Page 36 of Hearts on Fire
He carried a tray with a steaming bowl on it.
“Mushroom soup for your midday meal.” He beamed, joining me by the window.
I drew in the air flavored with the fragrant steam from the bowl. “Mmm, it smells good.”
He kicked a floor cushion closer to the window, then sat next to me and placed the tray in my lap.
“It tastes amazing, too.”
The pride with which he said that prompted me to clarify, “You didn’t cook it yourself, did you?”
“No. But I supervised. And gave a lot of instructions.”
“I’m sure the cook loved you for it,” I quipped.
“As long as the result is worth it.” He dipped a painted wooden spoon into the bowl, then attempted to feed me.
I laughed, taking the spoon from him. “Thank you, but I’ll manage.”
As my body recovered, my strength had been returning, too. I could walk without holding on to the wall now. And I certainly could hold a spoon without my hand shaking from strain.
“Aw.” He made a face. “I kind of miss the times when you needed me to feed you.”
I just shook my head at that, focusing on eating my soup without spilling.
It didn’t escape me that Elex made sure I had soup every day. Gargoyles mostly preferred solid foods. Bread, grains, richly seasoned meats, candied fruit, and roasted vegetables were common in the castle. But since I had a hard time eating and keeping down most of those while recovering, Elex noticed I fared better with mildly flavored liquid meals. He’d been terrorizing the kitchen staff with his daily requests for soup ever since.
“Oh, Elex, you’ve outdone yourself with this one.” I smacked my lips, savoring the hearty flavors of wild mushrooms with grains.
“Really?” He grabbed my wrist, stealing a spoonful of the soup from me. “Not bad.” He nodded with approval.
The breeze from the window played in his thick, wavy hair. The ivory fabric of his caftan complemented his darker skin so well. Sunshine danced in his onyx eyes. He was so breathtakingly beautiful, it made my heart ache.
Since he was still holding my wrist, I pulled it my way, bringing him closer.
“Thank you.” I kissed the tip of his nose. “Thank you for everything.”
He moved my braid behind my back over my shoulder, looking a little awkward. “Just get better, Amber. And stay better. I can’t stand seeing you sick.”
He released my arm, letting me finish my soup. My braid fell over my shoulder again, draping over my chest. I still hadn’t gotten completely used to having long hair. It was weird, but in a nice way. I loved the color, the shine, the length… Except that the shine had dulled lately. After all the sweating and thrashing during my fever, I felt like the sickness was clinging to me no matter how hard I tried to wash it off using a cloth and the water feature in the bathroom.
“I wish I could take a shower.”
Elex climbed to his feet. “I’ll take you to the water caves.”
I shook my head. “People will see me walking through the castle.”
We couldn’t let anyone see me. All this time, I’d been hiding in Elex’s room. He’d asked Mother not to speak of me to anyone. The women kindly kept my secret. The king hadn’t asked about me yet, and I hoped he never would. For him, I was just another faceless red robe, and I wanted to keep it that way. But if people saw me strolling through the castle, accompanied by the king’s favorite, there would be questions.
I sighed with regret. “I can’t go.”
“I’ll take you that way.” He gestured at the window.
“We’ll fly?”
He grinned, taking his caftan off. “Of course we’ll fly.”
Now he was wearing only a pair of thin cotton pants that left little to the imagination. They were even more scandalous than the sweatpants I’d made him wear back in my world.