Page 76 of Raven's Dawn

The room was spectacular.

Not that I had expected anything less than that from Caeda.

In the center, a king-size bed took up most of the walking space. Four spindles stood tall at its corners, holding up crimson drapes. What felt like a thousand pillows were piled up at the top, adorned with a deep purple comforter and several throw blankets.

To the left, two glass doors let in light from the outside. A little balcony perched beyond them, overflowing with greenery. Several more windows lined the walls, leading to a door on the far right. It was wooden, adorned with sparkling gems of a thousand hues. Inside, the room resembled the bathroom in our cabin at Iliantha’s castle. Two streams ran through it, one heading straight for the deep bowl carved into the Elvan ore ground.

I had never been so excited for a bath in my life.

I took it alone. Also basked in the size of it. It was what we would consider a small hot tub on Earth. I never realized I needed so much space, but now that I’d had it, I made a mental note to ask Warren about getting one installed at Copperfield House. I could practically swim in the thing.

Graham must have used a neighboring room’s bathroom, because when I came out, he was already laying in bed. Damp hair resting against the pillow, smelling of flowers and honey, he smiled at me. “There she is. I swore you drowned in there.”

“I could have. Almost fell asleep in the tub.” My tone wasn’t as playful as his. Climbing in the bed beside him, I continued. “I don’t know why I thought it would be less relaxing in there, because that was the best bath of my life.”

“Aye, the tubs at home have nothing on these.” Pushing some hair from my face, his smile dissipated. “You mad at me, lass?”

“No.” That was a lie, and we both knew it.

He frowned.

“Okay, yeah. A little bit.” I pulled one of the throw blankets over my body. Caeda had left us nightgowns in the bathroom, but this thing was sheer. I may as well have been naked. “And at your stupid friend. And at you for not telling me she was a lesbian.”

He snorted a laugh. “Why did I need to tell you she was a lesbian?”

“Because I thought she was in love with you the whole time we’ve been here. And part of me worried that you were in love with her too. So I’ve been walking around feeling insecure over nothing. But it wasn’t nothing. Because she’s mean. She hates me. She’s mean for no fucking reason. No, she does have a reason. But it’s not a good reason. And it’s the same reason that I’m mad at you.”

The barest hint of a smile teased the corners of his lips.

“Fine. Laugh at me. Laugh at me, and figure out why I’m mad at you on your own.” I started to roll over, but he caught my arm.

Gently, he rolled me back to face him. “I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you. You’re just cute when you’re mad.”

“I’m not cute. I’m beautiful, or I’m gorgeous, or I’m sexy, but I’m not fucking cute, damn it.”

He softened his eyes. There was no humor in his voice nor his expression as he reached out for my cheek. Gingerly stroking a piece of hair behind my ear, he said, “You are beautiful.” He came in for a kiss. “And gorgeous.” He kissed my cheek. “And sexy.” He kissed my neck. “But I have the feeling this isn’t about cuteness.”

For a man who could read minds, he sure was clueless.

“It’s about the way you’ve treated me since we got here.” I pulled back to look at him, resting a hand on his waist. “Like I don’t have any idea what I’m doing. Like I’m a little kid, and I need someone to rescue me. I don’t, Graham. I love you, I love you with everything I have, but ever since Jake has been around again, you’re treating me like I’m a kid. You’re acting the way you did when we were teenagers. It’s like he’s encouraging you to do it, and I feel like I’m going to lose my shit. Between you, him, and Amara, I just —” I cut myself off with a sharp inhale. Shaking my head, I released it slowly. “I just need you on my team.”

“I’m always on your team, mo stoirín.” Voice soft, he cupped my cheek in his hand. “I know you’re not a little kid, but I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel immature or incompetent. But yesterday, at the cave, I told you how proud I was. I didn’t think that that would bother you.”

“That didn’t. But the way you talked about things when we first got here, and then again when Amara said that I shouldn’t go in, and you agreed with her.” Searching for the words, I shook my head. “I get that she is a colonel in the army here. I get that you guys have tons of history that I never will with you. But I’m your soulmate. If she’s talking down on me, you should stand up for me. Same goes for Jake. My opinion should come above theirs when it is something that concerns me. I’m not saying we can’t disagree, on stupid things, and even important ones, but this was about me, and you agreed with them.”

“I didn’t—” He stopped himself. Holding my gaze for a moment, he nodded slowly. “I didn’t mean to, but I get what you’re saying. You’re right. I just… There’s something about Jake. He’s around, and then I feel like I did back then. He was never a good leader, but he did. He led our little group. Led us straight into chaos, and I know that I shouldn’t let him influence me, but it’s not that simple. I’ll make more of a conscious effort, though. I promise I will.”

“I appreciate that.” Finding his hand, I twined our fingers together. “But I need you to acknowledge the other half of this. The fact that I don’t need you to protect me constantly. I know you did, many times, but I’m not that girl anymore.”

“It feels to me like what you really want is for me to make sure that I don’t belittle you.” He brought our hands to his lips and kissed the back of my knuckles. “And even though I never meant to, I’ll make sure that I don’t ever again. But if you want me to stop protecting you, you’ll have to kill me. I’m always going to be behind you, Rain. I’m always going to do my best to keep you safe. But I’ll try to make sure I don’t do it in a way that makes you feel incapable.”

I didn’t realize that could have been phrased any better, but he hit the nail on the head.

It was never that I didn’t want his help. It was just that I needed him to understand that I was capable of more than he believed I was.

After untangling our fingers, I held out my pinky. “Promise?”

He smiled, leaned in, and kissed me slowly. “Promise.”