Page 33 of Wrath Of Suns And Shadows (The Osparia #2)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Emelyn

I startled awake to the door opening.

“Emelyn?” Kade’s voice rang out, and I jolted, causing the water to splash over the edges of the tub.

“Get out!” I shouted.

“It’s not anything I haven’t already seen,” he replied, and I remembered how I had been bathed and in bandages last time I’d been aboard his ship.

“Don’t you know how to knock?” I scowled and sent daggers of water toward the door with a flick of my fingers. They pierced the wood, making it slam shut. He hissed.

I grinned to myself, knowing I had gotten him. A beat passed before his voice grew more solemn when I said nothing further. “I did knock. You didn’t reply.” He spoke through the door. “You’ve been in there for a while. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I’ll be out in a minute,” I said coldly as I stood and stepped out of the tub.

I grabbed a towel from one of the open shelves jutting out from above the toilet.

Once I dried off, I noticed I didn’t have any clean clothes to change into.

I refused to wear the disgusting outfit I had discarded on the floor.

I walked out of the bathroom wrapped in the towel, feeling way too exposed in front of my enemy, who was sitting at his office desk and looking at the small gash on his cheek with a hand mirror.

I had caused it, and it brought a satisfying smirk to my lips.

It was already scabbing over and would soon disappear from his grossly perfect features. His eyes roved over me.

“I don’t have any clean clothes to wear,” I said, not meeting his gaze.

His chair scooted against the floor as he pushed away from the desk to stand.

He swaggered over to his closet and pulled out a black button-up that would cover just under the tops of my thighs.

He walked over and handed it to me, and I begrudgingly took it, not wanting anything from him.

“I’ll have Evereht find you some clothes, but tonight you’ll have to wear that,” he explained as he turned back and went to his desk.

I retreated to the bathroom to get changed quickly.

I didn’t want to wear anything of his, wanted nothing of his on my person, but I couldn’t deny that the sleek silk of the shirt felt nice against my still healing skin.

And although I hated the man, his scent was oddly comforting.

Thinking anything about this man was comforting made me grimace. I was his prisoner, for fuck’s sake. I gave myself a look over in the mirror before I walked out of the bathroom. I desperately needed to do my hair.

“Do you have a comb?” I asked, feeling silly for having such a mundane conversation with the Prince of Ember.

“Second drawer,” he said, nodding toward the bathroom before busying himself with more papers that looked like letters on his desk.

I sauntered back into the bathroom and brushed out my hair the best I could, but some knots were too thick—too matted—and I couldn’t reach them since my hair had grown out so much since winter.

I tried and tried to no avail. My arms began aching from holding the comb for so long.

I had to remember my body was still healing from my time with Valla, and the fact that I was even standing right now was a miracle after the torment she had put me through over the time I had spent with her.

I didn’t even know how long she’d had me in her grasp.

I huffed in frustration. Normally, Ace would help me brush it out once it got this long. The thought of him made tears line my eyes.

“Emelyn?” Kade questioned from the doorway, noticing my vulnerable state. How I didn’t hear him walk over here, I didn’t know. The man was fast, lethal, and quiet. I needed to remember that for when I escaped. He looked me over again.

“Do you need help?” he asked, and he sounded genuine rather than taunting.

I said nothing. I only nodded my head because I knew if I spoke, my voice would break over my racing thoughts of Ace and the rebellion and if they were alright.

I hadn’t sent or received any more letters from Ace, and now being captured by the enemy, I wasn’t sure when I’d be able to communicate with him at all. It was too much.

Kade grabbed the comb from the counter and wordlessly worked the knots from my long hair.

His hand brushed over the back of my neck every time he would move a section of silver aside.

He did it in sections, and little by little, my hair was smooth.

He quietly started braiding my hair, leaving some strands out in the front to frame my face.

“How did you learn how to braid?” I murmured, trying to make conversation rather than the silence, and he looked up at me in the mirror.

“I have a controlling older sister who used to love to make me do her hair and tend to her every call when I was a boy,” he said, glancing down to finish the braid.

“You didn’t have to braid it,” I admonished, and he glanced up again.

