Page 43 of The Crownless King
Restless, Amaya kicked the blanket from her body and sat on the edge of the bed. She looked at the clock and cursed. It wasbarely four. She had to be at work in a few hours, yet tonight, sleep had eluded her.
Giving up the pretense altogether, she left the bed and her room. The compound was quiet around her, the stillness making her feel as though she were alone in the house. As she neared the bottom of the stairs, the noise increased as the enforcers from Levi’s personal army moved around downstairs. She followed it to the dining room she’d been avoiding since she’d been kidnapped.
Her eyes widened with surprise as she observed the men eating dinner? Breakfast? It was the end of their day, either could apply. They stood as they noticed her and she waved them back into their seats.
“I don’t mean to intrude,” she told them softly, tucking her robe tighter around her body.
Her nerves fluttered under their curious eyes. Sweeping a look around the table, she tried to convince herself that it wasn’t disappointment deflating her chest. Of course, he wasn’t there. She would’ve felt his energy had he been. The male she recognized as Lucas stared at her, a small smirk on his lips.
“He’s not here.”
She nodded, her cheeks burning, and hastened her steps to the kitchen and her original destination. Tea was her plan. Not that she thought it would help her sleep. But she was up, and it would give her something to do other than brood in her room. Amaya’s heart thumped as Sebastian entered the kitchen from the patio door.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said softly.
“That’s okay. I was just going to make tea.”
Why did she feel the need to explain her presence? Sucking her teeth in irritation at herself, she headed for the cabinets to see what they had. Sebastian said nothing, but he moved around her and silently showed her where everything she would need was. She nodded her thanks, avoiding his gaze.
Gods, she was jittery.
His presence still loomed close, pausing her movements. She looked up and found him studying her much the way Lucas had.
“Yes?”
“Levi is in a…mood. It would be best if you avoid him.” His deep voice filled the kitchen with its quiet rumble.
She dropped the kettle onto the stovetop and sighed. “You act like I want to be in this mess.”
Even as she said the words, guilt niggled at her. Amaya could admit that she needled at Levi, but what else was she supposed to do? Sit quietly while he controlled her life? Irritation made her skin hot.
Prodded by his silence, she closed her eyes and gathered her temper under control. “Fine, Sebastian.”
He said nothing else, but she didn’t breathe easy until his presence left the kitchen. She went through the motions of making her tea, her mind a jumbled mess. As though drawn by an invisible thread, her gaze strayed to the patio beyond the doors. The king lazed in one of the pool loungers, his body tightly coiled despite his pose. She hadn’t even realized they had a pool.
She shook her head. Staying in her room was just silly at this point. If she was going to be a prisoner, the least she could do was enjoy the amenities.
Chuckling to herself at the silly thought, Amaya poured a generous portion of honey into her tea, her gaze unerringly straying to Levi. Through the panes of glass, she could see the contemplative look on his face. He was still dressed for work except the dark burgundy shirt he wore was opened at the throat, the tie loosened down to his chest. His suit jacket was slung over the back of the lounger where he lay. She should take Sebastian’s advice and leave him be, and yet, as she bit her lip, her thoughts were reckless, impulsive.
“What am I thinking?” she muttered as she headed outside.
From the moment the door opened, Levi’s eyes tracked her. With every step she took towards him, his predatory gaze scraped across her nerve endings, igniting both wariness and heat. The wild feverish look in his eyes gave her an idea of what was happening. Battling the Akachi was overtaking the king. Instinctively, her magic reached out to him, soothing the jagged edges of his power as she settled in the chair beside him.
“You should leave, baby doll.” His voice was barely a whisper. “I’m not fit for company.”
Despite the desperate plea, Levi’s power and presence did not diminish. If anything, the vulnerability stripped the ego that usually concealed the man beneath that power. It left him bare, exposed…and that made her feel…safer? Her eyes raked over his form. He was so gorgeous, it was unfair really. His dark copper skin gleamed under the recessed lights of the pool. She wanted to run her touch over his smooth, chiseled face. Her handsflinched as though she could feel the roughness of his close-cut beard.
Memories of the other night invaded her thoughts and her breath hitched. A part of her so desperately wanted to recreate the images he’d thrust into her mind.
Damn it, she was getting sidetracked.
“What are you sulking about?” She gripped her mug tightly to hide her trembling hands.
Common sense told her to go back inside, but somehow, she couldn’t override her instinct to stay. Prodding him in his current state was not smart, but the other alternative was to reach out and pull him into her arms in an effort to soothe him and that was infinitely more dangerous to Amaya.
He narrowed his eyes at her question. “I figured after the other night, you would be too smart to taunt me,” he said in answer.
She shrugged with a nonchalance she didn’t feel. “Bad night at work?”
