Page 33 of Hidden Kingdoms

Strong hands gripped my arms, pulling me from the tangled mess of blankets that were wrapped around my body, the scent of cedar and something deliciously sweet, sinking into my lungs.

Slowly, the fog that dreams inhabit began to clear. My body becoming my own enough to realise I was pressed against a hard, warm body that hadn’t been in my bed when I’d fallen asleep. A large hand cradled my face, holding me against a heart that was beating just slightly slower than my own. Soothing words spoke gently in a deep voice, and a thumb brushed against my cheek as magik passed over my skin.

I inhaled deeply, breathing in the intoxicating scent, feeling energy flow through me as my racing heart steadied with every passing moment.

I knew who this was. I just didn’t know why he was here, holding me.

Pain radiated from my throat, raw and burning. I lifted my hand weakly towards it, my screams must have been real. I couldfeel the heaviness of the nightmare still pulling at me, trying to drag me back.

“Open your eyes, Goldie. Don’t fall back in.” His voice commanded gently, though the grip on my face betrayed his urgency.

Obeying, my eyelids fluttered open to meet the stormy-grey gaze staring down at me fiercely.

“Good girl.” Our eyes met and he sighed in relief at whatever he found in them, rough fingers smoothing the hair from my face.

Kaius leaned closer, resting his forehead on mine and waves of dark hair fell forward, his beard brushing against my cheek. A new heat—one that had nothing to do with being burned alive—flooded through me.

I don’t know how long we stayed like that, pressed together with both our heartbeats slowing, almost in sync with one another’s. It could have been seconds or it could have been hours. I was completely enclosed in his arms, our breath mingling softly together.

I should want to push him away, flee from the cage he had me in, but I didn’t. Instead, my hand fisted into the soft top that clung to his body, holding him there. Keeping him with me.

The soothing repetition of his heartbeat pushed at the tendrils of dream that still reached for me, and as a soft clink of metal sounded somewhere near the door, his body tensed as he held me closer. Long eyelashes grazed my forehead as his eyes flew open, face skewed in anger as he took in the guard who had stepped into the doorway.

“Why didn’t you help her?” Kaius snarled, hands flexing against me as I was pressed into the hard planes of his body, tiny flickers of energy pulsing at every point our skin touched.

“We... we were told not to enter the room, my Lord!” The guard stuttered, his face paling as what I was sure was a growl rumbled from Kaius’ chest.

On instinct, I rested my hand flat against him, the growl softening to a purr under my fingertips.

What is going on right now? My Lord?

Stop questioning things, it’s nice being held like this.

“Get out,” he spat through gritted teeth. “And tell the Commander that I require a change of guard.”

Impossibly, the guard’s face paled even further, and he gulped a few times like he was about to say something before he thought better of it, meekly nodding before turning away.

Kaius moved his hand from my face, reaching towards the open door and small wisps of energy radiated from his fingertips as it swung closed softly, the latch clicking shut.

A frown pressed down his brow as he faced me, and I moved my hand to his cheek, enjoying the softness of his beard against my palm before his much larger one came to rest on mine. Turning his face into it, he drew in a long breath that ended on a heavy sigh before pulling back. Adjusting me so I was sitting back on the bed. I couldn’t help but stare at his inked hands as they encompassed mine.

Why do I not want to pull away?

“What happened?” he asked gently, and I looked up to find his eyes searching mine, anger melting away as he did.

Something told me he knew exactly what had happened, but he needed me to tell him myself. Out of habit, my free hand reached for the necklace that was no longer around my neck, fingers scrabbling for the chain before I remembered it wasn’t there. Kaius tracked my movements, another frown creasing his forehead momentarily before smoothing itself away.

Swallowing heavily through my raw throat, I croaked, “It was just a dream.”

I was unsure if I should trust him with what was going on in my mind because as much as I wanted him to wrap his arms around me, he was a stranger. A stranger that had kidnapped me and even if right now I wasn’t sitting in a dungeon chained to a wall, I was a prisoner nonetheless.

“How did you know?” It hurt to speak, pain radiating with each syllable spoken.

How long had I been screaming?

“I was walking down the corridor, and I heard you.”

I was deep in the palace; why would he have been anywhere near my room?

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