Page 12 of Chasing the Night
Near the door, a large wooden triangle was suspended from the wall. An interesting and scary array of wooden and leather devices caused me to suck in a deep breath. Before I could expel it, Ender reached through the door and snatched ahold of my sweater. He pulled me out and shut the door with a laugh.
“What… that was,” I stammered, not really brave enough to ask.
“Messiah’s room… Never mind.” He laughed guiltily and massaged his brow with his palm while we crossed a short but lovely fenced in courtyard. A picture of Blazian and the Spice Lander from the docks hung near the door.
“Ah. Here. This one is all you.” He announced.
The door opened, bathing us in the glow of an impressive hearth. It was so large it took up a third of the length of the room and proved tall enough for me to walk into—if I ducked my head.
The lure of the room pulled a sigh from me. I gravitated toward an elegant, stuffed-to-the-max, royal blue and gold sofa. It was the perfect choice of color. The gold lining and embroidery caught the glow of the fire and gave the piece an exclusive appeal. I felt compelled to run my hand down the length of the tufted back.
“It was imported from the Spicelands for Isabella. Most unfortunate, as she prefers a purple-wine hue, so it has been here on display unused ever since,” he confessed on a whisper.
It was mine. And it was brand new? Fuck. For a moment I felt light headed. It was a dream. It had to be.
Ender moved slowly, sensually, like a cat. He stretched his long, toned body across the sofa and propped himself up on an elbow, so close we were a breath from touching.
Reality snapped back, and I turned to flee.
“You belong here,” he quickly offered before rocking up to a sitting position and claiming my wrist. The moment he caught it, he loosened his grip apologetically and tilted his head so that he could look up into my eyes. “I know that much. What I don’t know is, what is a girl like you doing with enough Nirvana Root to see ten men hanged?”
My heart stopped, and the world turned to ice around me. He wasn’t joking. He was the physician, and I had swindled his pocket book.
I blinked and moved my lips but nothing sensible spilled from them. His finger came up to rest against his mouth like it was our secret.
The door flew open, banging against the wall so hard it caused Ender to fly off the sofa and me to bump into the tea table. The twin vases clinked together and danced for the table’s edge. Reverie caught them before they fell, already babbling and laughing.
She turned with a sigh toward the area Ender had been standing, but he was already gone.
“Damn him,” she exclaimed softly. “He never sticks around to say goodbye.”