Page 95 of Sold to the Devil
It's my brother, and my jaw clenches as the thought of his plan to kill me comes back to mind. I leave the room and close the door behind me, knowing Aelys can't hear us with all the spells I placed on our suite since her miscarriage, which means we can talk freely. I cross my arms over my chest and scowl at my brother.
“What do you want?” I ask in a venomous tone.
“I just wanted to see how she is doing,” he rolls his eyes.
I can see the worry on his features, which only makes me angrier because I know he tried to steal my wife on our wedding day. I clench my fists and feel my knuckles crack under the pressure, but I keep my arms crossed, refraining from hitting him.
“What do you think?” I growl. “She was tortured by those assholes, of course she's not okay.”
Tom sighs and looks away, his eyes fixed on the stairs at the end of the hall.
“Can I see her?”
I let a chuckle escape and shake my head in disbelief.
This little shit has balls, I have to admit it.
“You're delusional if you think I'm going to let you near her,” I growl. “She doesn't want to see anyone anyway.”
He nods slowly before telling me to say hello for him and turns on his heel, heading towards the stairs. I watch him walk away, my eyes black with rage. If he thinks I'm going to give her a message from him, he's kidding himself.
I return to the suite and my features immediately soften when my eyes fall on my wife. She hasn't moved an inch, still nibbling at whatever is on the plate I brought. I smile softly, proud of her, and walk over to her. She gives me a questioning look, and I sigh.
“Tom.”
Her eyes widen and she instantly looks down. I know she's thinking about their discussion before our wedding, but she doesn't know that I know. I raise my hand and slowly approach her, waiting for her approval to touch her. She looks at my hand hesitantly before nodding gently, allowing me to tenderly cup her cheek as I try to ignore how much she still flinches beneath my palm.
“I know everything, darling,” I say softly. “Your conversation, his plan…”
Her eyes widen a little more and her lips part. It takes her a moment, but I quickly see realization dawn in her eyes. She knows I've read her thoughts.
“Are you angry with me?” She croaks softly, her voice raspy from not being used for so long.
My heart leaps at the sound of her angelic voice. Even though it sounds hoarse, it's still the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. I smile softly and slowly cup her other cheek. This time, she doesn't flinch, and I feel my stomach warm, delighted that she accepts my touch.
“I could never be angry with you, angel,” I whisper.
Her cheeks turn a soft pink and her eyes sparkle for a few seconds. I freeze when she presses her forehead against mine, but I quickly regain my composure, closing my eyes and sighing contentedly at the feeling of finally being close to her.
“I love you,” she whispers in a shaky voice.
I feel the butterflies that I always get when she says those words and I smile blissfully.
“I love you too, princess.”
Day 4...
Aelys has been more talkative, even if she sticks to short sentences. She still refuses to leave the room or see anyone—although Carmen has tried several times—but she does eat more, and the nightmares are less recurrent. She still flinches slightly at my touch, but she tries to feel more comfortable with me, resting her head on my shoulder or simply taking my hand in hers. Sometimes my touch is still too much for her, but it's obvious that she's fighting it. She seems determined to no longer tremble under my touch, as she seeks it out and tries to endure it.
We're currently sitting next to each other on the couch facing the bookshelf in our bedroom, our fingers intertwined as I hold a book in my free hand, reading aloud to my wife. Our hands are the only parts of our bodies touching, but I know it's a big effort for her. I feel her tense slightly, but she doesn't move, so I stop reading, raising my gaze to her beautiful face.
“You know you don’t have to force yourself to hold my hand, love,” I say softly. “If it’s too much, you know you can let go.”
She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. When she opens them again, her gaze falls on our intertwined hands, and slowly, I feel her thumb caress my skin in a slightly hesitant, trembling gesture.
“It’s just… I don’t want you to be disgusted by me,” she murmurs, not daring to meet my gaze as her cheeks flush with embarrassment.
I frown before forcing my features to soften as I lift her chin with two fingers, quickly removing them so as not to overwhelm her. Her beautiful brown eyes meet mine, and the look of shame and guilt shining in them makes my stomach ache.
