Page 71 of Captive of the Stolen Empire

Magic retreated with a shiver as I let the illusion I’d been wearing all day fall. A small trail of sweat rolled down my back from keeping the precise vision in place for so long. Days on the road and weariness from the use of magic urged me to rest, but I pushed it away. Not yet. Not when Ilya finally let her guard down during the carriage ride.

“I think that’s it.” I brushed dust off the borrowed uniform. The coarse material still chafed at my skin, urging me to shed the unfamiliar attire. My lips quirked up. What a fit that would send her into.

As I turned to her, I expected anger. An outburst. Another demand for me to leave. Instead, her eyes held something that nearly stole my breath—pity.

“You truly don’t remember any of this?” she asked from where she still sat on the edge of the bed, her feet planted on the floor. The softness of her voice echoed the look she cast my way.

Maybe. Maybe not. I couldn’t be sure. “A coincidence. Anyone would hide a whisper hole behind a tapestry.” I lowered my voice, barely louder than the rush of wind that rattled the windowpane. “Speaking of, we should keep our voices down. Just in case.” I looked to the woven scene for emphasis as I crossed the room to her. “I’d imagine many people here would be eager to listen to anything you might say.”

Ilya craned her head back to stare at me as I neared. Something about that look, the challenge in her stiff posture, drew me closer until my boots nearly brushed hers. She reclined back, her palms pressing into the mattress to hold her upright. I leaned toward Ilya, narrowing the distance between us. “And even more curious about what you’d say to me,” I whispered. “Especially if they learned the name of the guard watching over you.”

She gasped as my legs brushed hers, but she didn’t move them. I planted my hands on either side of her atop the bed coverings, digging my fingertips in as I fought the urge to push her down and claim her lips with mine. That would earn an outburst for sure, and a knock to the head. The first would attract too much attention and the second…well, I wanted her coming at me with a different emotion. I pulled back, giving her space but never taking my eyes off the woman before me.

“It’s not just this room…” Ilya shook her head. “I tried to tell you earlier, but Lady Basilla recognized you. I saw it when we arrived.”

“Impossible. She’s never seen me without my armor.” I swallowed the sudden tightness in my throat.

“She looked at you like someone she knew. You didn’t notice her watching you?”

I had. The woman’s glances lingered too long and too often. Of course, Ilya with her perceptive gaze would have picked up on it. “That doesn’t mean anything.”

“Deny it all you want, but you saw Lord Stefan’s eyes. I’ve only seen one other person who shares that rare hue.” Ilya shimmied off the edge of the bed and stood before me.

My heart rate picked up as she drew near, barely a handsbreadth away.

She prodded me in the chest with her finger. “You.”

So close. By The Four, I barely heard her words with the way the dim, flickering light accented her face and sparkled in her eyes.

A sharpyipescaped her lips as I slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her to me. Her hair tickled my skin as I leaned into the side of her face despite her pushing against my chest. Each move and twist of her body had her scent invading my nose, my body thrumming with desire. “I’m not from here, Ilya,” I whispered, lips barely grazing her ear. “I told you that. Whatever you’re thinking, it can’t be true.”

“You won’t even consider it. If you only took a moment—” She shoved me.

I released her. “And what? Assume all my memories are a lie?”

“Not all of them. But maybe some are missing? You were a child, who knows what illusions your mind created to help you cope with—” She grew silent as I placed a finger over her lips.

The intimate touch sent a shiver down my spine. So soft and delicate.

I leaned in again, body taut with emotion. “My magic creates illusions. Not my mind.”

“If you’re not going to listen, then why are you here? Go away and let me rest.” She didn’t hide the bitter edge lacing her voice.

She was still angry with me about her friends, but I couldn’t change that now. I could only hope to re-earn her trust and affections. If today were any indication, I’d need them. I wanted them, wanted her.

I stifled a groan as her lips pulled into a frown and her eyes grew cold. Why couldn’t I desire a less willful woman? “I’m sleeping in here, just in case you or someone else try something unadvisable.”

She crossed her arms, her foot tapping on the woven rug. “Well, I hope you enjoy the floor.”

The bitter rejection painted a grin on my face. “The bed is big enough for two.”

Her eyes widened. A hint of color rose to her cheeks before she looked away. “I’d sooner sleep with a snake.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any of those available to grace your sheets. At least I don’t bite. Unless you ask very nicely.”

Her blush deepened, stirring the desire building in my loins. Teasing her pushed away my worries and confusion, let them flee to the recesses of my mind while a more pleasant diversion took center stage.

“We do need rest.” I faked a yawn before tugging off the stiff jacket and starting on the row of buttons running down the front of the borrowed shirt. “Do you plan to sleep like that or will you be changing?” I arched a brow at her before eyeing the dressing screen, carved and painted to resemble a pine forest.

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