Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

" I owe you an hour," I said. Carefully, I pulled the veil from my head and tucked it back into the wardrobe that never seemed to run out of clothing. The dress I wore beneath was like all the others, thin-strapped and deeply cut, close fitting but shapeless. Though he'd seen me in it more times now than I cared to count, it still felt too vulnerable. I pulled on the robe, cinching it at my waist before slowly pulling off each glove, finger by finger. I turned my gaze back to the bed where Tallon was staring at me, watching every move. "What exactly does this hour entail?"

"I believe we agreed the hour was to be in my rooms, did we not?" He had not moved from the bed, still lazily strewn across it as if it belonged to him. "But for tonight, I'll allow it to be here."

"How generous."

"I think you'll find I am quite generous."

The game was tiring, and I knew better than to let myself be within his reach, so I settled back onto the windowsill. "What do you want with me, Tallon? I won't give you my body, if that is what you're after."

He sat up and shifted to the edge of the bed, propping his chin on his fist and resting his elbow on his knee. "You intrigue me, Odyssa. I'd like to learn more about you." He leaned forward. "And I would never need to make a bargain to get you in my bed, Odyssa. I promise that."

I wanted to both scream and laugh. He did not want to know me, he wanted to control me, and for control, he needed to know what I feared. I'd already given him that, and I'd be damned if I gave him anything else to use against me. "Tell me the truth, please. If Rhyon is still alive, he needs that treatment. If he is dead, Emyl will likely be in need of it soon given our family's luck. I don't have time for these games of yours."

"I am not playing games, Odyssa." He stood from the bed and in two strides was in front of me, looming over me once more. It was a habit he seemed to enjoy far too much. His fingers reached out, and in another habit of his, he traced down my marks. Instead of stopping at my neck as he usually did, he followed the ones that dipped into the hollow between my breasts. Fire followed the path he traced, sending flames and sparks in every direction. His fingers hesitated, and then reached down into my dress, freeing the letter to Emyl I had tucked there. "What is this?"

Ignoring the tingles that still danced across my skin, I snatched it back, standing and pushing past him to set it on my desk. "None of your concern."

"If it's a letter to your brothers, why do you carry it with you, instead of having it sent to them?" His brow was pinched as he turned to take up my previous position against the windowsill, his arms crossed and genuine confusion across his face for the first time since I'd met him.

My anger stuttered in the face of it, unsure what to do now that it was clear he had no knowledge of the punishment Camelya had meted out. "My privilege of correspondence was revoked."

"When and by whom?" His eyes narrowed.

Mine narrowed in response. "You truly do not know?"

"Believe it or not, I am not privy to every decision made in the castle. I may be one of his advisors, but I am not the prince, as I'd hope you're well aware."

I bit my tongue, choosing to ignore the dry tone. "Two nights ago, there was a mishap during cleanup, as I'm sure you saw. Camelya informed me that any further mistakes would revoke my pay and my privilege of correspondence. Last night's interaction with Prince Eadric was considered a further mistake."

He was quiet for a long moment, looking at me. I couldn't decipher the expression on his face beyond thoughtfulness. For a moment, anger flitted by on the purse of his lips, but it vanished as quickly as it came. I found myself wanting to fidget beneath his gaze, but I held my body still and kept quiet.

"If you'd like, I would be happy to send the letter out on your behalf," he finally said.

I hesitated, faltering between wanting to shove the letter in his hands and demand he take it to Emyl right this instant and wanting to question his motives further. The latter won out. "What do you stand to gain by helping me? Would you not also get in trouble if it was discovered?"

"Are you always this suspicious of those trying to help you?" he asked, a slight smile gracing his lips as he looked at me. "Because if so, I believe I am starting to understand you just that much better, little wolf."

"I'd call myself cautious."

"Paranoid."

"Wary."

"Cynical."

"Skeptical."

"Distrustful."

I snorted. "What reason do I have to trust you? I hardly know you, and what I do know does not inspire confidence that if I gave you this letter, it would actually make it to my brothers."

"What reason do you have to believe I would do something with the letter other than deliver it?"

