Page 24

Her cheeks burned, and her body trembled. Despite the short burst of pain, she hadn’t wanted it to end. “Yes.”

A wicked grin spread across his mouth. “How will we ever leave this house?”

“I’m sure your parents will want to come home eventually .” She laughed.

“Then we shall enjoy every second until then.” Getting to his feet, he padded across the room and grabbed their glasses. He handed one to her and sank down beside her.

Giddy and shaking with adrenaline, she sipped a large mouthful of her wine before setting the glass on the wooden floorboards beyond the fuzzy edge of the blanket.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m ravenous.” He laughed. “I’ll raid the pantry and whip us up a meal. My mother usually goes to the market of a morning, so there’ll be fresh vegetables and some meat, I expect.”

He rose, threw his shirt on over his head, which hung halfway down his thighs, then headed to the kitchens. As she pushed herself up to help him, he stopped her, a warm smile on his face.

“No. Let me cook for you.” His gentle voice melted her.

“How could I refuse?” She grinned, watching him disappear from the room .

She ran her fingers down the length of her abdomen, her skin flushed and hot beneath her touch. Somehow, she felt different, new . And she liked it.

∞∞∞

Adelina stirred from her slumber and stretched. Shuffling to her side, she smiled at her sleeping husband. His dark hair was tussled from the cushions, and strands fell over his left eye.

She sat, letting the blanket pool around her waist, and gazed at her husband’s bare torso. Tiny curls of hair on his chest looked caramel brown in the remnants of moonlight streaming through the gap between the curtains. Unable to resist, she brushed her fingers along his sternum, up to his cheek.

He grumbled, frowned, blinked several times, then fixed his gaze on her. “Morning.”

“Good morning.” She kissed his forehead.

Rubbing his eyes, he shifted into a seated position. His gaze travelled to her breasts.

“If you stay like that, we might never leave this room.” He rose, nudging her down onto the pillows. Leaning over her, he trailed kisses up her stomach to her mouth.

Giggling, she played with the wisps of hair at the nape of his neck. “As much as I’d like to stay here with you, your parents will be wanting to come home. We should get dressed and head back to my parents’—we should say goodbye to our families before we go. ”

Collapsing on to his back, he puffed out a sigh. “And reality sinks in.”

Swivelling on to her stomach, she rested her hand on his chest. “Hey, we’ll be fine. We have each other and we’ll travel south to one of the secluded villages past the pine forests, as planned.”

He clasped her hand, then brought her knuckles to his lips. “You’re my wife now—I won’t see you without, but I don’t have much more than my clothes to offer you, and I’m currently not wearing any.”

She stifled a laugh.

Groaning, he rose from the floor and dressed. When they were both fully clothed, they folded up the blankets and stacked them, along with the cushions, on the sofa.

“I’ll be right back.” He dashed upstairs, then returned a few moments later with a satchel.

“I’ve packed what I could.” He held out his hand to her. “Come on then. We should leave before the sun rises.”

Smiling, she accepted his offer, and they headed out of the Litvin home.

The temporary bliss of their wedding night was shattered and their immediate need to hide from Filip was paramount. If anything, she should feel grateful they were able to enjoy their night together, having had no time to partake in the spring equinox festivities the previous day.

A cold shiver ran down her spine. They didn’t have just Filip to worry about either—what about his father?

She’d already discovered in Filip’s journal he was securing power for himself and to please his father.

Could the threat extend further? Members of the Embassy were promised her help in reuniting the countries, albeit a false promise, but surely, once they learned of her disappearance, they would demand for her to be returned to the palace at the earliest convenience.

Striding in through the front door of her family home, Adelina fought against the heat rising in her cheeks as her father glanced at her over the top of the broadsheet in his hands.

He sat at the dining table, a steaming cup of tea in front of him, along with a plate stacked with rye bread and cooked sausages.

Mirelle and Jasen sat in chairs next to Adelina’s father.

Daro’s gaze flicked to Damir. “I’m sure you looked after my daughter.”

Damir nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Oh, my darling,” Mirelle said to her son.

And no more was said about their wedding night. Velinka came down the stairs and drew Adelina into her arms, stroking the back of her hair.

When she let go, she blinked back tears. “Come with me. You’ll need to change out of your dress. I have some riding clothes you can have.”

