Previously on "A Court of Fear and Ice"
Waiting for Rian on the terrace, Lexi can't stop thinking about their dinner. She knows it's not a date, yet that word keeps appearing in her thoughts. All of a sudden, she hears a strange noise and notices some silhouettes in the distance. Curious enough, she comes near the swimming pool and sees little fairies who are playing together. Unfortunately, one of them jumps into the water and starts drowning. Lexi immediately tries to rescue her.
Chapter 28
Getting to the room they prepared for me turned out to be no mean feat.
When a green-haired fairy informed me that I had to climb several staircases to reach my destination, I wanted to lie down and burst out crying. With all that adrenaline gone from my body, I realised I was so tired that thinking and blinking at the same time seemed terribly difficult. I knew I was in no condition to go up, so it was either sleeping standing up, or asking Rian to winnow me upstairs. But that handsome muppet was nowhere to be found.
The moment we entered the palace's foyer, Rian pulled away from me without saying a word. With the High Lord of Summer by his side, he turned into one of the corridors, and all I could do was watch his back as he and Tarquin were drawing away from the rest of us. Feeling helpless and a bit abandoned, I realised I was more than sure he would immediately put his arms around me and go to the room, where I would sleep till late morning, but nothing like that happened. He simply left me in the foyer and didn't look back.
Luckily, there was another fairy able to winnow me to my destination, yet this one was again refusing to acknowledge our acquaintance. Whenever I glanced at Cerys, and I did it quite often, she pretended that she didn't notice any of my looks and talked with three Summer fairies as if she didn't know me. It still hurt, but I was too ashamed to ask for the reason of her strange behaviour.
Not sure what to do next, I looked around the brightly lit foyer. I knew I had to go upstairs but I didn't know which way to choose. There were at least two options for me. Option number one required turning into one of the four corridors, which would lead me to who knew where, and then hoping for meeting some fairies willing enough to guide me to the damn room. Option number two included finding Rian in this enormous palace and asking him to winnow me upstairs. Unfortunately, tracking that handsome muppet seemed almost impossible given my unfamiliarity with the palace's layout.
Well, there was also option number three. It was nothing more than going back to the swimming pool, finding a deck chair, and spending the night under the stars, not giving a shit about anything or anyone else.
Sighing, I realised that my tiredness had already chosen the only option that was available for me. Without further ado, I headed for the double doors which were leading to the terrace.
"Where are you going?" Cerys asked quietly.
I turned around and noticed that the two of us were the only people left in the foyer. "I'm going to sleep on the terrace," I said.
She frowned and took a step forward. "But why? I thought they prepared a room for you."
"They did," I replied resignedly. "I'm supposed to stay in the tower room. A fairy with green hair told me that it's the highest situated place in this palace, but I'm too tired to go up." I shrugged, turning again towards the double doors. "That's why I've decided to sleep outside."
"Do you want me to get you to the room?" Cerys asked quickly.
With my hand already on the handle, I stopped but didn't face her right away. "That would be nice." Slowly, I turned around and added with a small smile, "Thank you."
Cerys regarded me for a while before she asked, "Are you sure that the fairy said the word 'tower'?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."
"Hmm. All right then," she said and opened her arms. "Let's get you to the tower room."
Having approached Cerys, I allowed her to embrace me.
Seconds later, we appeared in a short and dimly lit hall with midnight blue walls that were so dark they seemed almost black. The hall's floor was made of a dark stone mottled with pale blue spots which were glittering like tiny stars. There was also one big window showing the sleeping city of Adriata, and a dark wooden door probably leading to the blasted tower room. The room I was supposed to spend the night in.
Drawing away from Cerys, I noticed the hall was almost empty. There wasn't any furniture or decorations, but, oddly, it didn't make the place gloomy. Maybe it was because of the glittering blue spots on the floor that were reflecting the light of the small chandelier hanging above our heads.
"Thank you, Cerys" I said. "I wouldn't make it up here if it weren't for you."
The Night Court fairy flashed me a smile. "Anytime. Sleep well, Lexi. I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight."
Turning my back to her, I reached towards the door handle but stopped. There was one thing I needed to do before going inside.
"Cerys, wait," I said quickly and turned around in time to see her half-devoured by dark shadows. She looked at me with curiosity and dispersed the darkness with a wave of her hand. "I'm sorry," I added. "I'm sorry I didn't want to move aside from Nerida. I hadn't realised that I could have hurt her, and believe me it was the last thing I wanted to do."
I took a deep breath before going on. "With all that adrenaline in my body, I was extremely confident in my ability to save her and subconsciously I didn't want to appear weak in front of so many people. I know now that I can't possibly compare myself with you or your magic. I was wrong. And I'm sorry for that. I'm really sorry."
Standing still and silent, Cerys didn't respond to my apology as one might have expected. She was just staring at me with a blank face and her blinking eyes were the only indicators that she was there with me. Frankly speaking, I wasn't counting on her total forgiveness but a simple nod would be enough for me.
"All right," I murmured. I knew perfectly well that it was time to go inside the tower room before I would embarrass myself again. "Goodnight."
"I can't blame you for wanting to save Nerida," Cerys said suddenly, making me turn around and look at her. "I know it was an instinctive decision because I would do the same. However, this doesn't mean that your behaviour wasn't foolish. As you said yourself, you could have accidentally harmed that little one, but I'm rather glad that you didn't." She approached me and went on, "Maybe you weren't aware of that, but Nerida is Tarquin's heiress and if something happened to her because of you… if you didn't succeed in saving her life… I'm not sure even Rian could have done anything to protect you tonight."
Our eyes met.
Pondering over her words, I got goosebumps. I hadn't suspected that if something had gone wrong with my little rescuing mission, Tarquin could have lost his shit. After all, Nerida was the next High Lady of the Summer Court, and I would have been the one responsible for her death. This time, instead of sending a ruby to the Night Court, he might have sent my very own head.
"I see," I whispered. It was the only thing I was able to say now.
Cerys nodded. "Goodnight, Lexi. I'll see you in the morning."
She disappeared, leaving me standing in the short hall with a starry floor. "Holy shit," I said aloud. "Holy fucking shit."
After she left, I needed a couple of minutes before entering the tower room. I was too worried about Nerida's rescuing and its possible consequences to even touch the damn door handle and get inside. So I was just standing in the hall, trying to calm myself and convince that everything was fine in the end. At first, it didn't work and I even considered going all the way down to get a drink, mostly to help myself get rid of Cerys's words from my head, but eventually I settled my nerves and opened the door.
The moment I entered the shadowy tower room and spotted an enormous four-poster bed I knew I would sleep in it like a baby. I didn't care that there was no bathroom in sight to clean myself up after the party, or that I didn't have any clothes to change my slightly wet dress. All I cared about was that amazing huge bed and the relaxing sleep it was offering. That's why, without further delay, I took off my dress, left it on the floor and climbed into the bed completely naked.
Luckily for me, I was tired enough to fall asleep right after covering myself with the cool sheet.
###
Lying in the bed with my eyes still closed, I was listening to the distant sounds of the sea. Waves breaking on the shore and yelling seagulls had been my companions for the last couple of minutes since waking up. I didn't know what time it was, but it was surely morning. I just sensed it with my whole system.
With my right hand outstretched and resting on a big pillow, I was lying on my side. It was both my favourite sleeping position and the way my body was subconsciously letting me know it was time to get up and start my day. