“When I was caught, I thought that would be the end. That I would be killed, or burnt… Instead, everyone assumed my worth to be different, simply because I was born in a different place.”
His palms stopped caressing down my arms and wrapped around me, squeezing me to his chest in a tight, long hug. An embrace he needed more than I did, one that allowed him to expel the lead settling into his heart. “It’s tiring to crave death and to never earn it.”
His words completely broke me, shattering every defence, every fear, every barrier I had created to keep me away from him. I wanted to give myself to him completely, to fill up that void in his soul, even if for only a minute. Because he deserved so much better than this life.
“Galen—”
“We should get some sleep,” he shut my words down before they even had a chance to spring.
“Okay…” I murmured, left with no other choice but to agree with him.
Wordlessly, Galenor shifted his weight from behind me and shimmied away from my back, making me crave the return of his warmth. I wanted to say something, to apologise but nothing came out. I remained silent, feeling like absolute crap after hearing his confession, after he’d allowed himself to say those words in my presence.
If anyone deserved a day off, it was this guy.
“You should stay here,” my mouth went ahead and released the call, one I hoped he would be willing to accept.
“I’ll be fine…” he groaned as he lifted his weight from the bed, making the mattress scream for his return. “I got used to sleeping on the floor. It’s more comfortable than you think,” he turned and added a quick smile, which I already knew was solely for my benefit.
I didn’t want to think about his past, how he was kept in chains that burnt his skin, how he then had to sleep on the hard floor without knowing when his next torture session would come. Today, he had gained a break. And he deserved a proper bed.
“There’s cameras there, they will keep watching you,” I tried, but it raised no reaction in him, probably too used to his every movement being analysed that he stopped caring.
“Good night, muffin,” he stepped away from the mattress, away from me, reverting back to that nickname that brought us to our initial roles. That showed our differences.
My heart jolted, pushing me to do something, anything to make him stay.
“Galenor, please!” I heard myself beg. His eyes widened in surprise. Same as my own. Okay, that caught his attention, I might as well carry on. “Please stay with me tonight.” I patted the mattress to show him where he would be sleeping if he listened to my plea.
“They only gave you one bed, Ellyana, and you made it perfectly clear you don’t want me near you,” his head tilted back to rest against the doorframe, like the memory of my words affected him somehow.
“I shared a room with eleven other people. Trust me, I can share a bed with a fae. Plus, it’s a double bed.” I took the opportunity to shimmy over to one side, showing him how much space was left should he choose to occupy the other side of the mattress. “There’s no cameras in here. You can mumble in your sleep, and no one will be the wiser,” I pressed a tight smile, which did nothing to comfort him.
“Is this your will?” His lids narrowed on me, trying to spot any lies I ushered through my lips.
“Yes,” I said and moved even further to my side of the bed, making more room for him. Then, doing my best to keep my body covered, I removed the blanket he had wrapped my legs with and threw it to his side, suggesting that we would also have separate covers.
One dip of his chin was all it took for my pulse to explode. Without feeling the need to explain his actions, Galenor sauntered back to the mattress and threw his body over it, burying his locks in the pillow. With a single motion from his hand and foot, the blanket stretched over his body. Well, part of it, his shoulders remained uncovered and the better part of his torso as well. Realising that he wouldn’t fit in the bed, he bent his legs and made another attempt, this time his body collapsing on itself to make him fit within the edges of the bed frame.
“Good night,” his deep voice wobbled through the room with a few deep breaths to follow it.
Taking his example, I leaned over to the nightstand and turned off the bedside lamp, sealing the room in darkness.
One doesn’t have to be a scientist to know that I immediately realised the mistake I made by asking him to share my bed. Not that Galenor did not act like a true gentleman. I chuckled internally, he really was one when he wanted to be. But my skin prickled with the awareness of his closeness.
Every dip of the mattress, every time his lungs contorted and exhaled, I felt it deep within my bones. When he moved an arm to tug the blanket tighter around his body, my soul fluttered so desperately I thought I was going to have a heart attack. How would I be able to spend the night with the man I wanted most in my entire life was beyond me.
My throat dried up, closing in on itself from the sheer angst flowing through my body. My nipples pebbled, begging for contact and my thighs throbbed with need. I even considered touching myself underneath my own cover, but I was too scared to move.
Maybe if I got a little closer to him, maybe if I inched into him just a little, just enough to feel his warmth, that would calm me down a bit. Not knowing what time it was or if his even breathing was a sign that he was already asleep, I faked a sudden need to scratch my back and shifted my body closer to his as I performed the motion.
His back against mine set my core on fire. I felt his breath, the way his shoulders relaxed and tensed with the inflation of his ribs, each time leaning into me a little more.
Gods, kill me now…
As if on cue, Galenor shifted from his side onto his back, extending his shoulders below the pillow in a wide stretch. I didn’t even breathe from terror, too afraid that I woke him up. That he would find me by his side, wet and craving for his closeness.
I didn’t even have a chance to back down because a grimace made him shift again, probably some old injury that hadn’t fully recovered. This time, Galenor’s chest stood pressed against my back, an arm carelessly leaning on the side of my hip.
