Page 5 of A Bond of Ice and Glass
And that dream… the kiss… his voice… Washethe Dragon King? No, he can’t be.
“You had me worried for a second there.” Nymala’s voice carries over to me. I follow the direction and watch her pullthe navy drapes aside. More sunlight floods through the window and fills the room around me. “Thought you’d died on us for good this time.” She turns to face me, her thin brows threaded together. “How do you feel?”
“Wonderful,” I force out in a scratched voice.
My hoarse voice feels like I haven’t used my vocal cords in weeks.
Nymala snorts at my reply. “I would feel like shit too if I’d spent two days in bed.”
I blink at her, unsure if I heard correctly. “Twodays?”
“Yup. You were completely out of it,” she says. Her frown softens somewhat. “Had the place in an uproar, worried about you. I told them all to cool it. You just needed to rest.”
Guilt rushes over me. “I’m sorry. The last thing I want to be is a burden to anyone.”
Especially to Lochlan. He’s already done so much for me.
I glance down at the bedsheets clinging to my body, still flushed from the dream, and swallow the saliva gathered at the back of my throat. A thick metallic taste coats the surface of my tongue. What is that…? Blood?
Nymala walks around the bed and picks up a cup from the bedside table. “It’s their job to look after you. Trust me. They’d rather be fussing over you than doing their usual work.”
She hands me the cup and then leans against the bedpost. Her dark eyes follow the movement of the cup lifting to my mouth.
“My throat feels like I’ve been sucking on desert rocks,” I say before taking a sip of the water. The sip turns into huge gulps that drain the cup in only a few seconds. Every droplet that hits my throat continues to make it burn, scratching it like I’ve swallowed a bunch of tiny razors.
Nymala huffs through her nose in a laugh. “Yeah, you can thank Magra for that. The old bat’s barely left your side.She insisted on pouring those awful potions down your throat despite my expert advice.”
I set the cup down on the table. “You’re a healer too?”
There’s a flicker of hesitation before she replies. “I dabble. At least, I used to.” She pushes off the post, and I get the sense she doesn’t want to talk about her magic. “Breakfast is over, but I grabbed you a plate. Figured if you hadn’t in fact died, you’d be hungry.”
She lifts the lid off a silver tray sitting on the table across the room.
“Some pastries, fruit, and strawberry parfait. Eggs, too, in case you liked those. I can have the cook prepare something else, if you’d rather something else?”
I shake my head quickly. “No, that sounds delicious. Thank you.”
She nods and sets the lid next to the tray. “I’d join you if I hadn’t already stuffed my gullet. Plus, I have some work to do, but I’ll be back to help you get ready.”
“Ready for what?” I ask, slowly lifting myself up.
“Master Lochlan was hoping to take you into the village, if you were feeling up to it. I did warn him you’d possibly still be too tired. He’s been clucking outside the room ever since he couldn’t wake you.” A wry grin stretches over her red lips. “If he were a bird, he’d have plucked himself bald.” Nymala glances at me, and there’s something indiscernible in her gaze. Something I can’t really make out. “I’ve never seen Lochlan protective over someone before.”
For some reason, the words make my heart.
I carefully throw my legs over the side of the bed. “Loch’s always been protective over me, ever since the convent.”
We were all each other had, both of our worlds torn apart and the broken pieces thrust together. I never would’ve survived theconvent if it hadn’t been for Lochlan. I just don’t want to worry him anymore…
Nymala watches me stand up, and opens her mouth to speak. She closes it when there’s a sudden knock on the door. A rapid, impatienttap, tap, tap. She sighs and flicks her hair over her shoulders.
“The princess isn’t ready ye?—”
The door swinging open cuts Nymala off. Lochlan storms into the room, dressed in full regalia. The ebony cloak draped over his shoulders sways around him as he comes to an abrupt halt in the middle of the room. A huge smile lights up his face the moment he looks at me—one I can’t help but mirror back at him. I’ve never seen Lochlan so beautifully dressed before. The way his clothes fall off his lean body, fitting him perfectly. Strong and lithe, so different from the rags I’m used to him wearing. In these clothes, Lochlan looks every bit the master of the house.
“Lena, how… when did you…” His beautiful smile fades as he turns his sharp, narrowed eyes onto Nymala. “I thought I told you to come for me once she woke up!”
Nymala keeps her eyes on him but slightly lowers her head.
