Page 5 of An Empress of Fire & Steel

Silence.

He tried again, this time, a little firmer. “You have barely eaten anything since you got here.”

“Maybe a little water.”

He turned to the nightstand beside the bed, where a glass of water sat ready. Lifting it over to her, she took it with one unsteady hand and took three tiny mouthfuls before handing him the glass.

A baby bird would have drunk more than her.

“Can you try a little more?”

She shook her head, and he didn’t push her. Not today, not when she had seen Callyn’s grave for the first time. The Blacksteel brothers had all dug the grave and buried the body. It had felt different to when he had done it before.

He would try again with Emara tomorrow.

Settling back into the nest of different rugs, she turned her back on him to face the wall. After putting the glass back down, Torin tipped back his head, resting it against the wooden bedframe, and folded his arms over his chest. He found himself thankful that she would even try to sleep again,knowing what she would face in her dreams. He listened to each breath she took deepening as sleep found her again. And with every breath she took, he found himself counting the promises he would make to find who was behind all of this as his eyes grew heavy and closed.

Heart-warming laughter filled her ears. Her heart felt light and full as she heard the giggle of Callyn on the white sandy beach of Tolsah Bay. The rays of sun melted into Emara’s face as she closed her eyes and embraced the heat. The waves of the ocean folded delicately, sending out a tranquil melody as salted air rustled at her hair, blowing it away from her cheeks. She opened her eyes to see a mass of golden hair sweeping around as Callyn frolicked on the sand in front of her. As she picked up each seashell, she danced freely, her beautiful white dress wafting out behind her. Emara let a giggle escape her as she watched her friend move like a trained ballerina. Callyn, her Cally, looked so free and blissfully at home as she twirled across the Tolsah coastline. She had always talked about coming here in the summer-time and they had finally made it. Emara let a small reviving breath filter through as she lay back, soaking in the coastal ambience, the warm sand hugging her spine in return. She was happy, comfortable, and content. At peace. And so was Callyn.

Emara jolted upright, her dark hair spilling around her shoulders and tickling down her back. She felt bile track up her throat and she pushed it down as the sting in her nose made her eyes water. Taking in a deep breath, she reminded herself it wasn’t real. A crushing ache in her heart confirmed that too. The excruciating pain still lay within her chest, overwhelming her ability to even think straight.

It was just a dream.

A disillusioned nightmare.

Hearing and seeing Cally was just a cruel dream. Before she could let her emotion run its course, she pulled a hand through her hair, sweat dampening her scalp, and stilled.

Her bed felt oddly unbalanced.

Emara peered over her shoulder at the massive brute lying asleep beside her and the memories of her asking him to stay with her until she fell asleep humbled her.

And he had.

Torin Blacksteel had done as she asked. However, he had clearly allowed sleep to find him too. She felt a fleck of surprise as she took in his slumbering face. It was the first time she had ever seen peace bless his masculine features, his dark lashes lying flat against his cheekbone. The scar in between his brows that usually pulled into a scowl or added quip in his wicked grin was smoothed out, and his full lips parted, allowing her a glance at his white teeth. He would look like a painting of innocence if it weren't for the stack of muscles that rippled across his entire body. Or the hunting knife tucked into his pocket. His hulking arms lay folded, relaxed across his sculpted chest. Even in the cold of winter, his arms were bare, revealing a few tell-tale signs of his duty. Multiple scars marked their way up his biceps and down his forearm. Emara blinked a few times before taking in every inch of him.

He was beautiful.

Suddenly, the room she had spent days in alone seemed all too small.

Wriggling free from the layers that had been piled on top of her, she pushed herself to the edge of the bed, finally feeling the chill in the air. Emara looked over her shoulder again at the Blacksteel in her bed. He hadn’t taken a single blanket for himself. He had let her have every single one.

Shoving them off completely, she stood, her legs shaking as her feet found the cold wooden floor. She rolled her neck, her eyes squinting at the winter sun that had started trickling through the window as it rose lazily from behind the trees.

Torin stirred somewhat in the bed in her absence, allowing his frame to spread out on the mattress a little more. His hand fell, touching where she would have been.

Distracting herself from the hunter in her bed, she thought back over the dream of Cally that had been like a dagger to her heart. They would never get to experience the Tolsah Bay beaches together. She would never get to see the happiness in Cally’s smile as her toes dipped into the ocean, as she colour-coordinated an outfit to match the soft pastels of the shoreline. They would never scream happily as the cold sea waves met their waists.

Emara swallowed back her tears as she made her way out of the room and closed the door behind her. She made her way past the living area, where the embers of a delicate fire glittered, highlighting the face of another sleeping Blacksteel lying on the sofa. Padding her way through the Blacksteel cottage, she went to the large kitchenette that was cluttered with an array of jars, herbs, books, and candles. She ran her hand over the large pinewood dining table that created an island in the room. As she poured herself a glass of water, she looked out the window over the sink. Morning dew sat heavy on the branches and grass, and she took a moment to breathe.

“I can make you a hot beverage if you'd like?” a gentle but apprehensive voice sounded from behind her. She didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. She knew exactly whose voice shook with the guilt of his betrayal as he spoke to her.

“Water is fine,” she said calmly. Not ready to look him in the eye, she kept her gaze on the forest before her.

“You haven’t had anything warm lining your stomach in days. It wouldn’t be a bother for me to—”

“I said water’s fine.” Emara turned and gave him a sharp look that froze Gideon Blacksteel where he stood. He, too, looked like he wasn’t ready to look at her fully, and perhaps her tone had shocked him. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet, and she could see the bob of angst in his throat. If she could feel anything other than unrelenting heartache, she might have felt a pang of guilt for how sharp she had been with him.

He gave her a gentle nod. “I can see that the bruising on your face is starting to heal.” Gideon looked her over. The dimness in his eyes wasn’t something that was familiar to her. What she had once admired in his beautiful green eyesno longer glistened, and dark undereye circles had sunk deep in his golden skin.

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