“I wanted to,” he responded as his eyes stayed on mine a moment too long in the mirror before he turned and walked out of the door.

I grabbed my feathers from the counter and weaved them back into the hair behind my ear, letting them dangle there.

Doing my best to not think about my encounter with Kade, I rubbed them between my thumb and forefinger, thinking back to the days when Ace and I could wake up without the weight of the world on our shoulders.

I hoped he was safe.

Kade walked back into the bathroom. “I have something that needs to be returned to you,” he said as he stood behind me.

He lifted his arms in front of me, and a moonstone necklace dangled from his fingers before he draped it around my neck and worked the clasp.

The familiar weight of my necklace made a single tear slip down my cheek as I did my best to hold in a sob.

I gripped it between my fingers, making sure it was real—it was here.

“W-why did you keep this?” I asked, stumbling over my words as waves of relief lifted off my shoulders.

“It seemed important,” he whispered before leaving me alone in the bathroom, giving me space and time to fall apart if I needed to.

And I did.

I walked out into the open room, feeling the tug of exhaustion on my limbs. Kade sat perched at his desk, running a hand through his hair, looking like he was working on something important. I looked around the room but only saw one bed.

“Where will I sleep?” I asked, and he glanced up, looking from me to the bed as if my question were absurd. “There’s only one bed,” I added, and his lips curved into a grin.

“You’ll take the bed, and I’ll take the floor,” he reasoned and then he added, “Unless you’d like to share my bed, Bunny.

” I scoffed, shifting away from him and walking over to the large bed, fit for a king.

Four of me could lie in it. I crawled in and buried myself under the covers.

I couldn’t contain my loud groan from how comfortable it was as my body melted into the soft sheets.

Another small one escaped me without my permission as I pulled the covers up to my chin.

“If you’re going to make sounds like that in my bed, the least you could do is invite me in.” He huffed from where he sat at his desk. I glanced over at him.

“I think I’ve endured enough torment for today,” I quipped, and he chuckled under his breath.

A few moments of silence stretched between us, and I couldn’t stop my fingers from fiddling with the moonstone that I had missed so much draped around my neck.

I gripped it gently as I felt my eyes growing heavy. Before sleep claimed me, Kade spoke up.

“Goodnight, Bunny,” he whispered.

“Goodnight, Prince,” I murmured.

I opened my eyes, not wanting to unravel myself from the warm covers.

I shifted and squinted my tired eyes open to see Kade sitting at his desk.

It looked as if he hadn’t moved all night.

His shirt was unbuttoned, letting his scars peek out on his chest. His hair was messy, as if he had been running his hands through it all night.

Had he gotten any sleep? A scent, strong and bitter with a hint of sweetness, wafted through the room, and something about it made me want to crawl out of bed.

“Sleep well?” Kade asked without looking up from what he was doing.

“Yes,” I murmured, glancing around, trying to pinpoint where the smell was coming from. Then I noticed the cup full of dark liquid. “What is that?” I asked, motioning to the cup on his desk.

He quirked a brow at me. “It’s coffee,” he said as he looked from me and then back to the coffee. “Have you never had coffee before?” I shook my head.

“It would make sense. It’s a drink known amongst the wealthy.

It’s considered a delicacy in most parts of Osparia,” he informed me as he grabbed the small pot that was sitting on the edge of his desk and the second cup that was next to it and poured me some.

I took a sip, and the bold flavors exploded in my mouth, causing me to grimace. Kade chuckled.

“You would probably prefer it with some cream and sugar. Taking it black can be a bit harsh.”

“A bit? That tastes terrible,” I said, and he chuckled as he took my cup and sat it down. I looked over at the pot and thought about how Ace and I would miss the tea blooms this spring, and a frown tugged on my lips.

“Do you have any tea? I feel it’s more to my liking.”

“What kind?”

“Pojo,” I responded, although I didn’t think he would know what it was.

“Ah, the leaves of Heavensreach,” he murmured, and my eyes widened a little in surprise.

“It’s scarce nowadays. No one is ever willing to make the trek to Heavensreach anymore for the blooms.” I pondered not telling him anything else about my and Ace’s travels, but he had already tracked our every move anyway, so I continued the conversation.