His gaze holds mine intently. Caelen is not what I thought he was. He isn’t the monster I grew up hearing about when people told stories of the High Elves. In truth, he is everything I could have wished for in a husband. He is kind, caring, intelligent, handsome.
If things had been different, I believe my father was right. Love could have followed from our union. But as I study Caelen, I remember that we made a deal. We both went into this marriage for the good of our kingdoms, and nothing more.
Besides, I’m sure he would prefer a High Elf wife, just as I am sure that life would probably be easier with a human husband. And yet, as I study him, I cannot help but wonder what it might be like to stay with him.
“We should rest,” he says, breaking the silence between us.
He’s right. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.
The air is much colder now that night has fallen and it seems to be growing steadily worse. I lie down and pull the blanket over my shoulder, but it doesn’t really help.
“We should sleep together to stay warm,” Caelen says, removing his tunic.
I understand what he’s saying, but as my gaze travels over his broad shoulders and the hard planes of muscle that line his abdomen and chest, I’m not entirely sure that’s a good idea. When he removes his pants, leaving him only in his underwear, I swallow thickly and avert my eyes.
“You should undress as well,” he says. “Skin-to-skin contact is best to keep warm.”
A slightly strangled noise escapes me before I find my voice. “I—are you sure?”
He cocks his head to the side. “Have you never slept outside in the cold before?”
“You have?”
“Many times while traveling with our army.”
Of course. I forget sometimes that his people have been fighting the Orcs and… my kind off and on for years. I’d heard Caelen and his brother had both seen their fair share of battle, but I hadn’t really thought about it before now.
Hesitantly, I pull my tunic dress up over my head, holding it in front of my chest for a moment as I struggle to calm my racing heart. I wore far less than a bra and underwear on our wedding night, but this feels different because now I can see.
Drawing in a deep breath, I lower my tunic and carefully fold it, placing it to one side. I remove my leggings and fold them as well. I’m too embarrassed to look at Caelen because I know he’s probably watching me, just as I was observing him earlier when he undressed.
He clears his throat and my eyes snap up to his. He offers me a faint smile and holds the blanket up for me to join him. “If you lie on your side with your back to me, that would probably be best.”
I swallow hard and nod before curling onto my side. Carefully I scoot back, tensing for the moment I’ll reach him.
My pulse pounds in my ears. Heat radiates from his body against my back and I know I’m close. I gasp as he wraps an arm around my waist and tugs me the rest of the way back against him. “Hey!”
“At the rate you were moving, you were more likely to freeze to death before you got over here.”
“That is not true. I was almost there.” I glance over my shoulder as I tease him. “But someone got impatient because he’s cold.”
He laughs softly in my ear. The movement of his body against mine causing a rather inconvenient tightening in my lower abdomen.
His athletic frame is warm and solid as he molds himself to me, nearly swallowing my form with his much larger one. He tucks his knees up behind mine and I place my feet between his calves. He inhales sharply. “Your skin is freezing.”
A huff of laughter escapes me. “And you’re like a furnace.” I twist my neck to look back at him. “You were the one to suggest this. It’s too late to change your mind,” I tease, all the tension leaving my body. “I quite like it here.”
“Of course, you would.” He chuckles softly. “You’re getting the much better part of this arrangement. While I’m stuck lying beside a block of ice.”
I laugh again.
I am still shivering slightly and he tugs me even closer in response. “Do not worry. You should warm up soon.”
Every inch of my body hums in awareness of his movements behind me as his entire form is flush against my own. From the rise and fall of his chest to the pounding of his heart against my back and the warmth of his breath in my ear as he speaks in his deep, smooth voice.
“Do you think any more mountain rats will bother us while we sleep?” I ask, trying to take my mind off his nearness.
“No. I have threatened them with a fiery death if they do not stay away.”
I still and look back to him again. “Fiery death? Are you able to conjure flame? I thought the treaty bound your magic.”
“It does.” A smile tugs at his lips. “Signed in blood, the treaty with your kingdom binds my magic while in Eryadon, but what do mountain rats know of such things?”
Another laugh bubbles up. It seems my husband possesses more wit than I first realized. “What would happen if you did try to use your magic, anyway?”
He sighs. “I cannot conjure it at all. The treaty created a binding spell that renders me and my people unable to access our powers.”
“Oh,” I reply, wondering why the High Elves would ever agree to sign the treaty with this condition upon it.
“It was the only way your people would agree to peace,” he adds, answering my unspoken question. “The document itself is kept in your castle’s library. The binding spell was created so that it could not be broken unless your father or you tore the treaty in half.”
Gently, I squeeze his forearm. “If I regain my throne, we can forge a new treaty, and I’ll take away this condition on our agreement.”
He stills. “You would do this?”
I nod, and then turn just enough to give him a faint smile. “If I cannot trust my own husband, who can I trust?”
A handsome smile lights his face.
Thoroughly exhausted, I close my eyes, allowing myself to slip into that space between wakefulness and dreams.
“Sleep now, Lyana,” his breath is warm in my ear as his strong arm tightens around my waist, “I will keep you warm and safe.”
With a deep sigh, I drift away into sleep.
