Page 90 of Bearing Secrets
Staggering to his feet, Kirell approached, looking down at the mangled corpse that had been a traitor to their entire House. “Yeah. He is.”
Then he spat on the body.
42
“Stop it!” Natalia exclaimed as Kirell tried to get out of bed.
“I can do it myself,” he answered.
“What do you need? I’ll get it for you,” she said, placing a hand on his chest and pushing him down.
It showed just how tired her mate was—she would never have called him weak, not after thefirsttime she’d made that mistake after they returned to the Manor. The fight had exhausted him, and after getting him into the shower and cleaned up, the two of them had fallen into a sleep nearly equivalent to a mini-coma.
Upon waking, she’d felt rested and refreshed, but Kirell needed more time to heal. The Priest had visited and pronounced he would live, though he’d nearly killed himself through exhaustion with the fighting.
The prescription was simply bed rest and food, and she intended to see that her stubborn man didn’t leave that bed until he was good and ready.
“You can’t do this one,” he said, speaking in a strangely hoarse voice.
“Alright, fine, you can go to the washroom on your own,” she conceded. She loved him, but there was a line even she wasn’t willing to cross if she could avoid it.
“Thanks,” he said dryly, “but that’s not what I meant.”
He sat up, despite her attempts to push him down again, and the covers slipped away to his waist. Normally she enjoyed looking at his half-naked body, but the numerous lines of fresh skin reminded her too much of how close to losing him she’d come the night before.
“Where do you think you’re going, Mister?” she asked as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “I didn’t give you permission to leave.”
“I have a question for you. And I’m not as weak as you think I am.” Trying to prove his point, he got up from the bed, swaying wildly back and forth.
“If you fall, I won’t be able to stop you,” she said, sliding across the bed and getting herself under his arm. “And now you’re going to take me down with you.”
“How convenient for you that I have every intention of going down.”
She frowned. What the heck did that mean? There was another meaning behind it, she was certain of that, but his voice…he hadn’t meant it sexually, she was sure of that. “Pardon?”
He removed his arm from around her, trading it for a gentle grip on her chin and a ghost of a kiss brushing across her lips, so light she was left wondering if it was real.
“I’m just going to my desk. Then I’ll be right back to you.”
To her. Not to the bed, but to her.
“You’re confusing me.”
“I haven’t done anything yet,” he teased, making it sound like it was easy to confuse her.
“Careful,” she warned, wagging a finger.
“I have a question for you,” he said cryptically, opening a drawer and snatching something from it, the object disappearing into his palm before she could get a glimpse of it.
“Ooo.” Her senses were at full alert now. Something was going on with him, but she couldn’t figure it out. What did he want to know? They’d spent all morning just talking, learning all sorts of things about one another that they hadn’t known. Why did he feel he had to announce a question now?
“I can’t believe I’m actually doing this, but I’d be an idiot not to.”
“Kirell…”
“Just hear me out.” He stopped in front of her, a few feet away from the bed.
Bracing herself for anything, she gave him a go-ahead nod.
