Page 39 of Empire of Death
It was another night where I hardly slept. Anytime I had the opportunity to truly rest on a mattress and not a bedroll, I spent that time locked in the arms of the god I was bedding with eyes wide open. I appreciated these moments, like any of them could be our last, and now I wanted him in my life, regardless of what our future looked like. Even if the outside world thought I was a lonely woman who never married or had children, behind closed doors, I would have the man who was enough to compensate for all that. This connection had deepened into something illogical. Something that I would risk my life to fight for. And it was something I could never share with another person.
I wished my father would wake up tomorrow morning, but perhaps it was best that he didn’t…because he would shake the cliffs with his rage. He’d traded his soul for revenge and knew the world of Xian, so it would take him mere minutes to figure out what had transpired with me.
And he would never accept it.
Callum lay with me, his hand on my thigh as it was hooked over my hip, looking into my eyes with that same intensity he always showed me. Sometimes his eyes would flick back and forth like he focused on one at a time before he took in all my features. His thumb would cup my face, and his thumb would gently graze my cheek. “You need to sleep.”
“I know, but I don’t want you to leave.”
“I won’t.”
“I mean I don’t want you to leave my sight. I don’t want to leave this moment. I hate the times when I can’t even talk to you. The days when I don’t see you at all. I know you’re with me, but that’s not enough.”
He continued to watch me, taking a moment to process what I said. “You need your rest if you’re to protect your kingdom. I knew I should let you sleep, but I was selfish.” His thumb gently caressed my cheek.
“I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t come.”
“You can’t be disappointed if you’re asleep. And you would have fallen asleep immediately.” His fingers gently moved into my hair. “Sleep,Xivin. You have a long journey ahead of you.”
My fingers moved to his wrist, and I gently held on to his warm flesh. My eyes suddenly felt like heavy curtains, and they dropped down as if it was the end of a stage show. I felt my body give a slight jerk, like my mind fell asleep quicker than my body was prepared to handle.
Then I felt his kiss on my forehead, his hand slide farther into my hair. “Goodnight,Xivin.”
13
LILY
Hawk had his mug of coffee beside him at the table, along with an empty plate of breakfast. He watched me take the seat across from him, stared at me as he took a drink from his coffee. “You look like shit.”
“Good morning to you too, asshole.”
“I’m serious,” he said. “You look like you didn’t even sleep.”
Because I’d slept for about three hours uninterrupted. When I opened my eyes, Callum was gone, and the sting of the loss hurt like it always did. “I had a nightmare and just couldn’t get back to sleep.” I got the bar maiden’s attention and ordered a coffee. I didn’t have an appetite, not when my stomach was all screwed up from not sleeping.
He watched me as he took another drink, clearly analyzing every expression and every word.
I was too tired for his suspicions.
The bar maiden brought the coffee, and I took a big drink like it was water. “Packed and ready to go?”
“Yeah. You?”
“Yeah.”
“Movack said they hunted this morning, so they’re ready for the journey.”
“Good.” I had bigger things to focus on right now, but Callum always seemed to be at the forefront of my mind. He was the person I wanted to spend every moment with, to share every aspect of my day with—and no one could see him but me. It was the most fulfilling and lonely relationship of my life. I took another big gulp of my coffee. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“You can take a couple minutes.”
“It’s already almost noon. We should get going.”
“Alright,Your Majesty.”
“Ugh, don’t ever call me that again. At least in private.”
He chuckled. “Will do.”
