Page 19 of Cold Hearted
The lights were snuffed out, but the moon shone brightly enough through the windows. I could see Zander’s gaze flick toward me and heat before he trained his eyes on the ceiling. I scurried past Zander to the other side of the four-poster bed, sliding between the cool sheets without a word. The air felt charged as I shifted under the comforter, trying to find a comfortable sleeping position.
Zander was silent from his place on the floor. It wasn’t until I’d been wiggling around for several minutes that he finally spoke up: “Does the bed not fit your standards? If not, I’m happy to switch places with you.”
I froze, not knowing why I couldn’t seem to get settled.My body was exhausted from riding all day, but my mind was fluttering like a hummingbird’s wings. Turning on my side, facing the direction Zander lay but not able to see him over the edge of the bed, I forced myself to still.
“No, the bed’s fine,” I said, choosing to ignore his obvious sarcasm.
Silence blanketed the air once again, suffocating me and compounding my restlessness.
“What happened to your brother?” I asked, knowing I was overstepping, but not able to hold back my curiosity anymore.
Zander was quiet for so long his voice gave me a start when he finally answered. “He was murdered.”
Murdered. A ball of lead formed in my gut.
“Do you know why?” I pressed, fully aware my questions were invasive.
“Someone wanted his power,” Zander sighed heavily, but didn’t elaborate. I could tell it was a subject he didn’t want to discuss, and rather than press him I changed the subject.
“The twins seem to really love you,” I offered, knowing this conversation probably pained Zander, but not able to hold back the deep and unnerving desire to know more about my captor.
“They’re good boys,” he agreed, and I could hear the smile in his voice.
“And Brienne is very kind and beautiful,” I added, poking for information. It was a custom in our land for any unwed males to have first right to marry their brother’s widow. I didn’t know if it was the same here, but as far as I could tell Zander was unattached and he loved his nephews and held Brienne in high esteem,so why hadn’t they wed? Or was he intending to marry her eventually? She was older, but not by much.
At the thought, a pang of discomfort shot through my chest, and I had to swallow a small gasp. I rubbed at the spot on my chest just above my left breast where the sensation had come from.
Weird.
“Yes, she is both those things,” Zander said neutrally, and I no longer had the desire to dig for information.
I flopped onto my back, staring up at the gauze draped over the bedposts. “I’m sorry about your brother,” I offered. “It sounds like you two were very close.”
“We were.”
I wished I had more to offer him than hollow platitudes, but I didn’t have siblings and my father passed when I was too young to remember him, so I didn’t know what it was like to lose someone close to you. What could I possibly say that would offer him comfort? So I let our conversation lapse into silence once more, with thoughts of Zander’s murdered brother and lovely sister-in-law swirling inside my mind.
I lay in bed for what felt like hours before I finally felt myself drifting off. The fuzzy edges of sleep were just starting to coat my consciousness when the bed dipped next to me, pulling me awake.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked with a squawk, my eyes widening as I watched Zander pull back the blankets and climb under the covers next to me.
“I think it’s fairly obvious,” he said, and even though I couldn’t see his expression in the low light, I still heard the smile in his voice.
“You can’t sleep with me,” I protested. “We’re not married.”
Granted, the bed was large enough for us to lie next to each other without touching, but it just wasn’t proper.
“Then you’re welcome to take my place on the floor. But I should warn you the wood flooring is even less comfortable than the frozen ground outside. I already have a crick in my neck that is going to cause riding tomorrow to beveryuncomfortable.” He moved his head back and forth and his neck cracked twice, proving his point.
“What? I can’t—I’m a pr—” I sputtered, cutting myself off just before admitting my identity to him. But I was more worried that my heart was speeding from an emotion other than outrage than I was about my almost confession. Zander’s nearness was causing a visceral reaction in me, and if I was honest with myself, which I didn’t intend to be at that moment, it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation.
“Calm down, little bird. Come morning, your virtue will still be fully intact.”
I felt my cheeks heat and was glad the light was too low for him to see.
“That’s not the point,” I snapped. “I mean, yes, it is the point, but… but… it’s just not proper.”
Grumbling, Zander grabbed the pillow behind his head and then wedged it between us.
