Page 29 of The Chains You Defy

“Damn. That’s—”

Before I could finish my sentence, the door flung open and revealed a very pissed fae prince in human disguise towering in the frame. Even in the dim light, I was able to perceive that the male was seething.

“Ireas, godsdammit. I explicitly ordered you to call me the very instant she wakes up. So, why the fuck did you settle for insubordination?”

Of course, Dion was growling. I narrowed my eyes and considered going to sleep again so I wouldn’t have to grapple with this overbearing male. But in reality, doing so wasn’t an option. First, I couldn’t leave Ireas to deal with the annoyed royal on his own; second, Dion had saved my life; and third, I couldn’t always pretend to be asleep when he was near. So, I’d rather allow the confrontation to happen as soon as possible instead of delaying the inevitable to an unknown time in the future.

Warmth spread from my belly to my limbs as Dion’s magic reached out to me unseen, and I had to admit, his power mingling with whatever I carried within me was like a balm, not only for my injured body but also for my aching soul. My chest burned hot for a moment, but the effect disappeared so fast, I didn’t bother to observe which of my many wounds had reacted to the magical sensation. “Don’t snap at my medic, princeling.”

An amused sparkle bloomed in Ireas’ pupils as he worked hard to suppress a chuckle, while Dion scowled and then stalked through the room. He prowled to the bed with feline grace, placing himself on the mattress as if he belonged there.

With a warning glare to the younger male, he grabbed the piece of cloth Ireas had used earlier, then dipped his bounty into a bowl of water standing on the bedside table before wiping my forehead. I didn’t want to enjoy his care, but the coolness felt divine, and a satisfied hum escaped my lips.

“I can read a room,” Ireas said and staggered backward to the door. His pace was slow, as if he were afraid to spook his prince and trigger his temper once more. “I’ll soon return to check on you. Good to have you back, Naya.”

“See you soon, Ireas.” I smiled at him, then weakly swatted Dion’s arm, who, instead of politely saying goodbye, sent Ireas off with a growl. How predictable.

“Manners, princeling,” I commented on his actions, but even in my own ears, my protest sounded tired.

A muscle twitched in his left brow. “Stop calling me that.”

“No.” An answer taken right out of Dion’s book on how to end arguments.

He glowered at me, but his expression was more soft than angry, and—surely, I was mistaken—his eyes were puffy, red, and glossy.

Had hecried? My throat constricted at the mere notion.

“You have to rest.”

As if they reacted to his command, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier, but I battled the fatigue. There were some answers I needed to get first. “Where are we?”

“Later, Nayana. You’re barely able to keep your eyes open.”

Gods, save me from this overbearing male who knew everything better. “But I have—”

“Next time you wake up, I’ll tell you everything,” Dion said and wiped my forehead once more. “Sleep, tiny woman. Relax and recover. I’ll stay with you, right here. I won’t leave your side. Just heal.”

Unable to withstand the call of a nap anymore, my last thoughts dwelled on the sentiment of whether his words had been more a promise or a threat.

A few hours must have passed because the next time I woke up, everything was dark around me, apart from a weird glowing nightlight on the bedside table. Analyzing the small orb wasn’t on top of my priority list, but at least the bauble’s glow allowed me to direct my attention to my surroundings.

The comfortable mattress I was lying on was incorporated in a massive four-poster frame carved from light wood, which was adorned with cerulean curtains. The blanket and pillow matched in color and were easily the softest bedware I’d ever encountered. Because the rest of the room was swallowed by the night, I couldn’t observe beyond the bed. The only reasonable guess was that mylodgings had to be rather spacious, not only because of the size of the mattress but also because I wasn’t feeling cramped at all.

The chamber was silent apart from my own movements. Only once I concentrated could I perceive steady breathing from my left, which definitely wasn’t mine.

Stifling a groan, I turned to my side—despite the spikes of pain—and blanched.

Next to me, Dion was asleep. He wasn’t touching me, but he was angled in my direction, and his left arm was stretched out and twitched as if he was reaching for me, only to stop his approach inches away from my body.

One of his tendrils hadn’t gotten the memo about boundaries, though. Instead, the magic had wrapped itself around my ankle and calf. Agitation pulsed through the black strand, and the moment it sensed me waking, it slowly unfurled.

Once the tendril realized I wouldn’t swat it away, it slithered upward and encircled me anew, only on a much larger scale. Its tip came to rest on my cheek, which made me smile. I hadn’t even noticed how much I’d missed these small signs of affection, especially from Dion’s magic. It had been the prince who’d lied to me, not his powers, and as soon as this thought hit, I knew I couldn’t deny anymore that I sometimes perceived the darkness the Wielder next to me owned as its own entity.

Resting my hand lightly on the tendril, I studied Dion’s face, how peaceful and at ease he appeared when he was deep in slumber. This wasn’t by far the first time I observed him while he slept, but this here was different.

The face he wore wasn’t his real one, although I had to admit the features weren’t that far off. It was like he usually toned himself down to fit in with the restof us unassuming humans—not that he was doing an exceptionally good job. Human or fae—he simply was too beautiful to disappear in the masses. Whatever he did, he’d always stand out.

My thoughts had started to spiral again. Since the catastrophic aftermath of the Rite of Binding in Amalach, everything had happened in a blur. After the fact that I’d been saved had really sunken in, anxiety in my belly took over and crept through my veins. Facing the consequences of my actions was something bound to happen, and there was no way of telling what those would entail.