Page 22 of When the Moon Met the Sun

Unlike the room I had been in before, there was nothing Southern about this room. There was no green or gold, or even any wood paneling. The walls were stone, as though it had been an addition to the main part of the castle. Every little detail, down to the door handle and pillow cases, were either silver or a shade of blue. Not every shade of blue matched, but it was all blue nonetheless. There was even a white fur blanket laid out across the bed, like the kind I had back home on my own bed. I noticed even my trunk had been moved to be sitting at the foot of the bed.

Lastly, I noticed that this room had a large balcony in the back, off to the side, facing the forest behind The Haven and open to the sky. My heart ached to soar through the clouds again.

I turned to look up at Robyn, who I then realized had been staring at me this whole time.

Snapping my jaw shut, I cleared my throat and said softly, “Thank you.”

He smiled, obviously satisfied with my response, then gently led me to the bed. I insisted on changing first, which I retreated to his washroom to do. After I emerged in more comfortable clothing, I followed him as he once again led me by hand to the bed. I curledup alone in the middle of the feather soft mattress, pulling the fur blanket up to my chin.

Beads of sweat had begun to pool on my forehead, even though chill bumps were erupting across my skin. My head was still spinning, now even worse than before. I even thought I saw Robyn reach out to stroke my hair as my blinking became slower and I finally closed my eyes for the evening.

Chapter Nine

Isat up suddenly, my temples throbbing. In a moment of blind panic, I frantically threw the fur blanket off of me, looking around the unfamiliar room.

It took a heartbeat, but the memories from the day before eventually came crashing down like a bucket of cold water being poured over my head. I gasped, then snapped my head toward Robyn, who was fast asleep on the couch looking fairly uncomfortable, his long legs hanging over the edge and the blanket not fully covering him.

I assumed from the way the room was just barely beginning to light up that dawn wasn’t too far off. Looking toward the balcony only confirmed my thoughts. But why was I up at this time?

A wave of nausea overcame me, and for a moment I simply sat there, in the middle of my now husband’s bed, my head in my hands.

When the next wave hit, I scrambled out of bed, heading for the door that led to the hallway. I made sure to keep my steps light, like I always did when sneaking around Gatlyn Castle, so as not to wake up Robyn. I knew his quarters housed its own washroom, but since I wasn’t sure what was overcoming me, I wanted to be alone. I didn’t want him waking up and trying to fret over me, or berate me—whatever it was that the Southern King would do.

I softly clicked the door shut behind me and walked to the neighboring room, the space Teagan had originally assigned me to. Funny, how I was so close to my future husband when I arrived and didn’t know it. More funny still that I had met him before knowing who he was.

Funny? More like aggravating,I corrected myself.

Shutting the door firmly behind me, I grabbed the chair from the vanity and slid it in place under the door handle so it wouldn’t open unless I moved it. I didn’t want any visitors, but I also didn’t have time to set a trap like I had in the past.

Before I could even be proud of myself, my stomach suddenly did a flip, and I slapped a hand over my mouth, then made a run for the washroom.

I fell to the floor in front of the chamber pot, barely making it in time to dry heave over the side. A few more of those, then the bile of my stomach burned its way up my throat.

I sat there for what felt like hours, retching over and over, but still trying to be as quiet as possible; I wasn’t sure who was nearby, who could be listening.

Only bile ever came up from my stomach, and suddenly I realized I couldn’t place the last time I had eaten. Robyn had brought me a plate last night at the party, but I had started to feel even worse than before and had asked to leave. And before the wedding, I thought the food had been making me sick, so I’d been eating less and less of it.

After another moment, I sat with my back against the wall, my stomach calm again for the time being. I put a hand to the cold stone floor and let it ground me.

I took this time to reflect on yesterday. I didn’t know what overcame me, but being that close to Robyncannothappen again. And what was I thinking, to even be considering putting my trust in him?

I let out a groan, frustrated with myself.

My head was still pounding, and a layer of sweat coated my skin—even though I felt as cold as the ice I wield.

When a few heartbeats had passed, I hauled myself to my feet, placing my hands on the rim of the sink and finally allowing myself to look in the mirror.

Then, I screamed.

The scream ripped itself from my throat like the bile I had just expelled. Nothing I did could have stopped it.

Looking in the mirror, I had made eye contact with my reflection, but something wasn’t right.

My eyes. They were… wrong.

Well, one of them was, anyways.

I blinked rapidly, thinking this was some kind of trick, but my reflection didn’t falter.

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