Page 36 of Beneath Scarred Vows

I lean in slightly. "And that one?" I point to the knight.

He picks it up, turns it between his fingers. "Moves in an L shape. Unexpected. Most players underestimate it."

"Sounds like my kind of piece."

He meets my eyes. "Of course it is."

The silence that follows isn't awkward—it's intense.

He begins resetting the board.

I look at the security feeds again, watching the empty hallways, the quiet gardens. His men patrolling. Then my eyes catch on one particular screen—the bedroom I just left. The vacant bed.

I'm starting to understand.

Ares doesn't just control everything. He's terrified of losing it.

And somehow, that makes him seem like less of a monster and more human.

"You watch me sleep," I say. It's not a question.

He doesn't deny it.

There's something oddly intimate about the thought of him watching over me as I sleep. Not creepy, as it should be, but protective. It reminds me of how he acted during the fire—not angry, but concerned. Like he cared.

"When was the last time you actually slept?" I ask.

He shrugs. "I get enough."

"That's not what I asked."

He gives me a look that would intimidate most people, but I'm starting to see it as a mask. Finally, he sighs. "A few hours here and there."

"Ares, that's not sleeping. That's passing out from exhaustion."

"It's enough," he insists.

"Well, maybe you should start coming to bed earlier," I say.

He looks at me, almost confused. "Why?"

It's a fair question. Why do I care? I didn't ask for this marriage. I didn't ask to be part of his world. And yet here I am, in the middle of the night, trying to learn more about his life, concerned about whether the man who bought me with a business deal is taking care of himself.

"I don't know," I admit. And it's the truth. I don't know why my chest tightens at the thought of him standing here alone night after night. I don't know why I was relieved it was him who came to save me during my little kitchen accident. Or why I leaned toward him when he almost kissed me.

I don't know why I care.

But maybe it's because when he sees everything...

He sees me, too.

And somehow, this makes me want him to feel seen back.

13

KATERINA

Steam swirls around me as I step out of the shower and wrap myself in my robe. My hair drips down my back, leaving damp patches on the cotton.