In the Wake of the Wicked (Veridian Empire #1)

43. Rose

43

Rose

I woke to the sound of birds chirping outside the window, the scent of coffee and baked bread wafting through the bedroom door, and the feel of a calloused hand on my stomach.

Leo’s body curved around mine, my head resting on his forearm. Nightmares and visions of blood and steel had tapped at the edges of my unconscious mind, but they’d managed to stay away for the rest of the night.

I stretched my legs, wrinkling my nose at an unfamiliar sensation rubbing against them. Lifting the sheets, I grinned when I saw a long, dark brown tail wrapped around my calf.

Leo stirred at my back, the hand at my stomach clenching as he nuzzled his nose into my neck, mumbling incoherently.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” I teased, turning to face him. His hair was even more disheveled, and a little annoyed crease appeared on his brow as he stubbornly kept his eyes closed. It was surprisingly adorable.

“I was comfortable,” he grumbled, burying his face into the pillow and tucking me closer to him.

I laughed. Morning Leo was so grumpy . And affectionate. I couldn’t resist—I brushed my hand through his hair, relishing the last few moments in this strange but peaceful bubble we’d created before real life burst through.

“We should get up,” I said half-heartedly. “Before your sister wonders what happened to us.”

“Too late!” a melodic voice called from somewhere far outside the door.

I jumped and sat straight up, accidentally jerking my leg and yanking Leo’s tail. He cursed and gripped my thigh in alarm.

“Sorry!” I whispered, clamping a hand over my mouth.

“Shifter, remember?” he said with a grunt. “My sister can hear everything.”

“ Everything ?”

He chuckled, unfurling his tail and easing out of the bed. “Don’t worry, she doesn’t listen in all the time. Only when she’s worried something might be wrong. Or wants to annoy me.”

“So, all the time,” Rissa’s voice called again.

Leo rolled his eyes and walked to his desk, pulling out a pouch of herbs and pinching some between his fingers. He mumbled a spell I couldn’t hear, and I felt the normal sensation of a charm snapping into place, tight and constricting on my chest.

“There. Now she won’t bother us.”

I laughed and stepped out of bed. Seeing them like this, their loving yet antagonizing brother and sister act, made me think of Beau.

“I need to get back to the palace,” I said with a sigh. “I’ve got to check in on Morgana and Beau. I ran out on them last night and I’m sure they’re worried. I’ve ignored my problems long enough.”

He nodded, and I could already see his walls coming back up as he prepared for the day, the tenderness slipping away. We hadn’t discussed much about his past, but I remembered how he said his family had been forced to live as outsiders. That others only saw them as a curse. I realized how similar we were, in some respects. Always feeling the need to wear a mask, to anticipate what others might think of us before we gave them a chance.

I didn’t want the magic of the night to fade. What had happened between us…it didn’t feel fleeting. It didn’t feel like something that could be covered and thrust beneath the surface, like everything else in my life.

Rubbing my shirt between my fingers, I asked, “When will I see you again?”

“Do you want to see me again?”

I looked up to meet his eyes across the room. “Don’t friends spend time together?”

His answering smile made my heart squeeze. “I’ll take you back to the palace so you can talk with your family and finally see a healer. Lark’s probably not happy with us.” I scowled at the mention of the head architect, tasting bitterness when I thought about how she’d put me through the dreamscape. He stepped toward me. “Try and play nice. It doesn’t excuse how horrible this trial was, but she was only doing her job.”

I let out a long sigh. “I know, I know. It’s Gayl I’m pissed at anyway, not her. All of this was his idea, wasn’t it?” Leo nodded. “I knew it—it had him written all over it.” The thought of the emperor made me curse. “Fates, I forgot about his letter.”

“Another one?”

“Yes. He had a note delivered to me the evening of the dinner, right before the second trial started. It told me how to get word back to him when I was ready to meet. I suppose I have to now, since I promised Rissa I’d use this to get closer to him...” My words faded as Leo pulled off the shirt he’d slept in and grabbed a new one, arms flexing when he shrugged it on and began buttoning it. The broad plane of his chest stared back at me, a dusting of dark hair spreading down past my line of sight. I remembered pressing my hand against it during the night, and knew exactly how hard those corded muscles felt beneath my skin. Like steel and?—

“Eyes up here, little wolf.”

My gaze snapped back to his face, which bore an enormous smirk as he finished the last button. Cheeks heating, I cleared my throat. “Anyway, I’ll probably try to meet with him soon.”

“Are you sure you’re comfortable with this?” he asked. “My sister shouldn’t have pushed that on you. She can be a bit…ambitious.”

I gave him a quizzical look. “I thought you were willing to do anything to bring him down.”

“I was. I…am.” He ran his fingers through his hair, something I noticed he did when anxious. “I saw how upset you were after you met with him. I don’t want you to feel forced into meeting with your—with the emperor. Not if it’s too much for you.”

“I can handle it,” I said.

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should have to.”

I grabbed his hand and squeezed. “I know. But I promise, I want to do this. I want to help you.” It wasn’t a lie, but what I didn’t want to admit…what I couldn’t admit, was that a small, dark part of me had stirred at what Gayl had promised. To learn magic my father had discovered, magic he might have one day passed along to me .

He nodded. “I won’t ask again. But you’ll tell me if?—”

“ Yes ,” I said in fake exasperation. “You know, you’re worse than my aunt.”

“Well, what are friends for?” he said with a wolfish smile, stepping closer to me.

A knock sounded on the door. “Emperor’s tits, what are you two doing in there?” Rissa called. “Never mind, don’t answer that. I have breakfast ready if you’re hungry.” She paused, then banged on the door again. “For food .”

Leo’s jaw flexed, and I stifled a laugh. “I think I like your sister.”

“Fates save us all,” he muttered. “Do you have time to stay for breakfast?”

I glanced down at the leggings and shirt I’d worn to bed four nights ago now. My stringy hair was unkempt and greasy. I hadn’t bothered to wash it or change after waking up from the second trial. I didn’t dare smell myself—horror gripped me at the realization that I’d slept next to him all night like this. I’d cuddled with him. My cheeks heated again. Breakfast with Leo and Rissa was the last thing I? —

“Hey,” he said softly, nudging my head up with his finger. “It’s just breakfast.”

He was looking at me like he had last night—walls down, sincerity and compassion and a hint of desire shining through. My resolve crumbled bit by bit.

“Okay. Just breakfast.”