Chapter 63: Chapter 64: The “k”

Lena’s pov

His mouth was hot, demanding, and utterly foreign. It wasn’t the careful, reserved touch I was used to; it was rough, edged with a desperation that mirrored my own. He ground against me, the hardness of his uniform pressing into the softness of my thighs, sending a jolt of electric heat through my veins.

I kissed him back with a ferocity that frightened me. I poured every ounce of my frustration, my loneliness, and my fear into the kiss. I bit his lower lip, tasting the copper tang of blood, and he groaned, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated against my chest.

“Tell me you want this,” he growled against my mouth, his hand tangling in my hair, pulling my head back to expose my throat. “Tell me you want me to touch you.”

“You know I do,” I breathed, the words scraping against my pride. “God help me, I do.”

That was all the permission he needed.

His hands were everywhere, sliding under the heavy fabric of my skirt, palms rough and calloused against the sensitive skin of my thighs. He didn’t ask, didn’t tease; he just took, hooking his fingers into the waist of my stockings and dragging them down with impatient, jerky movements. The air in the pantry was cool against my heated skin, raising gooseflesh wherever he touched, but his body was a furnace, pinning me in place. I imagined as if it was Kaelen’s hands on my body.

His fingers found the wet heat between my legs, and I gasped, my hips jerking forward involuntarily. He didn’t waste time with foreplay. He slid one finger inside me, then a second, stretching me, testing my readiness.

He groaned low in his throat, the vibration of it transferring from his chest to mine. “You’re soaked,” he whispered against the sensitive skin of my jaw, his fingers pumping lazily, a stark contrast to the frantic desperation of our kiss. “So tight. Does it feel good, Lena? Do you remember how much you missed this?”

I couldn’t form words. My head tipped back, thunking against the wooden shelf, knocking a small tin of tea leaves askew. It felt electric, rough, unrefined, and overwhelmingly present. It was the exact opposite of the careful, agonizing distance Kaelen kept between us. This was messy. It was now.

“Yes,” I hissed, my nails digging into his shoulders through the rough wool of his tunic. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

“Then show me,” he growled, his voice a raw scrape of sound that seemed to bounce off the stone walls. He withdrew his fingers, the sudden emptiness leaving me gasping, and with impatient, jerky movements, he fumbled with the laces of his trousers.

The sound of fabric tearing and metal buckles clinking was obscenely loud in the quiet pantry. It was a harsh, unromantic reality check, a far cry from the poetic whispers of lonely nights, but it only made the heat pooling in my belly burn hotter. I didn’t want romance. I didn’t want gentle. I wanted to be taken out of my head.

“Look at me,” he commanded, gripping my chin and forcing my gaze away from the dark ceiling and back to his face. His eyes were wild, dilated, reflecting the same hungry desperation that was clawing at my insides. “This is what y’all maids want, a big cock inside you.”

What the fuck did he just say. I immediately shoved him off me.

“What the fuck? I’m not done yet,” he growled.

My hand moved before he could react. I grabbed the small knife from the rack beside him and pressed the cold blade against his neck.

“If you don’t get the fuck away from me,” I said quietly, my voice deadly calm, “you’ll be doing the finishing in hell.”

He froze.

Shock flickered across his face, as if he had just realized I wasn’t the helpless woman he thought I was.

I tossed the knife aside and spat on the floor as I pulled on my clothes.

He tried to lunge at me, but I was

faster. I slammed him back against the wall and locked him in a chokehold.

I might be a maid in disguise in this palace, but I was also someone who had survived years of brutal training.

He didn’t need to know that.

I saw the disbelief in his eyes, and I loved it.

With a final shove, I released him and walked out, heading straight for my chamber without looking back

I got to my room and finally crashed on my bed.

Few minutes later I turned onto my side, trying to force myself to sleep. Trying to forget the day.

A soft knock sounded at the door.

I sat up immediately, my heart leaping into my throat.

When I opened the door, no one stood in the corridor.

But something had been slipped beneath it.

A folded piece of parchment.

My heart began to pound as I picked it up. The paper was rough, cheap, the kind used for messages that weren’t meant to be kept. On the outside, written in hurried ink, was a single letter.

K.

My fingers trembled as I unfolded it.

Only a few words had been written inside.

Come tonight if you wish to see me.

For a moment I simply stared at the page.

Kaelen.

It had to be from Kaelen. Who else would sign with just a K? Who else would want to see me tonight, in secret, after everything that had happened?

My exhaustion vanished instantly.

I rose from the bed, already moving. Pulling on a darker dress so I would blend into the shadows. Wrapping a shawl around my shoulders. Tying my hair back quickly so it would not fall loose and catch the light.

Outside the small window, the castle grounds were nearly swallowed by darkness. The moon was hidden behind clouds. The torches along the walls flickered weakly.

Perfect cover.

I slipped the letter into the sleeve of my dress and quietly opened the door.

The corridor beyond was empty. Silent. The shadows stretched long and dark along the walls.

Taking one last breath to steady myself, I stepped out and disappeared into the night.

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