"I—" I'd opened my mouth to speak, but realized that out of all my interactions with Tallon, none had involved him failing to do something he'd said. Lying, certainly, hiding the full truth, absolutely. But as of now, it was only my suspicion of his future betrayal that I had to stand on, and I hardly wanted to explore that in this moment. I picked up the letter and held it out.

If he chose not to deliver it, it would be no different than if I continued to carry it with me. At least this way, there was a chance of Emyl reading it. Again, I had nothing left to lose. Nothing in the letter would give Tallon any more power over me than he already had. "Fine. I would be very appreciative if you could see this makes it to my brothers."

He crossed the room and took it from me, ensuring our fingers brushed in the process, before tucking the letter into the pocket of his shirt. "I would be honored to take this to your brothers."

Again, I was torn in my reaction to him. He seemed genuine, like he truly would be honored to assist me, but I couldn't let myself fall into that trap. Not again. There was too much at stake for me to forget everything that had happened so far, no matter how my body responded to Tallon's. In the face of the confusion, I settled back into a familiar embrace of emotions instead. "When will you get the treatment?"

"Should we add impatience to the list of your defining characteristics?" The lilt of his voice was teasing, and it snapped whatever hold I had on my temper.

"My brother is dying," I snapped, "if not already dead. I do not have time for patience. Are you getting the treatment or not?"

His face turned serious, gray eyes a tempest of storm clouds. "I will help you get it, Odyssa. Our bargain stands. That said, even though Prince Eadric trusts me, we cannot simply waltz into his rooms and demand it, can we? It's hardly been a full day." He paused, considering me. "When I deliver the letter, do you wish to know if Rhyon has passed on?"

My voice cracked. "Please."

"So be it." He held his hand out in offering. "Come. I'm sure you'll be wanting to sleep soon. Go prepare for bed; I'll wait here for you."

My routine had always brought a source of comfort to me, but since coming to the castle, I had yet to have a night where I was able to complete it fully. Bathe, brush my hair, braid it back, lotion my skin, wash my face. It was a ritual, no doubt, and one I would allow myself to indulge in tonight, if only for the satisfaction of making Tallon wait further.

I wasn't foolish enough to believe it would count towards my hour, but it would give me a reprieve and a chance to work through my tumultuous feelings regarding Tallon and the situation I found myself in.

As the bathwater filled, I considered the man sitting outside in my room. He was an illustration of contradictions.

Since I'd met him, he'd inspired both apprehension and attraction within me, and I still wasn't sure which would be the more dangerous of the two. He was a close confidant of the prince, no doubt, but occasionally, behind the mask he wore, his face would slip, and for a fleeting moment one could think he despised the prince as much as I.

Sliding into the bath, I let out a long sigh as the hot water pulled me into its embrace. I believed Tallon's concern tonight, and other nights, was genuine, but it also made my internal battle so much more complex. Did he truly want to help me for no reason? I doubted it.

In all my life, these long twenty-seven years, I had never met someone who cared for me just for the sake of it. The value I brought to the world was what I could give to it, and they always wanted something in the end.

Tallon would be no different. His demand of a single unnamed favor was proof enough of that. And yet, I could still not deny the impact of him; the way his words, when they brushed across my skin, sent shivers down my spine not out of fear, but out of lust. The way his touch sent me leaning into it rather than recoiling away.

Idly, I wondered what it would feel like if he touched me more intentionally. A touch not out of care, or aid, but one he wanted to gift me. I wondered if I had the same impact on him as he did on me. Occasionally, I thought I might. His mask was well crafted and he was as well practiced as I at keeping his emotions off his face, but sometimes it slipped and sometimes he looked at me like he wanted to touch me, to press me against the wall and kiss me. And sometimes, I might have wanted him to.

My hands had slipped beneath the bathwater and were trailing across my stomach when I came back to myself, still picturing Tallon's hands on my skin. Eyes widening at the realization, I bolted up in the tub, sloshing water everywhere.

"Are you alright, Odyssa?" Tallon's voice called from right outside the door.

My face flushed, both from the heat of the steam curling up from the water and from my own embarrassment that I'd been about to touch myself thinking of Tallon's hands while the man himself was sitting outside in my bedroom. He most certainly would know what I'd done as soon as I stepped foot back out of the bathroom.

"I'm fine," I called, grateful that my voice was steady even though my hands trembled beneath the water. I dug my fingertips into my thighs, willing my body to calm.

