Page 15

Olivia

REKNA AND GRACE WERE speaking in hushed tones when I woke in the infirmary. The baby kicked, and I sighed with relief, thankful for the Alarans’ advanced medicine. My hands still went to my stomach.

“Is my baby okay?” I tried to ask, but it came out as a croaking noise. Closing my eyes, I cringed, recalling the incident at the marketplace. I regretted that I’d gone out alone. If I hadn’t been there, the baby wouldn’t have been endangered.

From my left, I heard clothes rustling and smelled the faint hint of flowers. The air was also filled with another familiar scent, a blend of cinnamon spice and something deliciously undefinable. I only knew of one person that smelled like that.

My stomach fluttered.

When I glanced to the side, I caught sight of Orin standing beside the bed, shuffling his feet. He gripped a bouquet in one hand that looked like it had been freshly plucked from the palace gardens.

Before he spoke in a low voice, he cleared his throat and moistened his lips. “How do you feel?”

With a hoarse whisper, I managed to utter just one word, “What?” My mouth was as dry as a bone. I wanted to say something else... anything else, but the right words escaped me.

It didn’t take long for my mind to turn on me. He’s with someone else, it taunted.

My throat tightened as I remembered getting hurt at the marketplace. I attempted to sit up, and Orin rushed to adjust my pillow.

“I’m good,” I snapped, shoving his hand away.

He blinked at me with his lips parted.

The memory of him with an Alaran woman at the market resurfaced, feeling like a gut-wrenching punch. My lips pressed into a deep frown and I glanced downward. I had put my child at risk by going out on my own.

If I hadn’t run into him at the palace, I likely wouldn’t have gone to the market. I closed my eyes and shook my head.

When I opened them and met Orin's gaze, I could see the confusion in his eyes.

“Why are you angry with me?”

I shot him a fierce glare.

When he didn’t look away, I snapped. “Is that woman I saw you with the reason you left the palace?”

He gaped at me. “What are you talking about?”

I fought back the wave of emotions, my throat constricting as tears threatened to spill. What was wrong with me? This wasn’t like me. I wasn’t possessive.

Yet I couldn’t seem to keep my mouth shut.

Naturally, I kept going. “You know what I'm talking about. I saw you with her at the marketplace. She kissed you for goodness’ sake.”

His eyebrows raised; a clear sign he remembered the exact moment I was referring to.

With a brief snort, he remarked, “She only kissed my cheek.” Orin took a step closer to the bed, wearing a cheeky grin.

Unbelievable! I fumed. He needed to explain why he was waiting by my bed when he already had a mate.

My jealous reaction was cringeworthy and uncalled for, but I continued. “Do you mind telling me who she is?”

I grimaced when I saw the look on his face, then spoke before he had a chance to say a word. “Never mind. She is a lot prettier than me...And she is Alaran, so I get it.” He couldn’t help who he wanted any more than I could.

Even though it hurt to know he didn’t want me .

Orin purposefully looked me up and down, his gaze sweeping across my entire body. He leaned closer to my face, never breaking eye contact. His warm breath stroked my cheek as he spoke.

“You are the most beautiful female I’ve ever encountered.”

My breath quickened as I blushed at his words.

Although there was no physical contact, my body reacted as if he’d touched me. “There’s no need to lie.” I grumbled, and reached up to scratch my cheek, clearing my throat.

“Who is she?” My insistence was foolish, yet uncontrollable. I knew I was behaving like an idiot but couldn’t stop myself.

A wave of goosebumps washed over my skin when his fingers grazed my arm. Suddenly, I felt a jolt of electricity course through my body. It flowed through my veins, igniting a cascade of tiny sparks that seemed to dance beneath my skin.

A warmth spread through my core making it pulse. I found myself cursing my traitorous body when I momentarily ceased to breathe.

With utmost sincerity, he declared, “She is my sister.”

I froze. His sister?

I couldn't control the twitching of my lower lip as I blinked at him. From my neck to my hairline, my face blazed with embarrassment.

“I... I had no idea you had a sister,” I stammered.

