Free Web NovelChapter 40: Chapter 40: Feelings
Ryophlira POV
The sheer weight of his explicit promise of exactly what he intended to do to my body if I didn’t get off his lap hit me like a physical wave of heat.
I immediately rolled myself off his lap, my high heels clicking sharply against the floor as my heart hammered frantically against my chest. Panicking, my face burning, I snatched the heavy covers from the foot of the bed and wrapped myself tightly in them like a shield, covering every inch of my lace underwear.
"You stay right there," I ordered, pointing a trembling finger at him while struggling to keep my voice steady. "I am going to take a bath. Right now. And then... and then you can take one."
I was incredibly nervous, my thoughts spinning into an chaotic blur. I didn’t know how to feel. I couldn’t tell if he was just playing wicked mind games with me to shatter my defenses, or if the raw, darkness in his eyes was completely real.
Turning on my heel, I tightly clutched the blanket around my shoulders and flung the bedroom door open, only to find Ari standing waiting in the brightly lit corridor.
"Can you get a bath ready for me, please?" I breathed, my voice desperate.
"Of course, my lady," Ari replied instantly, with her calm demeanor.
As Ari hurried to get the water ready, I turned my head back around. Yue-Senn had already moved. He was standing completely still by the grand, open balcony windows, his massive silhouette framed by the billowing white curtains as he stared out into the pitch-black, the screaming dead. He didn’t track my movement. Taking a slow, quiet breath, I backed away through the open door, leaving the heavy atmosphere of the master suite behind.
I followed the warm, light and the echoing sound of rushing water into the adjoining washroom.
Stepping out of the blanket and my ruined wedding attire, I sank deep into the steaming, scented bath. The scalding water should have stung, but with my blood running as hot as a Western furnace, it felt like a sigh of relief. Yet, the moment the silence settled, my mind betrayed me. I closed my eyes, and all I could see was the devastating look of pure betrayal on Riegthar’s face. I thought of how I had completely lost my sister to the dark rot of the South.
Suddenly, another piercing, unnatural shriek from the dead outside shattered the quiet air.
Both Ari and I jumped, the sudden sound making the water splash over the marble lip of the tub. I looked up at her, the sheer isolation of this frozen kingdom crashing down on me.
"Ari... you will protect them from me, right?" I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them, my voice laced with a raw, rare vulnerability. I knew if I lost control and give into my emotions many would die not just the dead.
Ari paused, a soft, knowing expression crossing her features. "Ry, I am pretty sure it should be me protecting you from them."
A genuine, breathless laugh escaped my lips. I looked up at her, my eyes stinging. That was the first time in days ever since finding out the heartbreaking truth about her and my brother that Ari had actually used my nickname. She was laughing. She was looking me directly in the eye again, breaking the wall of guilt that had kept her a ghost.
After the long bath and lots of scrubbing, Ari meticulously oiled my skin and began combing through the damp, thick strands of my hair. But the moment she reached into the travel trunk and pulled out the nightwear she had selected, the blood rushed straight to my face, a blush creeping up my neck.
It was a piece of lingerie crafted from an ultra-sheer, sultry deep purple silk that perfectly complemented my skin tone. The lace cup detailing left absolutely nothing to the imagination, and the silk skirt split dangerously high up the thigh.
"You cannot seriously expect me to wear that, Ari!" I stammered, frantically trying to push the fabric away. "He will literally devour me whole. I don’t... I don’t think I am ready for that just yet."
Ari let out a soft sigh, looking at the garment with an amused but sympathetic expression. "This isn’t my doing, Ry. Your mother personally packed a vast majority of nightwear exactly like this. If you want different ones, we will have to sneak out into the local town to purchase them."
"What am I supposed to do?" I turned around fully, a look of pure, panic on my face as I clutched the edge of the chair, staring at her.
Ari placed a comforting hand on my bare shoulder. "I may not like the man, but I truly don’t think he would ever force himself on you, Ry."
"You weren’t there on the altar when he whispered that he would fill me with his seed!" My eyes wide. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
A protective spark flared in Ari’s eyes, a dangerous smile touching her lips. "Well... we can always just kill him or burn his entire frozen kingdom to absolute ground if he dares to touch you without your consent."
A sudden laugh burst from both of us, cutting through the heavy tension. I reached out, squeezing Ari’s hand with everything I had, silently thanking the heavens that she was here with me.
Taking a deep breath, I let her slip the sheer purple silk over my head. I adjusted the thin straps, braced my spine, and slowly walked back into the master bedroom.
The moment I stepped through the double doors, my entire body froze.
Yue-Senn was sitting completely shirtless on the edge of the massive wooden bed. His thick black hair was damp and dripping, a white towel draped carelessly around the back of his neck. He was using one large hand to casually rub the towel through his hair to dry it, his bared upper body reflecting the silver moonlight.
