Chapter 31: Chapter 31

~ NYSSA

If I had an iota of common sense, I would have gone right back to my room. Instead, I followed him.

A part of me was curious as to whether or not he’d actually get me something while the other was just driven by pure hunger.

Now that I could see him clearly, I took in his outfit. He didn’t look dressed for bed at all, but he was more casual than I’d seen him during the day. He wore black trousers and a simple grey shirt.

The short sleeves of the shirt did nothing to hide the scars that littered his hands and I couldn’t help but wonder how he’d gotten them.

He walked through the halls, not bothering to glance behind him to figure out if I was truly following him or not.

We passed a few guards and my cheeks burned bright each time. I wrapped my arms tighter around myself, wondering what the fuck I was thinking when I decided to leave the room in a short white night dress.

Fortunately for me, the guards barely even glanced my way. They bowed to Rowan, and some of them spared me a glance, but they always went back to their duties.

The kitchen was a few minutes away from the dining room and when we walked through the double oak doors, my mouth fell open.

It was easily the size of my entire house, with more cabinets than I’d ever seen in a single room and an extravagantly large stove and oven. The door to the pantry was ajar and my jaw dropped when I saw how stocked it was.

“Close your mouth or you’ll catch flies,” Rowan drawled.

I scowled when I realized that he’d spoken without even glancing at me. The fucking bastard.

He opened the large fridge and pulled out a small plate of what looked to be cake slices. He placed them on the table along with some more bread slices, a spread and a glass of orange juice.

“Eat,” he said simply, finally locking eyes with me. I glanced at the food, then back up at him causing him to roll his eyes. “It’s not fucking poisoned. I took it out of the fridge.” When I didn’t move, he took a slice of the cake and popped it into his mouth. “You’re so fucking difficult.”

I opened my mouth to retort but even my anger was not greater than my morals.

I could imagine my mother smacking me over the head and calling me rude for not at least thanking him for the food first.

“Thank you,” I muttered through gritted teeth. “You can go now.”

“Not until you fucking eat. Goddess forbid I leave and you decide to be a brat again. The last thing I want is some complaint from your pack about me starving you.”

My cheeks flushed. “I don’t need you to watch me.”

“Well tough luck because I’m not moving until you’re done.”

I stared at him with narrowed eyes and a glare that would’ve made a lesser man quiver but Rowan didn’t even seem phased. He poured himself a glass of water from the tap and drank it slowly, all the while keeping his eyes locked on me.

There was nothing remotely seductive about what he did and yet I could feel my skin igniting from the inside at his intense gaze. I blamed it on the fucking mate bond because there was no other way I could be attracted to him.

I shoved a piece of cake into my mouth to distract myself and at the burst of flavor, I moaned low.

It was the best thing I’d ever tasted.

I took another bite, not caring that Rowan was staring intently at me the entire time.

Once I’d finished the first two slices, I reached for the glass of orange juice.

Just as I did, a loud bang filled the air. The smell of smoke came along with it and the kitchen counter rumbled.

For the second time tonight, my glass slipped from my fingers and splattered on the ground. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the impact of whatever had exploded, but it never came.

Instead, I felt a hand wrap around me, pulling me into a hard chest that smelled like the woods and had my stomach turning over on itself. A hand cradled the back of my head, blocking me from harm and shivers ran down my spine.

For a long minute, I waited, but nothing happened. There were no shouts of war, merely a few panicked sounds from outside.

Still, neither Rowan nor I moved.

His arms were surprisingly warm. I felt the raised bumps from the scars on his skin on mine, but it didn’t feel as bad as I’d originally thought. His hold on me was protective, a stark contrast to how he’d treated me since I’d been here.

His touch felt so familiar that I could’ve stayed there had he not pulled back slowly.

He didn’t let go of me immediately, but his eyes ran over my, as if searching for any sign of injury.

The fierceness in his eyes had me shivering again, and this time, I knew it wasn’t from fear. My nipples hardened and I saw his eyes zero in on them, but he didn’t make a move.

The air thickened between us, everything else was forgotten: the explosion, the food.

It was just us in the kitchen and as his tongue darted out to lick his lips, I knew he was just as affected as I was, even if he was trying to hide it.

The sound of the kitchen door opening had us jumping apart, and not a moment too soon because a maid walked in, her eyes casting between us in suspicion and slight amusement. She wasn’t in her usual grey maid uniform but instead in a pair of grey pants and a loose shirt.

“My apologies, Your Majesty,” she said softly. “I thought it was empty. I wanted to get a broom for the accident outside. Someone blew up the lawn mower.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” Rowan said clearing his throat and stepping further away from me as if I’d burned him. “I was just leaving.”

Without another word, he turned on his heels and walked away leaving me breathless in the kitchen with nothing but his scent in the air.

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