“Talk to me,” she whispered.
“I cannot reveal much about them. The survivors are the only ones who know what the trials entail, and it is our secret to keep.”
“You mean your burden to bear.”
He didn’t reply.
“Maybe so, but you can still tell me something,” she said. “You look good, but you’ve lost weight, and I can tell the trials have changed you.”
He pulled his arm away, retrieved his pants, pulled them on, and buttoned them before looking at her with the emotion of a shark.
“They were difficult, but I survived, and I came out stronger because of it.”
“I can tell,” she murmured as she studied him. “I can feel the increase of your power from here, but how bad was it?”
“They are not something easily survived.”
She suspected that was probably a huge understatement as she pulled on her shirt. “You look well.”
“I look this way because I survived. The shadows healed me before I left the trials behind. I never would have let you see me otherwise.”
Lexi bit her lip at this revelation. She had no doubt he’d been as eager to see her as she was him, but if he would have kept her away, then he must have looked really bad.
What happened in there?
No matter how badly she craved the answer, she would never get it. Walking over, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. Beneath her ear, she listened to the solid, reassuring beat of his heart as his arms enveloped her.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get you up to my rooms and in bed. You need to rest.”
“So do you.”
“I’m fine.”
“Maybe I should stay in a guestroom or something.”
“No,” he bit out.
“You have to sleep, Cole.”
“And I will. But I just got you back, and I’m not going to part with you again.”
Lexi sighed, but in truth, she didn’t want to be apart from him either.
Before she could say anything more, he swept her into his arms and carried her across the room. She draped her arms around his shoulders and settled her head in the hollow of his neck. As the warmth and strength of him enveloped her, she closed her eyes.
When he opened the door and stepped into the hall, she recalled the bag she brought with her. “Oh,” she said as she lifted her head from his shoulder. “My bag. I forgot all about it. I left it in the main hall.”
“I’m sure one of the helots has discovered it and taken it to my room. If not, I will locate it in the morning.”
“Okay,” she murmured and rested her head against him once more.
He didn’t seem to feel the weight of her in his arms as he strode down the hallway and up a set of stone stairs that twisted as they rose higher. His breathing never increased though the added burden of her in his arms had to be tiring.
When they arrived at his rooms, she wasn’t sure what floor they were on, but he’d never broken a sweat. He opened the door and kicked it shut behind him before carrying her into his bedroom. Her bag sat on his bed.
Chapter Forty-Five
A kiss on her shoulder woke Lexi the next morning. She cracked her eyes open to discover Cole leaning over her. The first rays of the sun shining through the open window made his eyes sparkle and his hair shine.
The dark stubble lining his jaw made him impossibly sexier, and she lifted her hand to run her fingers over the hairs. She relished the feel of them beneath her fingers. It made him more real.
“You’re really back,” she whispered.
“If you think you imagined what we did last night, then I have failed you and will have to remedy that later.”
She chuckled as she sank deeper into the luxurious pillows and the sheets fell back a little to reveal the upper swell of her breasts. “I do not have that good of an imagination.”
His ravenous gaze raked over her, and he propped himself on his elbow before running his fingers across her forehead.
“I have to go help with the arrangements for today,” he said. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone, but I’ll return before the memorial starts. I’d like for you to be by my side throughout the day.”
Those words caused her stomach to lurch. Cole leaned back as she wiggled up from the pillows and tugged the sheet around her.
“They’ll talk,” she said.
“What are they going to say? That I had my mate at my side throughout my father’s memorial service and coronation? Good. There is no hiding what’s between us anymore, Lexi. I have marked you, you are in my rooms, and my bed… again. No woman can claim such a thing. This is my personal space; I’ve never brought another here. They’re already talking, and they have yet to see my mark on you.”
Her eyes widened at this revelation. He’d never brought another here? She didn’t question him further about it because she’d prefer not to have any more details of his past relationships, but it was intriguing.
“Are you sure about this? It’s going to be difficult enough for you to take over as king without having a half human, half vampire standing by your side. I’m not exactly a combination that speaks of power.”
“I don’t care. The sooner they come to accept you will be my queen, the easier it will be on all of them.”
Lexi gulped. He was so confident in his power and ability to rule. So confident he could make them accept her, and after surviving the trials, he had every right to his confidence, but she was not so sure.
“I didn’t bring anything to wear to events like that,” she said. “I doubt jeans and T-shirts are appropriate for either thing.”
“I’ll send a couple of helots up to make sure you’re attired properly.”
“Can they do that on such short notice?”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “This is the Gloaming. It’s a land filled with magic.”
He rolled off the bed and walked over to the window to stand next to the chair there. Before falling asleep, she last saw him sitting in that chair, staring at the moons.
Too worried he might fall asleep while holding her, he refused to lie in bed with her last night. She’d missed him, but she understood. His nightmares endangered her before the trials; she couldn’t imagine what his sleep would be like now.
Pushing herself up, she rested her back against the headboard. “Did you sleep at all?”
“Yes.”
“Cole….” She let the admonishing tone of her voice trail off.
“I got a couple of hours of sleep. It was more than enough.”
She had no idea if that was true or not, but he did look better than yesterday. The lines around his eyes and mouth weren’t as noticeable, and his eyes weren’t as remorseless.
“The Gloaming is waking,” he said.
Lexi’s gaze drifted to the window, but she couldn’t see the dark fae realm beyond. Then he turned away and strode back to her. Bending, he kissed her forehead.
“I’ll have breakfast and the helots sent up right away,” he said. “Do you need blood?”
Her mouth watered at the mention of blood, not because she was hungry for it, but because he was so close. She managed to lock away her yearning as she smiled at him.