AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Or the fact that the robe she’d gone to sleep in now gaped open.
Kellen’s eyes moved lazily over her body, his gaze admiring, and Raven wanted to reach for him. Which was asinine, really, considering he wasn’t even human. Grabbing the lapels of the robe, she pulled the fabric together and glared at him.
“Like what you see?” Raven glared at him.
“Yes. You’re mouthwateringly beautiful. But you’re also too thin, and it worries me. I’m hoping you’ll eat today.”
Raven’s mouth dropped open as her brain struggled to formulate a response.
“It’s not polite to stare at naked women.” Which was the only thing it seemed she could come up with.
“You called me here while you were naked. What did you expect me to do?” Kellen arched a brow at her. “Besides, the Fae are far less fussy with nudity than humans are. We celebrate our natural form. It’s not something to be hidden.”
“Well, celebrate it from over there,” Raven said, annoyed that she felt ridiculously pleased with his admiration.
“You’ve slept for a long time,” Kellen said, crossing to where a plate of food sat next to the water pitcher. He poured a glass of water and lifted the plate before returning to sit on the edge of the bed. His nearness was disconcerting, and Raven was surprised to find herself wanting to lean into him where the mattress dipped under his weight. “I hope you’re feeling refreshed.”
“How long did I sleep for?” Raven asked, accepting the water from him. She resisted brushing a hand over her hair, knowing that she likely looked frightfully mussed.
“Eighteen hours.”
“Eighteen—” Raven gaped at him. Surely, he was lying. Never in her life had she slept for so long. “That’s not possible.”
“I can assure you, it is. But the color has returned to your face, and your eyes aren’t so shadowed.”
“Gee, thanks.” Raven cast a glance at the washroom. Would she be able to slip out to use the facilities? No wonder she had to desperately relieve herself. But the last thing she was going to do was slip behind a curtain and use the toilet in front of Kellen.
“This offends you? My comments on your looks?” Kellen tilted his head as he studied her face.
“I’m not used to anyone offering commentary on anything other than my music.” At the thought, Raven glanced around the room and was relieved to see her guitar case leaning against the wall.
“You’ll have to play for me sometime.”
“I don’thaveto do anything. Anyway, it seems like you have bigger things at hand. Speaking of which, is your dad ready to kick me out?” Raven asked.
“Don’t worry about my father. I’ll handle him.” Kellen leaned forward and plucked a piece of cheese from the platter and handed it to her. Raven ate it without thinking, her eyes on the wall as she thought about Kellen’s father.
“Is he always like that? In front of your people and all that? Can’t be good for morale.” Raven chewed thoughtfully. She’d known enough small-minded men with big egos like Devlin who liked to push others around.
“It’s not. But again, something to be dealt with another time. Once you’ve eaten, I’ll need you to get ready to come meet with us. We need to devise a plan of attack against the Dark Fae, and I can’t have you as a loose end. I’ll need eyes on you at all times.”
“Excuse me? Am I a prisoner here then?” Raven turned to glare at Kellen.
“It’s more for your safety. Can’t have you toppling off the side of a cliff and falling to your death.”
At the mere thought, a shudder ran through Raven as she was reminded that they hovered far over the earth on some weird cloud castle.
“Fine, but I need some time to get ready.” Really, the need to use the toilet was becoming quite urgent. “Can you fetch Bianca for me? I could use some girl time.”
Never in her life had Raven ever uttered the words “girl time” nor did she have the faintest idea what that actually entailed, but the request seemed to do the trick. Kellen stood and marched to the door.
“I’ll have her sent at once. Your clothes have been cleaned and returned to you, along with other options in the same sizes.”
With those words, Kellen departed, and Raven let out a long breath of relief. Once she was certain he was gone, she dashed from the bed and made quick use of the toilet, before splashing water on her face and taking a look in the ornate mirror that hung over the water basin. She was right, her hair was a fright, but Kellen had also been right—a healthy pink flush made her eyes look positively radiant this morning. The sleep had done her well.
“Hello?” Bianca called, and Raven ducked her head out of the curtain.
“Hi. I’m just getting dressed, and I’ll be out. There’s food.” With that, Raven pulled her head back in and studied the pile of clothes she’d grabbed. True to his word, her skirt and top had been cleaned, and her jacket even looked like it had been wiped of dust. The other pile of clothes that had been brought to her looked sharply expensive, the kind of clothes that rich people had custom-made for them, and she ran a curious finger across a pair of soft leather trousers. She supposed if they were going into battle and having to fly on Alicorns again, then the pants would make more sense.
