Page 83 of Claimed By the Fae Lord

“Yes. Sorry.” I turned on the shower to hide the noise of doing my business on the toilet.

Yes, definitely weird.

Glancing at the door, where he stood with his back to me, I quickly undressed and slipped into the stall. The water cascaded down, washing away the grime and sweat, and soothing my muscles.

I finished as quickly as I could and traded places with him, passing close to his body in the robe he’d removed from me just last night. It felt like weeks had gone by.

“Don’t leave the doorway,” he said from behind me.

“I know.”

“I put your nightgown and panties on the table next to you.”

He’d picked out my underwear? Don’t go there, Raina. He’s doing his job.

Yeah, but he wants more than to just do his job, an inner voice snapped back. I didn’t argue with myself. I wanted more, too. I just wasn’t ready to say it aloud.

By the time I was dressed, he was out of the shower and telling me it was safe to turn around. I laughed nervously, then crawled under the covers.

Restless, I stared at the ceiling above as Liam went around and extinguished the fae lanterns and candles. He left the curtains partly open, allowing just enough moonlight for me to see his silhouette.

The sheets were cool against my skin, a small comfort compared to the heat that seemed to radiate from Liam's body as he soon joined me, maintaining a foot of distance like a tangible barrier.

"Do you still want to know about Blómhaus?" he asked, hesitant yet probing.

I turned to face him. "Only if you're willing to share.”

Liam shifted, tucking his hands behind his head. "I built it because I wanted us to have something that was just ours. Away from Thornewood and its obligations. A place where you wouldn't feel tethered to the castle."

His words began painting a picture in my mind of a life that had been within reach.

"I wanted you to have somewhere to go, somewhere that wasn’t Snowfall, away from all your parents’ bullshit," he continued, his voice laced with a yearning that resonated deep within me, "where you knew my family would always be there for you. To help with anything you needed in the event I couldn’t get away from my duties. Or worse."

I swallowed hard, feeling the old ache in my chest stir. He had attempted to craft a future for me. For us.

"Thank you," I whispered, the words thick in my throat. "For wanting to give that to me."

His elbows lifted like he was shrugging. “When we would have been ready to create life, I thought I might offer to move us into Blómhaus to raise our family away from royal life.”

“Wh-what?” I stuttered. “You would have left Nox?”

“I think I would have done anything you asked of me.”

Hearing that hurt.Gods, how it hurt!

Behind my eyes, my life was playing on repeat at the speed of light. Then a memory niggled.

“You built Blómhaus after … everything happened?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“The plans had already been done so I went ahead with it. It was almost a compulsion. Some part of me held onto the idea that you would forsake your family and come running back, that in the end, no matter what, we would be together.”

Before my throat constricted further, I told him, “I’m sorry.”

Liam rolled to his side, now facing me. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, too. Sorry for my behavior. My words. Every wound I inflicted.”

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