Page 39 of The Dragon King's Curse
“There’s only one bed,” I said, as if that wasn’t obvious. “One of us will have to sleep on the floor.”
Noxx closed and locked the door behind us. Tossing the key onto the night table, he began to strip off his clothes, starting with his shirt. “Have you lost your mind, princess? After sleeping in the forest, I am not sleeping on this hard floor. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Fine. Then I’ll sleep on the floor.” I abruptly averted my gaze as he stripped down completely. This man had absolutely no shame.
“You won’t be doing any such thing. We’ll both sleep in the bed and we’ll damn well enjoy it.” Motioning to the attached washroom facilities, he asked, “Would you like to clean up first? Of course we can always clean up together.”
I pulled the sword off my back, leaning it against the wall near the bed. “Not on your life. You’re already half naked. You might as well go first.”
Doing my best not to ogle his perfectly chiseled tattooed body, I wandered over to the window and looked out. The sky was littered with stars. The almost full moon cast a silver glow over the town. One lone man walked down the street carrying a lantern.
Noxx retreated to the washroom, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I could hardly wait to get out of these clothes and get cleaned up. Unable to remain on my feet any longer, I sat heavily on the edge of the bed. The mattress sank beneath me. Soft and welcoming.
Noxx and I had already slept next to one another in the forest. Twice. Yet something about the bed scared the shit out of me. There was an intimacy there that had been absent in the forest. What if he tried something? What if I let him?
Now that we were out of the Shadow Realm, there was no need to remain together. I could stay in town and send word to my family from here. They would come for me. Noxx could then continue on to the Fire Realm without me.
That would be for the best. We’d spent more than enough time together. Enough to cloud my judgement and leave me confused every time he looked at me with those piercing gold eyes. Remaining with Noxx was dangerous.
A knock at the door jarred me from my thoughts. Hurrying to the door, I cracked it open enough to see a human man holding a stack of clothing. A second man held large pitchers of water and alcohol.
I allowed them to place the items on the small table just inside the doorway. Feeling bad that I didn’t have any money to give them, I offered them one of the remaining daggers we carried. They kindly refused.
No doubt they knew exactly who Noxx and I were. If word got out that the two of us were travelling together, it would soon get back to the fae. They probably had people in this town. Spies for the king.
Noxx emerged from the washroom, his hair wet, smelling of soap. A towel had been slung around his hips, drawing my eye to the perfect V that disappeared beneath it.
“Good. The liquor has arrived. Gods know I could use a stiff one.” He sauntered over to the table and poured himself a large drink. “Join me for a drink?”
“Maybe after. I need to get cleaned up. I never thought I would be this excited about bathing.” Leaving him to enjoy himself, I let myself into the washroom, closing the door firmly behind me.
The soapy scent of Noxx hung on the air. I breathed it in deep, cursing myself for the way I savored it. I made use of the facilities and immediately ran myself a warm bath. Sinking into the water felt like paradise after all I’d been through. I scrubbed myself several times, doing all I could to wash away the prison and the journey through the fae forest.
Being able to wash my long hair was a dream of its own. I stayed in the tub until the water cooled and I almost fell asleep. Standing before the mirror, I dragged a brush through my hair, carefully working through it from bottom to top. That’s when I realized I’d forgotten to bring the fresh clothing into the washroom with me.
I wrapped a clean towel around my body and cracked the door open. “Noxx? Will you please pass me some clothing?”
His wicked chuckle preceded his response. “No need to be shy, princess. I’m sure you’ve got a killer body. Come on out and have a drink with me.”
“Are you going to give me some clothing or not?” I snapped, my face flaming.
“Not. Trot your sweet ass out here and get it yourself.” Amusement laced his tone.
“I’m going to throw this hairbrush at your head,” I threatened.
“You make an awful lot of violent threats. Why do you always want to hurt me? I’m the one with the elven curse, remember?” The amusement in his voice turned bitter.
With an exasperated sigh, I clutched the towel tight around me and exited the washroom. Noxx lounged on the bed wearing only a pair of clean pants and nothing else, black wings stretched out beneath him. He clutched a cup in one hand. His eyes followed me as I crossed the room to the stack of clothing on the table.
“Why do you work so hard to drive me crazy? I think that’s the real question.” Keenly aware of his watchful stare, I gathered the clean tunic and pants. Thankfully, they hadn’t brought me a dress.
“Honestly, I don’t work all that hard. You do half the work for me.” He patted the bed next to him. “Come. Sit. Have a drink with me.”
“I think I’d like to get dressed. Nothing good will come of us drinking together. Knock yourself out.” I turned to go back to the washroom. Drinking with Noxx would lead to some incredibly bad decisions. I didn’t want to part ways with him carrying more regret than I already had.
Noxx bounded off the bed before I reached the washroom. He’d left his drink on the night table. Strong hands gripped my bare shoulders as he spun me around and pressed me against the wall.
“What are you so afraid of, Feryn?” Leaning in close, he breathed deeply, the act of a predator with prey.
