Page 74 of A Rose Among Snakes

The straw mattress crunched as he settled himself on it, letting out a deep groan as he laid back against the pillows. I kept my eyes trained on the wooden ceiling planks, but in my peripheral, I saw him close his eyes as he sighed. His scent wrapped around me like the jacket he’d placed on my shoulders that night in the garden, stirring up feelings I had been battling the entire day. I tried to dredge up the anger that had spurred me on last night after hearing his confession, but I could only find the dimmest spark.

Velian rolled to his side and faced me. I sensed it more than I saw it as if every fiber of my being was attuned to his actions. Against my better judgment, I turned toward him. The candlelight flickered, and though most of his face was cast in shadow, his eyes didn’t lose any of their vibrancy.

“Are you going to sleep in your cloak?” he asked with a smirk.

I reached for the clasp at my throat. I hadn’t meant to leave it on and felt a little foolish.

“No,” I grumbled, my muscles protesting as I sat up and unclasped it. I removed it from my shoulders and placed it at the end of the bed. Since I was already sitting up, I decided to use the opportunity to take my hair out of the tight braid I had put it in before leaving Blaise Manor. As my fingers worked through my honey locks, I glanced over to catch a glimpse of Velian watching me, throat bobbing.

It was satisfying to see him as the flustered one for once.

I flopped back into the pillows, my loose hair fanning out around my head. Exhaustion took over and I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the frantic beat of my heart. After several silent moments, Velian’s slow intake of breath broke the quiet, and in a low voice he asked,

“Do you want me to blow out the candle now?”

I opened my eyes and turned, studying his face in the flickering light, the sharp planes of his cheeks, his prominent jawline, strong nose, those emerald eyes—so bright and captivating—and the dark, full lashes framing them that made my heart stutter. His lips looked warm and inviting, soft and sensuous. A chocolate-colored wave of hair had settled across his forehead, and it took all my self-control to keep from wrapping it around my finger.

“Yes, you can blow it out.”

He held my stare for several heartbeats before propping himself up on one elbow, rolling over, and extinguishing the flame.The only light in the room came from the faint glow of dusk around the curtains. I heard rather than saw the rustling of Velian’s clothing as he removed a layer to get more comfortable for the night. He settled back against the pillows and I turned away to face the window. I wiggled my way under the covers and closed my eyes, my mind drifting between worry for Kezara and astonishment that I was sharing a bed with Velian Blaise.

Did I really blame him for Jehiam’s overdose? Velian was an easy target, but no; the fault was with Jem. I was more shocked to learn my father was an Enforcer for Velshan Blaise. It was so contrary to the gentle, patient father I knew. I felt lied to, and I burned with anger and shame. It seemed wrong to be upset with a dead man, but I couldn’t help it. Maybe that was the root of my frustration and not Velian’s involvement. With time to process, I liked that he’d confided in me, but there was still the worry that I couldn’t trust him with everything. Who’s to say he didn’t have more skeletons in the closet? Regardless, there was no denying my desire for him; both his attention and his affection.

Flitting in and out of a restless sleep, I had no concept of how much time had passed. Opening my eyes, silver moonlight filtered around the curtains. I took a couple of deep breaths as I became aware of an ache in my left side from staying in one position for too long. I flipped to my right side to find Velian asleep with his hand outstretched, his fingertips resting on the ends of my hair. The sweetness of the gesture made my chest tighten, and I chose not to sweep my hair behind my head.

I stared at him, studying his features again, but this time, taking in the way the moonlight shone through the thin linen of his shirt to highlight the muscles of his chest and arms. As if sensing me, his eyes drifted open and I froze. A moonbeam lay directly across his eyes, transforming the emerald into sea-foam green. My heart thumped wildly in my chest as he rubbed a few strands of my hair between his thumb and forefinger. When I didn’t object, he combed his fingers through.

I maintained eye contact and stayed still as his hand slid from my hair to graze where my hand rested next to my face on the pillow. I allowed him to brush along the back of my hand, down the length of every finger. My breaths came quicker as his fingers moved up my arm to my shoulder, my neck, until, at last, they found my face. He tucked my hair behind my ear and traced my cheekbone, my nose, and finally my lips. My entire body tingled and my lips parted of their own volition under his gentle stroke. His breath caught in his throat before he moved to rest his hand on my cheek.

Possessed by desire, I reached out and traced his features starting with his jaw, noting the scratch of stubble, then moved to his cheek. No longer able to resist, I moved for the stray curl still resting on his forehead and twirled it around my finger, smiling slightly at the way it bounced when I released it. I dragged my finger down the bridge of his nose to his lips, which were as soft and warm as I’d hoped. I pressed on them, imagining how theywould feel upon my own.

Before I got lost in that thought, I slid my fingers down his chin until they rested on his throat, feeling his pulse thrum as rapidly as mine.

“Mihrra,” he breathed.

His gaze was heated and I was sure mine matched. The realization was jarring and brought me back to my senses—or rather out of them. I jerked my head back from his touch, returning my hand to my side.

Velian’s mouth twitched and hurt flashed across his features before he schooled them into a smirk and rolled onto his back. I ignored the pit in my stomach at his pained expression and switched back to my left side despite the ache still present in my hip. My body buzzed with energy, but I stayed in that position the rest of the night, even when his light snoring assured me he was asleep.

Chapter Forty-One

Mihrra

When the sun brightened the horizon and light seeped into the room, I rolled over to peek at Velian, who was still lying on his back, eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling.

He glanced over with a drowsy smile. “Sleep well?”

“Not particularly,” I said, my face heating at the memory of his gentle touch.

“I guarantee it was better than I did.” He sat up with a groan and stretched. “We should eat breakfast and then head straight to Hawling.”

After gathering up all our belongings, we went downstairs, neither one of us acknowledging what transpired in the middle of the night. We ate a bland meal of porridge and sausage after sending for our horses to be made ready. Within half an hour, we had mounted up and were heading southwest toward Hawling.

Clouds crept in on the horizon, and soon they were playing hide and seek with the sun. We inched our way through the mountain pass, the horses stumbling over the rocky ground, and by early afternoon the sky was full of dark clouds. The impending rain fell one thick drop at a time before releasing a deluge of water and hail so aggressive we had to seek shelter.We found a tight grove of trees along a steep cliff, their roots mingling with the rocks as they slithered down the cliffside. The trees shielded us from the brunt of the storm, but the wind whipped upwards from the canyon below, and the twisted appearance of the bark proved that was their perpetual environment.

I was drenched and pulled my cloak tighter around my shoulders as my teeth chattered. Standing between our horses, Velian looked down at me, his mouth tight with concern.

“Are you alright?” he shouted above the wind and rain. I could only nod in response.

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