Page 46 of Between Realms

Wyn stares at me, wide-eyed, and demands, “What’s going on?”

“Prince Eldrin commanded I heal your scars,” I state curtly.

I know I shouldn’t display my irritation, but I have never been so stirred up in my life. Wyn brings up feelings no one has generated before. Inadvertently, she also makes me question my loyalty to Eldrin.

“I’m sorry that heforcedyou to visit me,” Wyn says with an edge, but her cheeks flush pink with my abrupt closeness. Goddess, she’s beautiful even when she’s mad.

I don’t meet her eyes. Now I feel like a complete ass. Before I can reach out to touch her cheek, she says with her sadness ringing clearly, “Just so you know, I told him not to bother you with this.”

“He mentioned you would protest.” Does she not want me near her? I try again to keep my emotions in check. My hands hover over her cheeks. Finally meeting her eyes, my body vibrates with tension and anxiety that I have fucked everything up. “May I touch you?”

Instead of agreeing, she states without question, “You’re upset with me.”

Resting my hands on my knees, I sigh and don’t respond for a minute.

Wyn waits me out, patiently.

“I’m not upset withyou. But I am worried,” I explain. “The prince doesn’t deal with the repercussions of his actions most of the time.Ido. Or Jaden does. Or another person caught in his wake, like you. His stay here last night didn’t go unnoticed, no matter how covert he thinks he was. Word has spread to King Magnus and his second-in-command, Turgon. This can’t continue or I’m not sure if even Eldrin can keep you safe from his father.”

“You sound as if I have some say in his interest in me!” Wyn grumbles. “What am I to do? Eldrin still holds my fate in his hands. I just want this to be over.” Her temper brews. “This whole situation with the prince is already convoluted,withoutthe input of outside sources. Since that first incident, Eldrin has been nothing but kind. I can’t just spit in his face and hope for the best. Besides, he seems to want to be a better person.”

“You’re correct—about all of it.” I stare at her scars instead of looking into her golden-brown eyes. They will pull me in and keep me as her willing servant. “I have reminded those upset with you that you’re subject to the prince’s whims. I just hope the king remembers that, too.”

Wyn’s shoulders slump, and she leans toward me.

I take it as her need for healing—and not just the scars. I slowly stroke her marred skin with my thumb, erasing the damage of the ghouls. The marks are only there becauseIfailed to protect her in Crowland. I wanted to continue to fix her scars before she had arrived at the castle. Yet now Eldrin has the audacity to demand I heal Wyn after forbidding me to go near her again without his permission?

The prince’s jealousy is ridiculous. Sleeping next to her at the inn was forhealingpurposes. Although, if I am honest with myself, I enjoyed her body pressed against mine in bed, and I sensed she enjoyed it as well. Her body responded to mine. During the night, she had shifted her sex against my thigh. I can almost feel the heat of her now.

I take a deep breath to calm my loins. I am a healer. And Wynstelle needs healing.

Her eyes drift closed as she enjoys my electric touch. I sense her emotions easily. She is open even after all that has happened. She likes my attention, my touch, although our circumstances frustrate her.

Truth be told, Iwantto be close to her again. I long for my time with Wyn before Eldrin claimed her as his own. I think about our conversations on the road and how her face lit up when discovering a new plant or faerie. She loves books and learning, just as I do.

On the road, it was easy to get lost in the moment and pretend I wasn’t a royal advisor and she was my mate. I contemplated turning away from the castle gates that day, abandoning my life and pledge to Eldrin. If, for a second, I believed I could have gotten away with vanishing, I would have done it… only if Wyn agreed. I’m fairly certain she would have gone with me.

Then I wonder how I would have explained the subterfuge about our supposed chance meeting on the road. Perhaps she would have forgiven me.

Hopefully, she will forgive me now.

Wyn quivers at the feel of my light, healing touch, but barely looking me in the eye. She thinks I never truly cared for her, but the opposite is true. I care far more than I should.

I clench my jaw. I have to let her know my feelings before she leaves the castle for good. But first, I will gift her my healing magic.

“May I see the scars on your stomach?” I ask.

“It…” Wyn touches her abdomen over her dress. “It doesn’t matter.”

“May I look?”

Wyn’s cheeks turn pink with embarrassment, but she concedes.

She stands up and pulls her nightgown over her head. Her expression shows she feels naked even though she wears underpants and her breasts are bound. She closes herself off, her arms over her chest, leaving her stomach exposed.

Still on my knees in front of her, I feel as if I am worshiping her as a goddess.

Perhaps she is in her own way—a mortal deity ruling over my heart.

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