16. Rehn

SIXTEEN

REHN

W hen Rehn awoke, it was with lingering dreams of the passion he'd shared with Leila the previous evening. Opening his eyes and seeing her there by his side stirred his blood to life.

He reached out and ran a finger over her spine, taking in how soft her skin felt against his touch. He ran the finger back up again, resting in her dark hair. He curled a single lock around the finger, the feeling of silk surrounding him. Finally, he caressed the side of her face, feeling her long lashes flutter against his skin.

Leila stirred at Rehn's touch, sighing in delight as she began to wake. Rehn marveled at how she seemed to glow in the sunlight streaming through the drapes on his bedroom window. She stretched her arms along the silk sheets before opening her eyes and greeting the king with a smile.

"Good morning," she said. She was a beacon of perfection. The sheets seemed intentionally placed to maximize Rehn's growing lust, giving him just enough of a peek to entice him to dig further. She let out a soft yawn, covering her mouth with her palm, and giggling gently before settling back against her pillow.

"Good morning." Rehn sat up and leaned over his mate, punctuating the greeting with a soft kiss. Everything felt as it should; his inner bear was somewhat peaceful. There was still an air of unrest over refusing to claim her fully as his mate, but this sort of domestic tranquility they'd found themselves in would suffice.

For the time being.

But Rehn knew there was a chance it was all going to end very soon, if not that very day. They were making progress on tracking down Leila's attacker. And while he was determined to do so, he knew identifying the man would lay the path for Leila thinking herself safe again, eventually leaving his care, and returning to her old life.

Without him.

So he stalled, making the bed seem as enticing and peaceful as possible. Just to capture a small amount of time between them. As long as he could.

Rehn pulled Leila against himself, peppering her with gentle kisses that were greeted with contented sighs. She squirmed against him, a feeling of need growing between them both. He hoped they could greet every morning this way, just lost in each other completely.

You could if you claimed her , his inner bear growled. He was growing restless again, but the inevitable hanging over his head gave him even further pause. What would she think if he announced this now when her safety was on the horizon? That he was lying, manipulating her for his own gain.

It didn't feel right. It still wasn't time. His inner bear let his displeasure be known, again. But Rehn chased its grumbling from his mind, trying to steal every precious moment he could with his beautiful Leila.

After one particularly deep and sensual kiss, Leila leaned back against her pillow and sighed.

"I should get to work today, I think. I wonder what I can do to figure out who was trying to attack me," she said, laying the back of her hand against her forehead. "How would I even get started? Especially from here. Your library has been incredibly interesting to poke through, but I haven't made any progress yet. Still, I need to start somewhere."

Rehn realized, by the way she spoke, that Leila assumed he hadn't made any progress on the search himself. He leaned heavily on his forearm and looked her over, reluctant to continue this train of thought.

"You don't need to worry about where to start. I already have." The words escaped his mouth with a heavy weight. Admitting it made it real, solidifying the shrinking time he had to make her want to stay with him on her own. The clock was ticking, beating with his own pulse and reminding him his happiness was fleeting.

Leila turned her head, looking at him with wide eyes. "You have? Why didn't you?—"

"I didn't want to worry you, thinking about such things." That was true, and he felt a sting of guilt for not being honest upfront. He didn't know how else to bring her closer to him without shielding her from every perceivable threat he could. "I want you to be at ease in my castle, to put all this out of your mind. But I assure you, we have been hard at work on the mystery. In fact, I believe we'll be taking a large step in the process today."

Her eyes were stuck on his, unmoving. "Well, go on!" she said. "Explain!"

Rehn nodded, realizing there was no taking back this conversation now.

"Yesterday, Idris and I went around and collected magic samples from every local sorcerer in the kingdom. They're being held safely and waiting for a visitor from the academy to arrive today."

"Someone from the academy?" Leila asked. "Is it anyone I might know?"

Rehn shook his head. "I'm unsure, I forgot her name. A woman who's talented in tracing magic. We'll see if any of the samples match the magic residue left in the prison cell."

Leila bolted to sitting up, her face practically glowing with excitement. "Really? You've already managed all that? That's incredible!"

She leaned over and gave Rehn an appreciative kiss on the lips, lingering for a moment before pulling away again. She was practically vibrating with shock.

"Again, I wasn't trying to hide anything from you. I just…wanted you to enjoy your stay here. To relax." He brushed his hand against her arm, hoping she understood.

"And I appreciate that, but now that I do know, I want to be part of this process," she said as she slid out of the large bed. She gathered her clothing from the previous day and put it on.

Rehn wanted to argue; to tell her it wasn't necessary, and she ought to spend the time luxuriating in her accommodations. That she should be spending more time in his bed. In his arms.

But he knew it was no use. Leila was stubborn. It took everything to convince her to come to his castle in the first place. Keeping her from getting involved now would be fruitless, and perhaps even push her farther from him.

"Very well. If you want to be there when the tracer analyzes the samples…you may." There was nothing else to say.

Leila finished throwing her clothing on and leaned over the bed to give him a peck on the cheek.

"I'm going back to my room to freshen up and dress properly. I'll see you at breakfast," she said, excitement buzzing in her words.

"As will I," Rehn said, sighing as he watched her leave his room. He pulled himself from his bed and called his staff to run him a bath. He washed himself and dressed to receive esteemed company.

Just as he was ready to leave for the dining hall, a knock came at his door.

"Come in," Rehn said, hoping to see Leila on the other side. Instead, it was Idris who greeted him.

Rehn did his best to hide his disappointment.

"I thought you might like to know, the sorcerer Altair was spotted. I've ordered he be brought in for questioning," Idris said, folding his arms behind his back.

Rehn nodded. "A wise call. I told Leila about our work yesterday, and she seemed excited to see an end to this search. But I have to admit, none of the men we surveyed seemed the least bit suspicious."

"On that, we agree," Idris replied. "Which is why I sent a team out to gather more information on Altair last night. They came back with… rumors."

Rehn crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. "Go on."

"Many describe him as a deeply unhappy man. He has strong opinions on how the world has ‘gone wrong,' that society is heading down the wrong path."

"A man who has every reason to want to change the past," Rehn mused. He felt like pieces of a puzzle were finally falling into place.

"And what better way to change the past than forcing a sorceress to do it for him? Particularly one who may be skilled in time manipulation?"

Idris and Rehn smiled at each other as if they were sharing a very subtle secret between themselves. But the bigger picture was too wide to ignore. It was obvious to Rehn that Altair was their number one suspect: a man convinced he knew a better path forward than anyone else. And would use Leila and her powers to force that change to happen.

"You did well, Idris. As always," Rehn said. He scratched at his chin and walked across the floor toward his advisor. "We'll let the tracing sorceress do her work in the prison, and find what she can. But I have a feeling our questioning of Altair will be much more fruitful."

"I look forward to this little chat, sir," Idris replied as he opened the bedroom door and escorted his king outside.