In her parents’ room, Adelina stripped out of her wedding dress and slipped into the cotton shirt and breeches her mother handed her. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she stuffed her feet into leather boots and knotted the laces.

“You’re a woman now. My firstborn child. This time tomorrow, you’ll be far from here, but the gods know I am glad you have a kind man to watch over you,” her mother said.

Adelina lifted her gaze, her chest tightening. “I love you, Ma.”

Velinka cleared her throat, then beckoned her into her outstretched arms. Embracing her daughter, she pressed her lips to her forehead. “I love you very much.”

Adelina and Velinka returned to the living room to find Damir tucking into a plateful of sausages and bread.

“You’ll want to eat something before you go.” Velinka urged Adelina towards the table. “The breakfast should still be warm. I’ll pack you more food for the journey.”

Before Adelina could say anything, her mother disappeared into the kitchen. She could’ve sworn she’d heard the faint sound of sniffling.

“Don’t worry about your mother,” Pa said in a gentle tone as he set his broadsheet aside.

“She knows you will be safe. I’ve given Damir an axe as he is likely to need one to cut wood for a fire, and your mother has already packed some clean clothes for you.

” He gestured to the same bags Adelina had taken to the palace.

“Thank you,” she said around the lump in her throat.

“You’ll find a map in there too,” Pa said.

As she stared at her food, her stomach grumbled. She ate what she could, but the ache in her heart made it almost impossible.

When her mother entered the room, her eyes were red.

She came to Adelina’s side and kissed the top of her head.

“Your pouch of coins and your grandfather’s pocket watch are still in your bag, too.

And here is some bread, cheese, and dried meat.

It’s not a lot, but it will last until you can hunt.

” She gave Adelina a cotton-wrapped bundle.

“Right, you shouldn’t delay.” Jasen shoved his chair back, grabbed his son’s belongings and axe and handed them to Damir. “You should go while you can. The markets will open soon, and people will be out and about.”

“He’s right,” Daro said. “My friend kept the coachman company last night, but I wouldn’t hang around longer than necessary if I were you. If anyone should ask where you are, we’ll say you were summoned back to the palace and left with the coachman—my friend said he’s due to depart shortly.

“By the time Filip gets here looking for you, no one but us and the ordained who performed the ceremony will have seen you or know anything about your wedding. I’ve already secured two horses for you at the stables. You should head there now.”

With a final embrace, Adelina bid farewell to her family. She glanced at the closed door at the end of the room—her sister’s bedroom.

Velinka placed the strap of Adelina’s bag on her shoulder, then squeezed her arm. “You know she loves you.”

“I know,” Adelina whispered, stowing the bundle of food in her satchel. “Tihana told me yesterday, and she knows I love her too, but I thought she would’ve come out to say goodbye this morning.”

“She wept through the night,” Velinka said. “It’s been hard on her.”

With a nod, Adelina peeled her gaze from the door and smiled. She took her husband’s hand and left the house.

∞∞ ∞

Damir carried their bags as he and Adelina hurried along the cobbled paths towards the stables. The scent of baked rosemary bread and aromatic mixed spices from the market wafted on the breeze. They passed the empty bathhouses. The place would be crawling with people soon.

On the way, she spotted the construction work of her father’s stove-making shop. Stone walls were built, and new windows fitted, but the roof was yet to be replaced, and she’d no idea what the inside was like.

A sharp pain jolted through her chest. She couldn’t stop to see what the shop was looking like inside, but she was grateful, nonetheless, her family weren’t seriously harmed in the fire.

She wondered if Filip would force her father to pay back the help he gave to fix the shop, and the thought of it made her sick.

Together, they hurried to the stables. As said by Daro, two horses were ready for them, saddled and bridled.

After giving his thanks to the stableman, Damir fastened their luggage to the back of the saddles, keeping the map out for a closer inspection.

Leaning against the stable wall, he flattened the map across his knee, then bent.

A frown formed between his brows as he followed the trail with his finger.

“This route will take us south through the pine forest. Beyond, there’re several settlements dotted about, but days’ travel in between each.

We’ll make camp along the way, and we’d better stay for only a few days in each town. ”

He straightened, then glanced at his wife. “Once we have an idea of what we’re dealing with, we can decide if we can settle somewhere for longer. ”