Page 97 of When Night Falls
"You're in my room." He reaches the side of the bed where he opens his palm to me, two little orange pills lay in the center and his other hand holds a glass of water.
"Your room?" I look between his open palm and his eyes, feeling nervous for some reason.
"You fainted. I think the sight of too much blood got to you. But Natasha is coming with a heated rag for your head, and you need to take the Aspirin." He pushes his hand toward me and I feel the ache in my head, so I don't hesitate a second longer.
I take the pills and pop them into my mouth and before I can grab the glass of water from Rivian, he tips it to my mouth for me.
"Open," he directs me, and I listen.
He slowly tips the water into my mouth allowing me to drink at my own pace. Every gulp of the fresh liquid that pours down my throat surprisingly cools the pain in my neck.
I pull away as he sets the glass down. But when he turns to look at me, he notices a little droplet of water escaping the corner of my mouth and he uses his thumb to clean it up,brushing the pad of his finger against my bottom lip in the process.
"Why am I in your room, Rivian? I didn't think I was allowed in here," I ask him.
"Who gave you that impression?" He walks over to the window and pulls the curtains open. The moonlight shines into his room creating an ethereal effect that makes the silver accents shimmer in the light.
"You did." I shift on his bed, feeling a little mousy just knowing that I'm touching something that is his—that I'm on his bed and in his private space. But it isn't lost on me that I also feel the heat building in my core at the thought.
I watch as he stands by the window and peers outside. I wonder what he's thinking. I hate that I can't read his mind like he can mine.
"You can just ask me what I'm thinking, Lucynda." Rivian doesn't even turn to look at me as he violates my head.
I want to rip into him, because I call bullshit.Why is he being so nice?But I'm feeling high tension because of the situation and part of me comes to my senses with the realization that he's probably only trying to help me right now. Though I'm still mad at his words earlier.
"Come in," Rivian says and I have to whip my head to the right to see who he's inviting in, not having heard anyone knock at the door.
It's Natasha and she’s carrying a small rag that puts off steam, a basket filled with things I can't see from here, and what looks like folded clothes. She sets everything down on the nightstand next to me before looking up at me and giving me a warm smile.
"You looked beautiful up there tonight," she tells me and something nostalgic slithers its way under my skin. I never knew my grandparents, but if I had a grandma, I imagine her to be likeNatasha. She's welcoming, and charming, and she cares about those around her.
I give her a polite smile back when Rivian finally turns back around.
"Thank you, Natasha," he says to her with his own polite smile.
I hardly see Rivian give a sincere or genuine smile. It's always laced with some kind of danger and mystery. But the smile he gives her warms me and paints him in another new light.
"Please inform Zharus that I am to be unbothered for the rest of the night and see to it that we are uninterrupted please. Thank you." He nods his head at her and she simply nods back before leaving the room, clicking the door shut behind her.
I try not to think about us being uninterrupted for the night, because I know what he means by that. So I think to ask him a question that might distract me instead. "Who's Zharus?"
"He's my Factotum. He was the one who stood by me at the ceremony." I can hardly remember what he looks like at this point; things seem a little fuzzy after I supposedly fainted.
“What’s a Factotum?” I move my mouth slowly, making sure I got the word right.
“Just a fancy title for someone's assistant, essentially,” he answers, still keeping his distance. “Since you were not born a Royal, one was not assigned to you but you will be appointed one soon.” The idea that I would have an assistant doesn’t sit right with me.
I already view Natasha as the essence of that, seeing as she does nearly everything for me already and I like her. And what if I don’t like who they appoint to me?
I don't ask much more about the subject, my nerves proving to be racing all over the place as I can't seem to focus on one thing.
"What's all this?" I ask as I watch Rivian walk around the bed to the nightstand.
He grabs the small rag that seems to be rolled up and then leans onto the bed. He places one palm on the back of my head and simply moves me down until my head touches the pillow. I don't even make a sound, I just let him do whatever it is he's doing because suddenly, the things I'm feeling are too much for me to grasp and I like the way his hand feels against my skull.
"I need to make sure you're up for this. Our night isn't done, Cyn." Rivian then unravels the rag slightly and I can see more steam waving around in the air. He then lowers the white cloth to my forehead and presses it gently.
I suddenly feel relief from my headache, closing my eyes and enjoying the way the heated rag takes away the pain I'd been suffering from.