Page 50 of Crown of Slumber

“Good night, Fenn.” She rolled on her side away from me.

“Aurelia.”

She switched off the oil lamp, plunging the room in complete darkness. I huffed in part amusement, part frustration. But the princess had blocked me out. After a few moments of tense silence, I rolled onto my back and muttered, “Good night.”

My dreams were plaguedby memories I had buried deep, hoping to never have to face again.

First, my encounter with the witches. Now, the Autumn Court. I couldn’t escape my past, no matter how much I tried.

And Fenn… Gods, he was insufferable. And far too curious for his own good. He noticed my discomfort. It wouldn’t take him long to figure it out, especially once we announced ourselves at court.

What a stupid, foolish decision I’d made. Thelastthing I wanted to do was visit the Autumn Court.

But relations with them were delicate, especially after ending my engagement with their prince. If they heard from someone else that I was getting married, it could drive a wedge between our kingdoms and shatter our precarious alliance.

When my eyes opened, registering the faint fuchsia and amber glows of sunrise filtering through the curtains, I found myself encased in warmth. It pressed close to my skin, wrapping me in a cocoon of pine and mint and the fresh scent of waterfalls.

“Mmm.” I burrowed further into the warmth.

Only to realize it wasn’t a blanket or fur.

It was a person.

Fenn.

My eyes flared wide, and my breaths turned to sharp gasps. The foggy remnants of my mind now burned with sudden, blinding clarity.

Fenn’s arm was wrapped around me, tucking me against his chest. One leg had drapedover mine.

I was effectively trapped in his embrace.

Oh, gods.This couldn’t be happening. How had I allowed this to happen?

Damn Fenn and his bedmates. He was likely used to curling up with another woman in the middle of the night. I gritted my teeth and carefully grasped his fingers, then lifted his arm and placed it gingerly along his side.

He didn’t even stir.

I exhaled, then wriggled closer to the edge of the mattress. His leg shifted, and he grunted in his sleep, turning his head to bury his nose in my hair. He inhaled, then hummed something incoherent, his breath tickling me and sending prickles dancing over my skin. His leg tightened over mine, pressing himself directly into my side.

Pressing somethingelsedirectly into my side. Something hard.

Closing my eyes, I felt a blush creeping along my cheeks. Burning suns, now was not the time.

Ignoring Fenn’s legs—and other parts—I rolled until I flopped off the bed, barely catching myself before I collapsed in a heap on the floor. I straightened and faced the bed, my face on fire, as I expected Fenn to wake from my movement and berate me with ridicule and flirtatious remarks.

But he didn’t. He murmured something in his sleep, then clutched a pillow against his chest in the same position he’d had me in.

In spite of my embarrassing situation, I found myself smiling. In his sleep, he seemed like nothing more than a lovable puppy who wanted to cuddle.

And he talked in his sleep. I couldn’t make anything out, but I logged that information away for later.

Once I’d escaped the bed, I allowed myself to study the prince a bit longer. He had the thickest eyelashes I had ever seen, and they fanned out against his tan skin. His jaw was slack, his mouth slightly open as he breathed deeply.

He seemed so peaceful. Blood still stained his chin and neck, and most of his clothes. His shoulder was bandaged heavily. But with the way he was stretched out so carelessly, one would think he hadn’t been injured at all.

Shaking all thoughts of the prince from my mind, I made quickwork of peeling off my blood-stained garments. The copper tub on the opposite side of the room was already filled with steaming water, and I slid into it with a sigh of contentment. I kept glancing at Fenn on the bed, but he didn’t stir, so I took my time detangling my hair and washing the grime from my body.

It took me the better part of an hour to scrub the blood out of my hair, but thankfully Fenn snored through the entire ordeal, and I hadn’t had to worry about him seeing me naked.

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