my chest to lay me back. “You’re still recovering your strength. They wanted to move you into medical, but I thought you’d be more comfortable here.”
“You thought right.”
She took the cloth and leaned over, dipping the compress in a bowl of water at her feet before laying it back on my head. I didn’t stop her, my head cocking to stare at her.
“Youshould rest,” I told her sternly. “Where are the servants? The guards?”
“I told everyone to stay out,” she informed me flatly. “I didn’t want anyone in here.”
A fission of affection rushed through me at her words, but I wasn’t sure that her motives were strictly loving.
“Because you don’t trust them?”
“In part,” she agreed. “But also because I wanted to take care of you myself.”
“You’re doing a fine job of that.”
She half-smiled and turned away. “I’ll send for some soup and a healer,” she suggested, but before she could stand, I put my hand on her arm.
“I mean it, Zephy. You need to get some rest, too.”
“I will rest when I’m sure you’re better,” she replied stubbornly. I chuckled dryly, and she eyed me. “What’s amusing?”
“I’d almost forgotten how headstrong you can be.”