My mind raced over everything that had happened. “I don’t understand. Why do you always run away instead of talking to me?”

He withdrew his hand from my arm and stepped back before scanning the room. His hand went to scratch the back of his neck.

No one was looking at us, but I was pretty sure they knew what was going on.

His jaw flexed, and he cleared his throat. “I would prefer to discuss this in a more private environment.”

I couldn't help but notice a flicker of embarrassment on his face.

To be fair, I didn't like the idea of discussing personal matters in front of the entire infirmary either.

My body felt lighter, and I sighed.

Reasonable me appeared to be back. “Okay.” I smiled politely, as if I hadn’t just acted like a crazy woman. “If I ask you to come to my apartment later to talk, will you?”

His eyes met mine. They seemed to sparkle with the same hope I was now feeling. “Yes. I will.”

Grace approached the opposite side of my bed. “Sorry to interrupt.”

With a mischievous grin, her gaze snapped to Orin who shifted his feet but didn’t speak. “How are you feeling?” she asked me.

To my surprise, I wasn’t in any pain. “Good, now. But, what about the baby?”

She gave my hand a comforting squeeze. “Rekna says the baby is fine.”

Thank god. “How long have I been asleep?”

Grace exchanged another glance with Orin, then looked back at me. “Just over an entire day... I mean, rotation. Orin has stayed by your side almost the entire time.”

This news made my heart beat faster. Had I misjudged him? Did he really care about me? “Were you really here the whole time?” I tried to control my emotions, but my voice broke.

Grace answered promptly, pre-empting Orin's words. “He was worried about you. We all were.”

Orin coughed, and both Grace and I glanced at him. “I need to make a last visit to the city guard to report in.” He set the flowers down on the bed next to me, and our eyes locked. “I brought these for you.”

I took the bouquet and inhaled their fragrance. “Thank you.” I grinned.

Although the flowers seemed droopy, the thought behind them was what counted. Best of all, hope had finally found a home within me. “I’ll see you later?”

He nodded but a tiny grin curled his lips. Orin’s cheeks turned a shade darker but his eyes shone with excitement. I guessed he felt awkward because Grace was there, grinning like a fool at the both of us.

Grace’s joy was evident on her face when he left, and she leaned in to wrap her arms around me. “I’m thrilled for the two of you.”

She stood back and bit her lip as her brows drew together. “I have something to confess.”

I watched her and waited to hear what she had to say.

“Earlier, when you were asleep, I talked to Orin alone.” Her mouth curled on one side.

“You did what?” I said it louder than I intended, and Rekna and another medic glanced at us before looking away again. I lowered my voice and kept going. “Did you say anything that made him uncomfortable? The guy seems super shy, Grace.”

She didn’t usually meddle, but she was probably sick of me whining about him.

“He’s a warrior Liv. They aren’t exactly known for being shy.

” She shrugged. “It was clear in our chat that he didn’t know what to say to you.

He seemed to think you didn’t want him. He thinks he’s not good enough for you. ”

What? My mouth dropped open. “How can he think like that? He’s gorgeous and I haven’t been hiding the way I feel. I mean...,” my voice trailed off.

Grace laughed again. “You two always give each other lovesick looks, but you don’t speak a word to one another.”

She wasn’t wrong. “I wanted him to make the first move,” I admitted.

Grace rolled her eyes. “In any case. I told him he should talk to you and that you like him.”

I blushed. “Grace, this isn’t high school for goodness’ sake. I don’t need you to tell a boy I have a crush on him.” Though I felt this was way more than a crush.

She laughed. “My chat appears to have been successful. He stayed and spoke to you. That’s progress.” She let out a sigh. “It was tough seeing the two of you stealing glances but not acting on it. Intervention was needed.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle because, well, she had a point. In the past, whenever I found myself around guys I was interested in, my shyness always took over.

I wasn’t sure what got into me today, but I was glad I spoke up. Orin’s strong, protective warrior image and rare smiles made it hard to imagine him lacking confidence. Hopefully, he would feel more comfortable talking to me now that we broke the ice.