He was staggeringly, dangerously muscular his build completely defined, his broad shoulders and hard chest rippling with every movement of his arm. But what truly stole my breath away was the massive, intricate tattoo inked into his flesh. A lethal, coil-scaled snake tattoo curled elegantly from his hip, winding its way up his hard oblique, wrapping around his spine, and arching over his shoulder down his entire arm. Droplets of water from his hair glided slowly down the contours of his chest, catching the candlelight.
He flicked his eyes up, catching me staring. His gaze locked onto my hands, which were frantically pulling down at the hem of the sheer purple lingerie in a desperate attempt to cover myself.
A slow, devastating smile spread across his lips. He stood up from the bed, his loose black trousers low on his hips, and began walking directly toward me.
My breath entirely vanished. I was so utterly flustered, so completely sucked into the gravity of his physical presence, that my legs refused to move. I stood there, utterly mesmerized by just how impossibly hot he looked moving through the shadows.
He stopped a mere breath away from me. Unconsciously, my body acting on a dangerous instinct of its own, I found myself reaching my hand out, my fingers hovering an inch from his bare, wet chest, aching to trace the lines of that snake tattoo.
Realizing what I was doing, I sharply pulled my hand back against my chest.
Yue-Senn chuckled, his voice a deep, gravelly vibration that sent a shockwave straight to my core. "Go ahead, honey," he murmured, his eyes burning down into mine with an intoxicating heat. "I promise I won’t bite."
The sheer proximity of his hot skin snapped me out of my trance. I took a frantic step back. "Stay... stay right there," I stuttered, my tongue tripping over the words.
"I see your hair is back to its natural state," he whispered softly, ignoring my command completely. He stepped closer, entering my space again as he reached his hand out. His long fingers gently caught a thick strand of my hair, lifting it slightly to inhale the distinct, sweet scent of lilies clinging to the damp texture. "I like it like this. Your natural curls and coils... especially when it’s down."
His eyes glowed with a raw, intense sincerity that terrified me more than any weapon.
Panicking, my defenses completely crumbling under his gaze, I threw both of my hands up into the air between us and practically screamed, "I am not ready yet!"
Yue-Senn paused. Then, a loud, genuine laugh rumbled out of his chest, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he gently let go of my hair, stepping back to give me space.
"I may be an asshole, Ryophlira," he said, his voice laced with a surprisingly warm amusement as he walked back toward the bed. "But I am still a gentleman. You are deliciously tempting in that outfit, yes, but I can control myself. I am no beast."
He turned and casually slid into the massive bed, pulling up the crisp, fresh fur blankets that he had clearly ordered Ki-ri to replace while I was in the bath. Resting his back against the headboard, he extended his tattooed arm and patted the empty mattress right beside him.
"Come here," he commanded softly.
"I am not sharing a bed with you!" I snapped, my voice defensive.
Right at that exact second, another blood-curdling shriek from the dead echoed violently from the mountain peaks outside, rattling the windows.
Before the echo could even fade, I let out a sharp squeak. I ran across the room with a supernatural speed and jumped straight into the empty space right beside him, burying myself under the covers.
I froze, trembling slightly as I looked up at him through the dark. My eyes were wide, completely stripped of all my political armor, silently begging him: Please don’t leave me. Hold me.
Yue-Senn’s expression softened. Reaching out with his warm arms, he drew my body firmly against his bare chest, wrapping his embrace completely around me. The instant his skin touched mine, the freezing terror of the North vanished. I completely melted into his hug, soaking in the overwhelming, furnace-like warmth of his body.
"This means absolutely nothing, got it?" I mumbled against his skin, trying to salvage the remaining shreds of my pride.
Yue-Senn tightened his grip around me, his chin resting against the top of my head as his voice rumbled deeply through his chest. "For you, it doesn’t... but for me Ryophlira, it means everything."
Hearing him say my name like that with such a tone, reverent gravity did something catastrophic to my heart.
I couldn’t help myself. Driven by an overwhelming impulse, I reached my hands up, catching the sides of his jaw and pulling his face down to mine. I pressed my lips against his, giving him a soft, lingering, desperate kiss that tasted of sweet vulnerability and hot desire.
Before he could take control of the kiss, I sharply pulled back, buried my burning face deep into the hard musculature of his shirtless chest, and squeezed my eyes shut.
"Goodnight, Yue-Senn," I whispered tightly.
"Goodnight, my Queen," he murmured into the darkness.
Listening to the steady, heavy thumping of his heart drumming right against my cheek, my own heart raced in tandem. Wrapped in his arms, staring blindly into the dark room, a small, terrifying spark of hope began to bloom deep within my chest... hoping against hope that this relationship would truly lead to something more.