"Do try not to drown in there," he teased. "It would certainly make things more difficult."

"I'm fine," I repeated. The bathwater sloshed as I shifted and sank further into the water until it covered me to the neck. The water was cooling, but it still felt too hot on my feverish skin.

"Should I come in there and see that for myself?" His tone was still teasing, but held an undercurrent of concern. The knob twisted slowly, taunting me.

I bolted upright, splashing water onto the floor. The door remained closed, but the knob stayed in its half-turned position, unlatching the door so he could push it open at any time. My voice did waver this time as I spoke. "No, I am fine, Tallon. I'll be out in a moment."

Creeping, the door opened an inch. My breath caught in my chest and I pressed my legs together as I drew my arm over my breasts, covering myself the best I could before he opened it the rest of the way. He did not say anything.

"Do not come in here," I warned. Despite my earlier feelings, the lust I'd allowed myself to get lost in for a moment, I did not want him in here. Did not want to see how he'd react to my naked and wet body. Did not want to discover if he could read my attraction for him across my face.

"As you wish." He was no longer teasing, and the door pulled shut once more with a sharp click. His voice was muffled by the door. "I'll be waiting out here."

I did not reply, instead sinking back into the rapidly cooling water as my heart came down from the thundering pace it'd set. Without a doubt, he knew exactly what I'd been doing, and what he was doing. Another game, another mark in my tally of losses. Sloshing the water as I leaned forward, I turned the taps on once more so I could splash the ice-cold water across my face. I needed to remember my place, and more importantly, I needed to remember Tallon's place—particularly his place beside the Coward Prince.

For the rest of my bedtime routine, I focused intently on my task rather than letting my mind drift to Tallon again. Nothing good would come from giving in to the attraction I felt for him. Nothing good would come from him.

When I finally had the nerve to reenter my room, Tallon was sitting on the chair by the window, ankle across one knee and reading a book from somewhere. I looked around, but as before, there were no bookshelves in my room. He looked up when I closed the bathroom door behind me, shutting his book and standing.

Wordlessly, he ushered me to sit down in the chair. It was still warm from his body, and I fought back the shiver that threatened to roll down my spine. I watched silently as he set his book down on my vanity, trading it for my hairbrush before returning to my side. He held it up in a silent question, and I hesitated a moment before nodding.

I knew there was more to it, as I could find no reason Tallon would want to brush out my hair for me. It was a part of his games, and I just had yet to see how it fit. Until I did, it was better to play along carefully, gathering as much information as possible. I bit my tongue to keep from asking, not wanting to ruin the tenuous moment. Despite knowing there were hidden motives behind the gesture, no one had ever offered to brush my hair, not even my mother, and it was something I was disinclined to pass up.

I couldn't fight back the shivers as he ran the brush through my hair, his fingers grazing my neck as he lifted the hair off my shoulders. It was calming, the slow repetitive movements, the warmth of him against my neck and back.

Too quickly, it was over, and the relaxed stupor he left me in was fogging up my mind. He tapped my shoulder gently with the brush. Coming around in front of me, he held his hand out, pulling me from the chair and then guiding me to the bed. I followed without a fight, still not fully aware of what was happening. Had there been magic in the brush, another trick of his to make me complacent? I didn't want to know. My body had never felt so relaxed before, and I had never felt so warm.

"Our time is up, Odyssa." He smiled, pulling the blankets up over my body. "Rest well, and I shall see you this evening."

I blinked at him, opening my mouth to reply, but he was already at the door, pulling it closed behind him. Settling back into the pillows, I fell asleep on my next breath.

That night, I had no nightmares, though the feeling of gray eyes lingered throughout my dreams.

When I woke as the evening bells tolled, my mind was muddy and unfocused from a sleep that was too restful. It made my body feel heavy and almost worse than it had when I was exhausted.

I also had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind, as though there had been something I needed to remember from my dreams, something that had happened while I slept, but I could not cling to it long enough for it to fully form before it slipped away, burned out of my mind by consciousness.

It wasn't an uneasy feeling, I decided, just the feeling I'd forgotten something important, so, intent on making it through this next party and continuing to confront Tallon about the treatment, I turned my mind elsewhere.