Page 49 of Beyond Those Gilded Walls

“Wary.”

“Cynical.”

“Skeptical.”

“Distrustful.”

I snorted. “What reason do I have to trust you? I hardly know you, and what I do know does not inspire confidence that if I gave you this letter, it would actually make it to my brothers.”

“What reason do you have to believe I would do something with the letter other than deliver it?”

“I—” I’d opened my mouth to speak, but realized that out of all my interactions with Tallon, none had involved him failing to do something he’d said. Lying, certainly, hiding the full truth, absolutely. But as of now, it was only my suspicion of his future betrayal that I had to stand on, and I hardly wanted to explore that in this moment. I picked up the letter and held it out.

If he chose not to deliver it, it would be no different than if I continued to carry it with me. At least this way, there was a chance of Emyl reading it. Again, I had nothing left to lose. Nothing in the letter would give Tallon any more power over me than he already had. “Fine. I would be very appreciative if you could see this makes it to my brothers.”

He crossed the room and took it from me, ensuring our fingers brushed in the process, before tucking the letter into the pocket of his shirt. “I would be honored to take this to your brothers.”

Again, I was torn in my reaction to him. He seemed genuine, like he trulywouldbe honored to assist me, but I couldn’t let myself fall into that trap. Not again. There was too much at stake for me to forget everything that had happened so far, no matter how my body responded to Tallon’s. In the face of the confusion, I settled back into a familiar embrace of emotions instead. “When will you get the treatment?”

“Should we add impatience to the list of your defining characteristics?” The lilt of his voice was teasing, and it snapped whatever hold I had on my temper.

“My brother is dying,” I snapped, “if not already dead. I do not have time for patience. Are you getting the treatment or not?”

His face turned serious, gray eyes a tempest of storm clouds. “I will help you get it, Odyssa. Our bargain stands. That said, even though Prince Eadric trusts me, we cannot simply waltz into his rooms and demand it, can we? It’s hardly been a full day.” He paused, considering me. “When I deliver the letter, do you wish to know if Rhyon has passed on?”

My voice cracked. “Please.”

“So be it.” He held his hand out in offering. “Come. I’m sure you’ll be wanting to sleep soon. Go prepare for bed; I’ll wait here for you.”

My routine had always brought a source of comfort to me, but since coming to the castle, I had yet to have a night where I was able to complete it fully. Bathe, brush my hair, braid it back, lotion my skin, wash my face. It was a ritual, no doubt, and one I would allow myself to indulge in tonight, if only for the satisfaction of making Tallon wait further.

I wasn’t foolish enough to believe it would count towards my hour, but it would give me a reprieve and a chance to work through my tumultuous feelings regarding Tallon and the situation I found myself in.

As the bathwater filled, I considered the man sitting outside in my room. He was an illustration of contradictions.

Since I’d met him, he’d inspired both apprehension and attraction within me, and I still wasn’t sure which would be the more dangerous of the two. He was a close confidant of the prince, no doubt, but occasionally, behind the mask he wore, his face would slip, and for a fleeting moment one could think he despised the prince as much as I.

Sliding into the bath, I let out a long sigh as the hot water pulled me into its embrace. I believed Tallon’s concern tonight, and other nights, was genuine, but it also made my internal battle so much more complex. Did he truly want to help me for no reason? I doubted it.

In all my life, these long twenty-seven years, I had never met someone who cared for me just for the sake of it. The value I brought to the world was what I could give to it, and they always wanted something in the end.

Tallon would be no different. His demand of a single unnamed favor was proof enough of that. And yet, I could still not deny the impact of him; the way his words, when they brushed across my skin, sent shivers down my spine not out of fear, but out of lust. The way his touch sent me leaning into it rather than recoiling away.

Idly, I wondered what it would feel like if he touched me more intentionally. A touch not out of care, or aid, but one hewantedto gift me. I wondered if I had the same impact on him as he did on me. Occasionally, I thought I might. His mask was well crafted and he was as well practiced as I at keeping his emotions off his face, but sometimes it slipped and sometimes he looked at me like he wanted to touch me, to press me against the wall and kiss me. And sometimes, I might have wanted him to.

My hands had slipped beneath the bathwater and were trailing across my stomach when I came back to myself, still picturing Tallon’s hands on my skin. Eyes widening at the realization, I bolted up in the tub, sloshing water everywhere.

“Are you alright, Odyssa?” Tallon’s voice called fromrightoutside the door.

My face flushed, both from the heat of the steam curling up from the water and from my own embarrassment that I’d been about to touch myself thinking of Tallon’s hands while the man himself was sitting outside in my bedroom. He most certainly would know what I’d done as soon as I stepped foot back out of the bathroom.

“I’m fine,” I called, grateful that my voice was steady even though my hands trembled beneath the water. I dug my fingertips into my thighs, willing my body to calm.

“Do try not to drown in there,” he teased. “It would certainly make things more difficult.”

“I’m fine,” I repeated. The bathwater sloshed as I shifted and sank further into the water until it covered me to the neck. The water was cooling, but it still felt too hot on my feverish skin.

“Should I come in there and see that for myself?” His tone was still teasing, but held an undercurrent of concern. The knob twisted slowly, taunting me.

---