Page 38 of Forgotten Fate

“Goodnight, Princess,” he replied, and I felt him lie down next to me. A few inches of space separated us, yet I could still feel his presence against my back.

I fell asleep fairly quickly, but the pleasure of rest did not last long. I woke five or six times within the first hour. Each moment I opened my eyes, the fire grew smaller. My wet clothes still clung to my skin, and I found myself shivering. Then suddenly, a warmth radiated through me as a strong arm reached around my waist, and my back pressed into a firm body.

The warmth immediately soothed my trembling body, and I finally fell into a deep, restful sleep. Dreams began dancing behind my closed eyes.

I dreamt of Magda and Gabriel embracing one another. They looked into each other’s eyes in silent conversation, the two of them moving in slow motion while the world spun around them at high speed. They then kissed long and passionately. Then the dream repeated, only this time the pair was replaced with myself and Elias.

My eyes shot open, but I didn’t dare move. It was a dream. Kissing Elias wasn’t real. But instead of waking up feeling relieved that it was only a dream, I felt…disappointed.

The heat coming from behind me was heavenly. It took me a moment in my sleepy state to realize its source. I felt the slow, even breaths of Elias as his chest moved against my upper back. He was definitely asleep. At what point in the night did he start holding me like this? Was it intentional, or did he do it in his sleep, forced by the small proximity to each other?

I managed to slowly angle my body towards him, careful not towake him. A lock of his dark hair stuck to his forehead, still damp from the rain. I slowly reached up to brush it out of the way, unsure why I wanted to get a clear look at his face.

Then I watched him. I watched his chest move with his breaths. I watched the corner of his mouth slightly twitch as he slept. I noted the strong jawline under his stubble. Noted the small dimple that formed on his cheek when his jaw clenched. Noted the way his dark hair had more of a wave to it when it was wet. Noted that he smelled like pine and sandalwood and rain in all the best ways.

I observed him for a long moment before realizing what was even happening…

I was falling for him.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Idrifted into consciousness, not quite yet remembering where I was. I was so groggy that I could barely even recallwhoI was.

Or who I was with.

Like the memories of my childhood, everything felt like a blur. My tired eyes refused to open and accept the morning light. My head was resting on something warm and firm, but quite comfortable. Then I realized whatever it was that brought me so much comfort was moving. With my eyes still shut, I stirred and reached up with my uninjured arm to try and figure out what I was lying on. I felt around with my hand, sleepily trying to identify the cozy object through touch.

Then I heard a deep, growl-like snicker that reverberated through my eardrum. “That tickles,” a voice rumbled.

My eyes flew open, and I found my head and hand were pressed into Elias’s chest. I jolted up, cheeks filling with heat, then inchedbackwards to make some distance between us.

“I…I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…” I trailed off, too embarrassed to think of what to say. I slowly remembered how I woke in the night with him holding me. But then at some point in my sleep, it wasIwho heldhim. And now that I was starting to realize my feelings for him, I felt sheepish and somewhat uneasy.

“It’s alright,” Elias assured me as he sat up. “How did you sleep?” he asked, changing the subject to prevent my further torture.

Memories of the night continued flooding my thoughts, the deep realization of my feelings for him at the forefront. Good thing my cheeks were already red.

“Good,” I answered shortly. Elias raised a brow as I slowly stood. I looked up, my face only inches from the large protruding rock that acted as a ceiling. There was no way Elias could stand here, as he was much taller than myself.

“Are you alright?” Elias asked, looking up at me.

No. Yes. I didn’t know. Was I really in love with this man? I had only known him for a few weeks, and barely knew anything about him. But he had saved me, on multiple occasions. He was kind, and gentle, and protective. My heart raced every time his honey-eyes looked at me. And I would do anything to keep him safe, I realized. Was that love?

“I think so,” I shrugged, trying to act casual.

“Is it your arm?” he asked. “Do you want me to look at it?”

I thought he didn’t care.

“No,” I replied. “No, it’s not that.”

“Then what?” he urged, his shoulders tense even from his sitting position.

“Nothing, Elias,” I snapped. “Just… some strange dreams,” I half-lied. I did have strange dreams. Of him kissing me.

My heart leapt in my chest.

The tension in Elias’s posture remained as he stared up at me. I let out a sigh. “It’s nothing to worry about,” I tried to assure him. “I just need to… reflect on them.”