Page 19 of Fearless

“Pae.”

His voice calms the sea of panic beginning to swell in my chest. A calloused hand catches the wrist I’ve raised toward his throat, halting the swift arc of my borrowed blade. “Easy,” Kai breathes, body tense as it leans over mine.

Eyes adjusting to the dim light, I can just make out his fuzzy figure at the edge of my bed. I’m nearly teetering off it, skin sticky and chest heaving. His body shifts closer, one hand cupped around my lifted wrist while the other is braced beside my head, sinking into the plush pillow.

“It was just a nightmare,” he whispers, slowly lowering our joint hands until the blade tumbles onto the mattress. “You’re okay. I’m right here.”

A nightmare is an understatement. That… that was torture.

I blink up at the face I cannot see, and yet, I picture it all the same. “How… how did you get in here?”

His fingers graze my forehead, sweeping away the sticky strands of hair there. “I heard you scream. And nothing…nothinghas terrified me more.” I hear him swallow. Feel a swipe of his thumb across my cheekbone. “And it didn’t stop. You just kept screaming. So…” A pause. “We both know it will take more than a locked door to keep me from you.”

My eyes travel over his shadowed shoulder to find a gaping hole where my door once stood. Now it decorates the floor, having ungracefully toppled to the ground.

The thudding in my dream. That was real—that was this.

He had kicked the damn door down.

“Can I get no privacy around here?” I joke weakly, voice still shaky with the remnants of my nightmare.

“Privacy?” His chuckle skitters up my spine, awakening my sleepy senses. “Darling, I’d be in this bed beside you if my brother hadn’t slipped a ring onto your finger.”

His mouth hovers dangerously close to my own. Especially so considering the distraction I’m seeking—and every inch of him will most definitely do the trick. I want him desperately. Recklessly. And the embodiment of those feelings falls from my lips in the form of a single, traitorous sentence. “So slip it off.”

I feel his head shake above me, feel his nose rub against mine. He groans softly in a way that tells me he’s restraining himself from happily obeying my command. The rough fingers that aren’t currently cupping my jaw find their way to the band around my finger. “I could,” he murmurs. “So easily, I could.” His thumb slides over my knuckles. “The problem wouldn’t be taking that ring off. It would be getting me to put it back on.”

I shut my eyes, as though that could hide me from his words. From the reminder of my fate. I am betrothed to the king, and yet, my heart beats for his brother. “I know,” I whisper, unable to muster anything more.

Several long, silent moments slip between us. His thumb brushes idle circles across the top of my hand—a delicate comfort, and yet, I might crumble beneath the feel of it. Then his touch shifts to stroke the short strands of hair behind my ear. I feel his following murmur on my skin, hear the smirk hidden between each syllable. “A butter knife? Really?”

“It’s all I have at the moment,” I grumble.

“Well, that just won’t do.” He flicks my nose lightly. “What if someone had broken into your rooms?”

I can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of me. “It seems someone already has. But don’t worry, Prince.” My fingers fiddle with a lock of inky hair falling over his forehead. “I can do plenty of damage with a shoe.”

“Oh, I’m well aware.” His words are a whisper against my lips. “You are devastating, Pae.”

And then he’s scooping me into his arms.

I squeal in surprise, having been swept from the mattress. Blankets slide off my skin, slipping away from the silky sleepwear Ellie had set out for me. A strong hand cups the back of my knees while the other is wrapped around my bare shoulders. The heat of his body seeps through my thin pants and accompanying tank as I sling a steadying arm around his neck. “What—” He turns, causing me to pause my accusation as he casually steps across the fallen door. “What are you doing?”

“Stealing you away,” he says simply.

I open my mouth to protest, but his whispered words against my ear have me falling silent.

“Tonight, we pretend.”

Branches drag along the ground, encircling us in a leafy embrace.

Kai’s hand is firm around mine as he guides me beneath the weepy underside of the willow tree. Moonlight streams through thin branches, dappling the ground with slivers of silver light. At the center of it all lies a looming trunk, its roots clinging to the earth and rippling through the soft grass.

My palm slips from Kai’s when he suddenly sinks to the ground, sprawling atop it with a sigh. He doesn’t offer an explanation before sitting up and planting firm hands on my hips. I’m being pulled toward the grass before even getting the chance to protest.

Tangled in his arms, my body topples over him ungracefully. He embraces my clumsy descent, happily wrapping his arms tighter around me even after I’ve knocked the air from his lungs. I laugh, shoulders shaking from where I lie crookedly across his chest. At the rare sound, his calloused fingers tighten atop the thin fabric of my tank, catching on the silk.

My head leans against his. “This is most definitely not allowed.” He hums in question, the sound vibrating against my back. “Us being out here. Alone. In the dead of night.”

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