EVANDER POV
"St…op," she stammers. Then she pushed my away gently.
"Now you want to beat me the way you beat cassian." she was upset.
"I will never lay my hands on you, I said, she felt relieved. But then I learned closer to her left ear, "But in you, I can't promise."
"Ewwww… what's happening to you today and parables." She removed my arms around her.
"It's not parable, if you want I can show you." I smirked.
"Am not interested, alpha." She stood up, "I need to eat, am starving." I heard her stomach growling.
"Kaelen brought food. Real food. Not the stuff from the servant's hall. Come on."
We went into the sitting room and sat on the floor by the table. Kaelen had left plenty of lamb and bread. We ate in silence for a bit, just enjoying the quiet.
"So," Ember said, her mouth half full of bread. "Your cousin. He seems... fun."
"He's an idiot," I said, but I was smiling. "But he's the only one who actually gives a damn about me. Not the crown. Just me."
"I like him," she said. "He made that Princess look really mad. It was kind of funny."
"He has a gift for that," I said.
We stayed up late talking. I told her about growing up with Kaelen, about how we used to sneak out to the woods to practice shifting when we were kids. She told me a little bit about the Ashlands, but I could tell it hurt to talk about. She talked about the way the sun looked over the burnt hills and how she used to hide in the kitchens just to stay warm.
By the time the moon was high, she was yawning. I led her back to the bed.
"Sleep," I said. "Kaelen is at the door. You're safe."
"Where are you going to sleep?" she asked.
"The chair is fine," I said.
She looked at the big bed and then at me. "It's a big bed, Evander. And I... I feel better when you're close. The shadows don't feel so heavy."
I felt a jolt of heat go through me. "Are you sure?"
She just nodded and pulled the covers back. I laid down on top of the blankets on the other side. I stayed as far away as I could, but I could still feel her warmth. My wolf was purring. For the first time in years, the silver in my head didn't feel like it was burning.
I was almost asleep when I heard her whisper.
"Thank you, Evander."
"For what?"
"For not letting her in."
I didn't say anything. I just closed my eyes. Tomorrow was going to be a war with the Council, but right now, the room was quiet.