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I busied myself by unpacking my bag onto the bench. The nightgown was a soft orange, shiny and smooth to the touch. It was glorious to sleep in but left most of my body exposed. I tossed it onto the bench, not caring to refold it.
The rest of the clothes were layers of daywear. I settled on a linen tunic that was thick enough to hide my scars. Riven would have questions if he saw what I worked hard to keep hidden. There were too many stories inscribed along my skin. Stories that I’d tried so hard to forget. I wasn’t strong enough to see the revulsion on Riven’s face when he realized just what kind of creature the king had made me. That wasmysecret. One Riven didn’t need to know.
I disappeared into the bath, using the small basin of hot water to clean the dirt off my skin. It was barely a bath, but I didn’t care. If I smelled of horse shit and sweat, maybe Riven would give me more space on the bed.
I came back out wearing different clothes, but still a tunic and trousers. Riven glanced at the rumpled nightgown on the bench, but he didn’t say a word. He left me in the bedroom as he washed.
I climbed into bed, taking the side pressed against the wall. The mattress was soft, coaxing the ache out of my limbs. I closed my eyes, willing myself to fall asleep before Riven returned. I counted my slow breaths, but the dreams didn’t come. I faced the wall, readjusting myself to try again. It didn’t work. I just lay there, listening to the mumbled sounds of Riven splashing water from the basin.
I heard him damper the lamp next to the door and settle onto the side of the mattress. It buckled under the weight of him. He took a single gulp from the waterskin and pulled himself under the blanket we had to share.
His elbow briefly touched my back and I yelped. I turned, flattening my back against the wall so he couldn’t touch it again. My chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. I could still feel the press of his skin along my spine, hot and pulsing like a burn.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said softly. With my heightened senses I could see the furrow of his brow as he studied my face. He bit the inside of his cheek, staring at me with wide eyes. “Are you okay?” he whispered, sliding his face closer to mine.
“I don’t like having my back touched,” I said, placing a hand on my chest. I could feel my heart hammering against it. It beat so hard I thought it would shake the bed.
I took a deep breath as I pressed myself harder against the wall. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel the weight of Riven’s stare. It bore down on me, pressing me into the mattress, anchoring me to his side. My skin rippled with that familiar spark, an electric current pulsing down my spine, urging me closer to him. I opened my eyes, facing him.
Did he feel it too?
I’d thought it had been some trick of his, some power the Dark Fae had to influence those around them. But Fae powers drained; they needed time to recover. This feeling between us was always there.
You don’t feel it?Isn’t that what he said all those months before. Right before he kissed me.
I hadn’t noticed it then, but the same feeling had flooded my body the moment Riven pinned me against that pillar.
I glanced at his lips, thinking of how my body had responded to their touch. I’d written it off as a ploy, a distraction, but Riven was angered by it. He wanted to pretend that it had never happened at all.
I thought it was because of my title, because of what I’d done. Perhaps he resented what had happened between us that night. But the more time I spent with Riven, the more I realized that behind his brooding mask was a Fae I barely understood. He’d hidden in the shadows. And now he hid in his secrets. Maybe he only wanted me tothinkhe resented that kiss.
Whatever thoughts he had were cloaked in the storm raging behind his eyes. He was staring at me, but I could see his mind was elsewhere.
“What are you thinking about?” I whispered. The words tumbled out of my mouth without permission. I braced myself for his scowl.
Riven answered immediately, his voice a velvet whisper cutting through the dark. “I’m thinking that after tomorrow, there is no turning back. Once we steal the key, it will only be a matter of time before the theft is discovered.”
“Are you having reservations?” I asked, holding my breath.
Riven shook his head. “I’mrelievedto be doing something. I feel like all I do is plan and never—”
“Never accomplish enough,” I finished for him. I knew the feeling well. No matter how many Halflings I saved, how many people I helped, there were still countless more I couldn’t.
Riven nodded, biting his lip.
I realized I was staring at his mouth when he tossed my question back at me.
“What are you thinking about?”
“I’m wondering why you kissed me,” I answered truthfully. I didn’t have the energy to lie.
Riven’s shoulder flexed hard enough the mattress groaned. His eyes darkened. He opened his mouth to speak but shut it again. I could just make out the indentation of his fangs along his lip.
“I wasn’t expecting to feel... I never should’ve done that,” he said after a tense silence. “It won’t happen again.”
“Why not?” I yawned. I was too tired to stave my curiosity.
“Youwantit to happen again?” Riven asked, shifting his chin toward me. His voice was free of his usual sarcasm. His gaze flicked between my eyes and my mouth.
