Page 67 of Shade of Ruin

“Well, you’re still lucky.”

He shakes his head. “Luck has nothing to do with it. If my skin was scarred any more, I’d probably lose some mobility, and my father’s sharpest weapon would become less effective. That’s not something that he’s willing to allow, so he’ll give me medicine after these little ‘punishment’ sessions. He’ll let me heal up before he does it again. For now, we just stay out of his way, take our meals in my chambers, and try not to stir up too much trouble in Draenyth.”

The pointed look he gives me is a warning. Today’s chaos can’t happen again. I nod, and he sighs as I tie the last bandage into place. When he walks, there’s far less stiffness to his gait, butwhen he looks at the bed, he hesitates. I can only imagine how unpleasant it’ll be for him to lie in any position. Even with the bandages and medicine and his Fae healing, those are horrific burns, and there won’t be any comfortable positions.

Then he says something completely stupid. “Would you mind if I took a blanket when I lay down on the floor?”

When he lays down on the floor? “What?”

The silence is deafening as he stares back at me, so I ask for a bit of clarification. “Cole, why would you lay down on the floor?” I say the words as calmly as possible, even though I really want to tell him to stop being stupid.

“I… I was planning on giving you the bed.”

I turn to look at the bed that five people could sleep comfortably in and then look back at him. “No. Get into bed. If I need to build a pillow wall between us, I will. You’re hurt, and I’ll hurt you more if you try to do that.”

He looks at me, and then he gives me his best grin. “Yes, Mistress.” The grin cracks as pain shoots through his back, and his hand moves to the bed to steady himself.

I don’t say anything as I watch him take a deep breath and slowly crawl into the bed, careful to stay on his hands and knees until he turns so that he can lie on his shoulder instead of his back. His face contorts into a grimace. His chest rises in soft panting breaths as he tries to maintain control.

I don’t know what comes over me, but I crawl into bed behind him. I remember what it felt like to have those burns across my back. There’s nothing I can do, but I want to comfort him. I want him to know that he’s not alone this time. I can’t heal him any faster. I can’t do anything to help his physical wounds, but for the first time in Cole’s life, he’s not alone. I’m here, and I won’t let him forget he can lean on me sometimes.

My hand moves to his neck, my nails softly caressing the unmarred skin. Slowly tracing the thick muscles along his neck,I expect him to pull away, to want to be free of my touch. I don’t know why as he’s never recoiled from me before, but my entire life, people have pulled away from me.

I feel like I know what to do. Intuitively, I let the tips of my fingers move from his unburned skin up the nape of his neck until they run through his hair. Cole lets out a soft sigh as my hand slides through that thick black hair. My body presses against his. My fingers explore his head and neck, slowly tracing the lines of muscle and bone.

His breathing deepens, and I’d swear that I can hear little moans of pleasure. When my fingertips brush against the bandage over his shoulder, his moans become loud enough that I’m sure of them.

I want to touch more of him, to make him feel better, and as I try to shift, my dress keeps getting in the way.

Without turning around, Cole says, “Just take it off. It’s not like I haven’t seen you in your underclothes already today.”

I blink. The frustration at my dress shifts. He wants me to lie next to him in my undertunic. Nothing except a thin piece of linen between us.

“Are you really going to sleep in that dress?” he continues, trying to persuade me. “It’s gorgeous, but I doubt it’s comfortable at all. Or, if you’d rather, you can always wear one of my tunics. I’m sure it would be big enough to cover everything.”

Right. Being absolutely covered in something that smells solely of him? In his bed? Next to him? If I took off my ring, we’d drown in shadows with how fast and hard my heart’s racing. “Fine,” I mutter. There’s no way I’m wearing one of his tunics, but he’s right. He’s seen me in my underclothes already.

His tunic would be something entirely different.

I climb off the bed and try to remove the dress. It’s harder than I’d expected, and then Cole turns his head to look at me, awicked grin on his face. “I thought you were supposed to keep your emotions leashed,” I hiss.

That only makes his smile widen. “Come here, Maeve. How any woman takes one of those dresses off by themselves is beyond me.”

The corset ties are in the back, hidden behind another panel of fabric. I’m going to have to lose a few pounds, or I’m going to rip the dress if I try to get it off by myself. It just seems so intimate to let Cole undress me.

“Thank you,” I mutter as I move to his side of the bed.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to get you to touch me like that again. You have no idea how good it feels. Even better than the medicine.”

His fingers move deftly, as I had expected, pulling the strings that have me stuck in this silk prison. In only a few moments, I feel the corset top loosen enough that I can breathe normally. I take a deep breath and slip my arms out. Then it’s off, and it’s like I’ve suddenly lost ten pounds, and I guess I have. I sigh as I toss the dress to the floor. And realize that my undertunic has ridden up nearly to my bottom. I whirl around at the same time that I get it straightened out.

Cole’s grinning even wider now. “Maybe I won’t touch you like that anymore,” I threaten.

“Would you believe me if I said that I’m sorry?” The way his eyes roam over my body like a wolf eyeing a deer, I know that’s the most blatant lie he’s ever told me.

“Not for a minute.” I can’t help but smile, though. I walk around the bed to get to my side, and then I see him barely shivering. Of course. He’s burned, and the medicine is cooling the fire in his skin. Damn that man for not saying anything.

“You idiot,” I mutter, all other thoughts pushed out of my mind. “Try not to hurt yourself while I get you under the covers.This room’s going to get cold, and you’re just ignoring it. You’re already shivering.”

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