Page 85 of Glass and Bone
“I wouldn’t hurt you, Ela.” He whispers. I nod as his fingers trail up and down my spine. “Do you want some wine?” He leans back, tucking my loose hair behind my ears. I nod and he kisses the tip of my nose before sliding out from under me.
I watch as he wanders over to the bar cart, pouring a large glass of my favorite pink wine and a smaller glass of whiskey for himself. He walks over, handing it to me and I take an eager sip. The syrupy sweetness is addicting, and I sigh as I feel it coat my throat.
He joins me on the bed, tucking me into the crook of his arm. We sit in silence for a second, waves of whiskey hitting my nose every time he lifts the glass to his mouth. My eyes are focused on the stars outside, the darkened night sky and the glittering lights. I am nothing but a speck of dust compared to the vast universe out there.
I used to wonder about how my life would have played out if I had been born someone who wasn’t a princess. Would I have been happy? Would I have been in love?
“What are you thinking about?” Tobias cuts into my thoughts and I nearly flinch.
“I am just wondering what my life would have been like if I hadn’t been born as Elaenor.”
“Why?”
“Curiosity. Do you ever think of what your life would have been like had you not been born Tobias?” He shakes his head, and I take another mouthful of wine.
“I find thinking of such things a waste of time. There is no use wondering if you’ll never know.”
“Sometimes it’s fun to imagine.” I admit, my voice is no more than a whisper as I take the last sip of wine in the glass.
“I would like you to speak to Pakin tomorrow.” I pull out of his arms and look down at him.
“What?”
“You never saw him after your nightmare that sent you running for the literal hills. And after last night, I am worried about you.” He sets his whiskey down on the nightstand and cups my cheeks. “I want to make sure everything is okay. You’ve been under a great deal of stress and now you are imagining me hurting you. Ela, I would never hurt you.”
“He would and he will, and he did.”
Enzo’s voice is loud, crisp, and I almost jump out of my skin.
“Enzo?”I call out, but the telltale sign of electricity isn’t there.
“Ela, are you hearing me?” I look back at him and he’s sitting up, nearly towering over me. I nod and he cocks a brow. “I am saying that if you are pregnant, this could be a symptom.”
“What?” I sputter. Pregnant?
“Hallucinations. My mother had them with Thea.” I reach behind and set the wine glass on the table.
“I don’t think I’m pregnant.”
“Why?”
“I awoke with a weird cramping in my core yesterday. It felt almost like when Master Pakin used that tincture to force my monthly bleed. I feltraw.” I admit. I see his eyes widen slightly, but they return to normal so quick I almost think I was imagining it.
“Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” He mutters. I fall back against the pillow, my head spinning. I ate a normal amount of food today, but the small amount of wine I had is making me groggy, tired. I sigh, burrowing deeper into the bed.
I open my eyes a second later and the room is pitch black. All of the torches have been extinguished and the moon is high in the sky. Tobias is asleep next to me, snoring softly. I’m cold, shivering. I look down and see that I am naked, my nightdress gone. I look around and see it thrown on the floor, along with Tobias’s cotton pants. My brows furrow and my lips part as I stare at our discarded clothing.
What is going on?
Chapter Thirty-Six
Two weeks pass and I find that I have now been out of Chatis for a month. A lot has happened in the last 5 weeks and there is a lot I still don’t have an answer for. Donovan still follows me around per Tobias’s orders. He is still attached to me when he doesn’t have other duties to attend to. Scarlett has traveled back to Chatis for a while to get everything taken care of back home before she moves here permanently. I haven’t seen Theo since the night of the ball, but I can still barely look at Laris out of embarrassment. He hasn’t said anything, but I feel like if he does, he’ll wait until the moment is advantageous for him.
Scarlett is expected back today and, while I am sure it will cause more problems than we already have, I am hoping she has Rhea with her. I know Laenie wouldn’t leave Reggie, but I am hoping to have another friend in Noterra. At least one that originated from home, and not from Noterra. Maybe we can convince Laenie and Reggie to move here also. They don’t have to stay in the palace but having them close would be nice.
I haven’t had any other dreams, not even the nightmares from before since that night. I am sleeping better than I ever had, and I think it might be due to my nightly glass of wine. Maybe the alcohol is enough to keep me asleep. Despite Tobias’s protests, he eventually concedes and lets me have a single glass nightly, just because he thinks it’s helping me. Tobias is insistent on producing an heir as soon as we can, which results in us having sex multiple times a day, whenever he feels like it. I can’t say I’m complaining as it is quite enjoyable for me too. He’s been sweet, gentle, and I have nothing to complain about.
My fingers run up and down his chest as I am tucked into the crook of his arm. He’s doing the same thing to my arm as we lay in silence. The sun has already risen, but neither of us has made an effort to move out of the comfort. I lay my hand flat on his chest and look up at him. He’s staring up at the ceiling, but he feels my movement and looks down.
