Page 44 of Rising Out of the Darkness
As I tried my best not to smile, I slipped my arm through hers and lifted her upright. We had gone through two bottles of wine at dinner, and I was pretty sure she’d drunk the majority of it. On top of that, she’d barely eaten anything. I made a note to make sure she drank water tonight.
“Don’t think I didn’t hear you back there laughing at me, oh great Lord of Shadows.” She turned and shoved her dainty little finger into my chest. “Oww!” Her freckled nose crinkled as she glared at me. “What’s underneath there, armor?”
“Muscles,” I deadpanned.
She slapped her palm against her forehead with so much vigor that it echoed inside the tiny hallway. Another little chip of my heart chipped away at the sight of her hunched over in a fit of contagious giggles. The sound alone spread like rays of sunshineall over my body. I peeled her hand away from her face and used it to guide her towards our room.
Making it to the door, I fumbled with the stubborn old lock. No matter how many times I twisted it, the lock wouldn’t budge. Elena wobbled over and slumped against the door just as the lock clicked.
It swung wide open, and both of us toppled onto the floor. A meek groan rang out from underneath me, where Elena now resided.
“Your muscles are squishing me,” she wheezed, and I couldn’t help but chuckle as I rolled off her and stood up.
Laughter had been a foreign concept for me lately. It had been a while since my cheeks had hurt from smiling so much. This wide-eyed inferno who was staring at me from the floor was melting the frozen façade I’d been building for years.
Grabbing her hands, I lifted her up and helped her over to the bed. Next to the side table there was a ceramic pitcher and two cups. Lifting the pitcher, I filled a full glass of water and held it in front of her. “Drink.”
She raised her hand to her head in a salute. “Yes, sir,” she mimicked as she drained her cup.
The heat from her lingering stare burned into my side as I refilled the cup and handed it back to her. Her eyes stayed locked on me the entire time, and I got lost in them. When she finally came up for air, my bottom lip slid between my teeth as bead of water fell down the slope of her neck to the depths below.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Mesmerized, I tracked her fingers as they smoothed over her soft lips and wiped the remaining dampness from her neck. Heat pulsed up and down my body.Gods.
Elena was a temptress, and she didn’t even know. I tried to erase the forbidden thoughts that swirled inside my head.
“Declan, there’s only one bed.” Her whisper was full of anxiousness.
Closing the distance between me and her where she sat on the bed, I leaned into her, watching her eyes go wild as she fell back against the headboard. My arm slid over her, and delight sparked my dynamis at the sound of her breath hitching as I did.
“Dec—I…” she whispered, he breath brushing against the side of my cheek.
My fingers curled around the pillow next to her and I pulled it with me as I stepped backwards, distancing myself from the bed and her. “I know, Elena, that’s why I’ll be sleeping on the floor.”
The rosy flush that was beginning to be one of my favorite sights warmed her cheeks, making her freckles stand out even more. As she nodded, I grabbed a spare wool blanket from the foot of the bed and began to build a makeshift bed on the floor.
Just as I kicked off my boots and crawled under the sheets, the bed frame creaked beside me. Two aqua eyes peered down from me from the edge of the bed, and unbraided auburn waves dangled around her face.
“You’ve been riding all day, and that floor looks miserably hard.” She scowled at the floorboards. “Please, let me switch with you.”
“Absolutely not.” I rolled over and tucked the scratchy woolen blanket around me.
She must be crazy if she thought I would let her spend even a second on this hard floor when she didn’t need to. A huff fluttered over me, followed by a heavy sigh and even more rustling.
“What are you doing up there? Go to slee?—”
Another balled-up blanket crashed into my face before I could finish my sentence.
“Stop being so grouchy and take the extra blankets at least.” Elena smiled sweetly before she crawled underneath the covers. Inwardly, I smiled at the kind gesture that was rolled up inside of an insult. One of the many reasons this woman intrigued me.
Exhaustion ached everywhere, including my mind. With a heavy sigh, I allowed myself to fall asleep. Any worries I had were just going to have to wait a few more hours.
Elena
Sleep evaded me as I lay restless staring at the beams of the ceiling. Just like every night, my thoughts had spiraled into a tangled web in my mind and I was struggling to find my way out.
With each thought, my chest became heavy and the familiar fear prickled all over my body. It was an uncomfortable itch that no matter how hard I tried, I could never scratch. Trapped, I lay there and tried to fight against it.
I replayed the past few days in my mind, and the fear spiked even more. Even with my eyes closed, my mind replayed the events in vivid detail.
