Page 28 of Of Nightmares & Fire
“You and I both know by now, I don’t aim to impress anyone.” I suppose he is right in that. I have only seen him rather grumpy and not very friendly; he can't be aiming to impress anyone with such a personality, but still. He keeps looking over my shoulder, and I want to look back, but I already know it’s likely one of the staffgetting closer and trying to hear our conversation. We continue to eat, and our conversation lulls as I watch him continually eyeing the bodies around us with a hostile sort of tension, and an idea springs to life in my mind.
“Can we go for a walk?” I stand abruptly, and his brows hike; a smirk transforms his face. The semi-joyous look makes the butterflies flutter once again.
“We can…” He stands too and offers me an arm, which I immediately take before I lose my gall, and because I’m going to need him to listen closely. We begin leisurely walking through the library, which is now lit by the hearth on the wall, and I begin telling him about all the time I have spent here. How it’s one of my favorite rooms in the castle, and right before we reach the dark tapestry that covers the narrow passage in the wall, I chance a glance over my shoulder. When I notice the one spy disguised as a staff member looking over his own shoulder, I act.
“This way!” I whisper, pulling Kyros by his hand into the crevice in the wall. I have to bite my lips hard to stop myself from laughing. The passage is very narrow, making our bodies nearly press into one another. One of my hands presses into the firm plane of his chest, and his hand rests lightly at my hip.
“Where did they go?” I hear someone on the other side of the tapestry say, and I can’t help the giggle that tries to escape before a warm hand comes up and covers my mouth.
“Careful, Shula, or you will give away your secrets.” I swallow under his hand, and then when we hear the footsteps fading as they continue looking for us, I tug his hand from my mouth andtoward one of my favorite hidden rooms in the castle. When we break through the other side, I have a huge smile on my face. Not only have I not been in this space for far too long, but giving my father’s lackeys the slip just makes everything in me lighter. Easier to feel happiness that is entirely harder to come by. Usually, I have at least hours before he is brought in to help find me, but given what has happened recently, I doubt I will be as lucky.
I stop in the center of the tall circular room, and my eyes land on Kyros, but again, he’s not looking at the room at all, but at me. In this lighting, the silver glow of the moon shining brightly through all the windows in the periscope of a room, it appears that he is drinking me in like a man without water at the Dead Sea.
“This is one of my favorite, most secret hideaways in the castle. Not many people know about it, but now I am trusting you with the secret.” I smile smaller at him and turn to walk to the window seat at the far center.
“What is this place?” His voice startles me at the proximity, but aside from a sharper influx of breath, I keep my voice steady when I respond.
“I’m not really sure. I like to pretend that the old king used to come here to get lost in his dreams, or perhaps he came here to talk to the stars on nights such as these.” I laugh halfheartedly.
“And why doyoucome here, Shula?” He is standing so close to my back I can feel the warmth radiating from his body. The earthy, warm scent of a smoky fire, laced with honey, wraps around me and makes it difficult to swallow.
“I guess I come here for the same reason. A place I can justbe; no eyes watching or no expectations to be something I’m not.” A shiver rolls over my skin, peppering the flesh with goosebumps.
“But you brought me here? Is there still no expectations?” He whispers from where he stands behind me, and his breath caresses the shell of my ear. “No eyes watching,” His fingertips hover over the skin of my upper arm and barely touches, gliding down to my elbow and back up again. Taking a deep breath, my head tilts to the side, offering him the column of my neck. I don’t know what I’m doing. I brought him here to ask questions. I can tell he and his brother are different. They don’t seem inclined to trip on my father’s every word or every—OH.
Kyros runs his nose along the column of my neck in a slow drag, still barely touching, but the heat from him is scorching. He breathes me in, and a growl builds low in his throat.
“Maybe I brought you here soyoucould be lost in a dream.” I press him, unable to contain the lust I feel in the moment. I turn around to face him. His eyelids are just as heavy as mine as he leans over me.
“Youare very dangerous, Shula.” He says, his hands still hovering. They come up to trail the line of my jaw. “But I don’t get lost in dreams or hide from my nightmares, and neither should you. If you don’t want to be something you’re not, choose to be who you are.”
“Is that what you do? Do you never hide who you really are?” I ask him.
“Sometimes the choice is opposite; the decision to hide what we really are because maybe it’s the realm that is not ready for the truth.” His lips are hovering over mine. All I have to do is push up on my tip toes and allow him to claim my mouth, but his words confuse me and cause me to pause.
“ASTRAEA!” My father’s bellowing voice echoes through the small space around us, and I flinch. “Come out from wherever it is you’re hiding at once!”
“Stay here. When we leave—”
“No.” Kyros interrupts, but before I can tell him anything else, he turns around and stalks out from behind the tapestry.
“Fuck!”I grind out under my breath.
Chapter twenty-two
Astraea
“Whereisshe?Haveyou done something with her?” I hear my father growl in question as I, too, come out from behind the tapestry. “Maybe it was you and your heathen brother who kidnapped her in the first place. Have you come to claim your prize another way?”
“You’re really accusing me and my brother of kidnapping? Honestly? Do you often make your guests feel so welcome, or am I just special?” Kyros says flatly, and my feet halt as my jaw nearly hits the floor. I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but now my curiosity is thoroughly piqued. My stride turns to a crawl as I slowly comecloser to where they are talking, just around the corner of a large bookshelf.
“Don’t you speak to me like that, if you—” My father’s warning is cut off by Kyros’ sharp tongue.
“If I what? Will you have my head like those you, so disgustingly, have spiked along your curtain wall? I will speak to youprecisely,the way thatyou—-speak to me. If you wish to have my respect, you willearn it.Just like any other man or woman would,” Kyros interrupts, and I about die then and there.This man is going to get himself killed,but he doesn’t stop there. “Also, I’ll have you not forget, while you’re king now, I am in line to be one as well,” he says proudly as I chance a peek around the bookshelf and make out the men as they stand face to face. Kyros, standing taller than my father, steps forward into his space, and the guards who always follow my father around put their hands on the weapons at their hips. My father throws out his hand, a motion for them to stand down, and Kyros does not so much as flinch or take a step back. “A kingdom is only strong if it has strong allies; it would be foolish to make an adversary out ofanotherstrong crown. Your empty threats only serve to piss me off.” He says to my father, who remains motionless like a statue.
A rough hand grips me by my arm and pushes me out of hiding, and I can’t help the yelp that comes at the sudden pain and shock.
“I found your petulant daughter, Connard. Hiding in the shadows and listening in on the conversations of men.” Pravin proclaims with an evil smirk plastered on his face, even as his eyes travel the length of my body and linger a moment too long at myass. Both my father and Kyros turn to face us. My father’s glare is ice cold as he sees me, but Kyros’ black eyes hone in on the grip that Pravin has on my arm, and his teeth clench tight. The muscle jumping under the shadow of hair along his jaw.
