Page 31 of Shadow Kissed
The Innkeepers’ eyes flare in recognition when he spots my lilac eyes. “It is an honour to have a Shadow Kissed stay with us. I will fetch Nyra. She will attend to your every need during your stay, miss.”
“I don’t need a maid,” I protest, frowning at Raegal. I offer an apologetic smile to the innkeeper.
“Nonsense. A Shadow Kissed female without a maid! Who heard of such absurdity! Nyra!” he bellows, rushing back inside the inn and barking out orders to his staff inside.
I wrinkle my brow in confusion. “Their Shadow Kissed have maids here?”
Raegal nods his head, watching my reaction. “As all chosen ones should.”
“You said your room before.” I fold my arms across my chest. “I refuse to sleep in the same room as you. It’s inappropriate. People will talk.”
He smirks in amusement and tilts his head. “Tell me, what will the people think?”
I flush red, annoyed, as he knows full well what I mean. “They will think you are bedding me!” I whisper-hiss, looking around to make sure no one can hear me.
He continues to smirk and steps into my personal space. “Firstly, I don’t bed Asen’s. Your kind doesn’t appeal to me. And secondly, I’m a respected Lord Commander. No one woulddare question my honour in my duty to protect and respect the dignity of a Shadow Kissed female.”
I gulp, feeling unnerved by his closeness. His words cut through me. His dislike of Asen women is clear. “Oh, I see. Asen women aren’t good enough for someone like you.”
He smirks again and tugs gently on a lock of my unruly blonde curls. “Oh, little terror, none of your kind could cope with the demands of my shadows during sex.”
My cheeks flush a deep crimson. I’m at a loss for words and search for some witty and sarcastic response.
“Cat got your tongue, little Asen.” He grins wider and chuckles to himself as he walks away from me. I stand there and take in a steadying breath. Is it hot out here? Once I’ve got over the shock of his words and their implications, my anger returns. Anger at myself that I let him unnerve me and render me speechless.
Nyra is a sweet girl around four years my junior, who does everything she can to serve me despite my protests. She prepares me a warm and inviting bath and I sink into the metal tub and close my eyes.
“Should I help you wash, miss?” she asks me, hovering by the side of the tub.
I open one eye to see her and shake my head. “No thank you, I’ll be fine. I can bathe myself.”
I watch as she bobs her head and disappears out of the room, informing me she’ll fetch me food up from the kitchen.
I close my eyes again and enjoy the warmth of the water on my aching thighs and back. Riding horseback is tiring and my muscles ache in protest. I wash myself and pause when I run the cloth down my arm and over the small black mark. I rub at it, but it still won’t budge. Frustrated, I rest my head on the tub andclose my eyes. This is pure bliss after a day of travel. I sigh in contentment and smile when I feel a slither of warmth travel up my left leg. The warmth strokes up my body until it reaches my throat, and I gasp when it grips my neck, forcing my eyes to fly open. Black smoky shadows wind their way up my body and are holding me by my throat.
“Mine!” a sinister voice says. I duck my head under the water and when I come up, I look down at my body, expecting to see the shadows, but there is nothing here. I shake my head. Did I just imagine that? It felt so real. Clearly the day’s travel has befuddled my brain and I’m seeing things that aren’t there! I stand up in the tub and reach for the towel Nyra has left for me, wrapping it around my body. I walk over to the door and step into the small bedroom.
“Nyra, where are my clothes?”
I falter in my steps when I realise it’s not Nyra in the room but Raegal. He’s sitting in the large armchair by the fire. I gasp when I see him and for a moment, his eyes appear completely black.
“Oh, I didn’t know you were in here,” I say, flustered. Aware that I’m covered in nothing but a towel that only hits mid-thigh. His dark eyes trail down my body and it’s as if his eyes scorch me as they make their journey.
“Nyra will be back soon. She has taken some clothing from your bag and left them there for you.” He gestures with his head towards the bed. “How was your bath?” he asks me, his dark eyes glistening from the light of the fire.
“Warm and soothing. Shouldn’t you be busy doing Lord Commander stuff or something?”
When he doesn’t answer, I look over at him and find his eyes on me with a brow lifted. “Even Lord Commander’s need downtime.”
I scoff. “I thought you had vigorous stamina.” I refer to his earlier gloating about his bedding skills.
“It’s a dangerous thing to challenge a man regarding his stamina when standing by his bed in nothing but a towel,” he warns, his voice laced with unspoken promises. I scuttle away from the bed, and he laughs. He has the audacity to laugh. Frowning, I watch him. I’ve never seen him laugh so freely before. It is both an unsettling and a pleasurable sight. I slam the bathroom door behind me, and he’s still chuckling to himself. Damn him and his shadows!
Still cursing him, I get dressed and after my fifth attempt to fasten up my corset, I give up and fling it across the room. Nyra chooses this moment to enter, and she looks from me to my corset on the floor with uncertain eyes.
“Miss, is everything okay?”
I huff out a breath. Glancing into the room behind her. “Is he still out there?”