Page 5 of Enchanted Heir
I ended up falling asleep for a little while with my head resting on the door frame, and then I finally walked back over to the good-smelling bed and passed out.
It felt like only an hour later, I heard rustling from somewhere within Krew’s wing. It was barely starting to be light outside. It must have been Krew getting up for his training or princely duties or whatever he was doing today.
I rolled over, not willing to function for this day on only a few hours of sleep. But then I heard movement again, this time outside the door to Krew’s wing.
I heard another noise, and then Krew was there, sprinting into his own bedroom and jumping onto the bed next to me.
I was awake enough to check under the covers to see that the shirt he’d given me to sleep in had everything currently covered.
But as I spun toward Krew to ask him what the hell he was doing getting under the covers with me, he pressed a finger to my lips to stop me.
It registered in my sleepy brain that he was shirtless. He had pants on, I was pretty sure, but no shirt. And I’d seen shirtless men before. But never this early in the morning.
I had to admit it was kind of nice.
I struggled to keep my eyes on his eyes and not on his defined collar bone below. Just as I was about to ask again what he was doing, the door opened and Owen and another guard I hadn’t seen before came barging on in.
“Your Grace,” the guard began.
Krew ignored him and kept his finger on my bottom lip, smiling at me like he wanted to kiss me.
I didn’t do anything. I was pretty sure I was either still dreaming or that it was way too early in the morning for all this.
“Your Grace,” the guard repeated.
Krew turned his attention to the guard and squinted. “I heard you the first time. I don’t wish to be interrupted at the moment.”
“But your father—”
Krew moved to lazily prop himself up on his elbow. “My father is not here. Nor probably awake. So unless the castle is burning down, I don’t wish to be interrupted.” When the guard didn’t move, he added,“Out.”
The guard and Owen both let themselves back out.
Krew leaned back on his pillow and sighed. “I doubt that will be the last time.” With a groan he moved to throw the covers back off and stand up.
I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped out of my lips.
Krew tensed like he heard it but said nothing as he confidently strode around the bed for the closet.
I sat up and leaned against the headboard, knowing it was going to be extremely hard to fall back asleep now. Krew had scars all over his back. Some thicker than others. Some thin lines and barely there. But they were everywhere.
He was back in only a moment, heading for the door. “I’ll send Renna to stop by in a few hours. Silvia should be here shortly.”
“Krew.”
He spun back to look at me.
“What happened to you?”
He looked toward the window and not at me. “The mountain.”
“When?” I managed to ask.
“After the first time I tried to kill my father,” he explained. “I got several lashings.”
Several?There was barely a part of his back that wasn’t scarred. “I’m sorry he did that to you.”
Krew shrugged. “I’m sorry you had to see it.”
