Page 13 of Awakening the Dark Throne
He smiled and leaned into my ear. “It will be okay. Deep breaths,” Levos said, before shutting the door behind me.
Lord Atros turned from the balcony to face me. I took many deep breaths, holding his gaze. He was more handsome than I recalled. His jawline was strong and broad with full lips and a chin that tapered into a square. His eyes glowed in the night and his hair now fell loosely around his shoulders. The thin shirt that adorned his figure was opened down the center, revealing a sturdy, well-built chest. His biceps were large and rippled with muscles.
“Did you find my cousin amusing?” he asked.
“I…” I shook my head, trying to get control of myself. “I’m sorry, do I look at you or the floor? All of the formalities are a bit confusing.”
He snickered in amusement, walking closer toward me. “In private, you look at me. In public, you look at the floor.”
“Right. Your cousin was very helpful,” I replied shortly.
“Did he explain what your duties consist of?”
I dropped my eyes from him, clenching my hands into fists. “Yes.” Lord Atros closed the distance between us. I backed into the door. He stopped, now close enough that I could smell his scent. I turned my head, trying not to look at him. I felt his eyes roam over my face and down my neck.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to take your maidenhood. I won’t touch you until you ask me to,” he said softly, before walking away from me.
I exhaled a deep breath, relaxing against the door. I furrowed my brow as my mind snagged on what he said about my maidenhood.
“How did you know?” I asked boldly. Levos was with me all day. There was no time to report his findings back to his cousin.
“I can smell it on you. I’ve been around humans enough that I can tell the difference between the scent of a maiden and the scent of a kept woman.”
“Is that why you chose me?”
He picked up a book from the table and cocked his head, not making eye contact. “Your eyes.” He paused, staring down at the book as if he found it interesting. Without looking at me, he confessed, “I chose you because of your eyes.” He picked up a spare blanket and pillow and placed them on the couch. “You will sleep here unless you trust me to behave myself and you’d rather sleep in my bed.”
“The couch is fine, thank you,” I said.
“What do I call you?”
“Genevieve, or Gen for short. And what do I call you?”
“In private, you may call me Gaelin. In public, you do not address me. When you speak of me, you call me Lord Atros.” He walked over to his bed and began to take off his boots and shirt.
I laid down and turned away from him, burying my face into the pillow and pulling the covers over my body, trying to find some sense of comfort. With the wave of a hand, he snuffed the candles, and the room went dark.
The next morning when I awoke, Gaelin was already gone. I freshened up in the private bathroom before tending to his room. I made his bed, folded the blankets, and collected the dirty laundry. Before I was done, Levos barged into the room pulling a rack full of clothes behind me.
“Look what I have for you, dear Genevieve. Custom clothing made specifically for that frail body of yours. Oh, and I checked with my dear old cousin, and he said you can wear cloth headbands, but he wants your hair visible at all times,” said Levos.
“I feel like I’m a well-kept mare,” I said, gathering the last of the laundry.
Levos laughed as he placed the dresses in the armoire. The sound took me by surprise. “Not to be too demoralizing, but you kind of are. A well-kept mare he would like to ride.”
I fought with all the resilience I had to keep my mouth shut.
“What?” He said, looking a bit disappointed. “No snarky comeback? Don’t become boring on me, sweet Genevieve.”
“I have nothing to say,” I lied, not making eye contact with him.
He pulled at my arm until I faced him. “Remember what I told you. You can be yourself around me. I’m not a royal. Far from it, in fact. I know what you must think of all of this… all of us, but I’d like us to be friends.”
“And how do I know I can trust you? Why would an alfar show any semblance of kindness to a human?”
“Because not all alfar are the same, just like not all humans are the same. Trust will take time, but please, don’t censor yourself. You have a brain, so use it.” I gave him a small smile. He was a fool if he thought I would ever trust him, but I could work this to my advantage. I just had to play this right.
“Well, in that case, for your information, your cousin did not ride his prized mare last night.”
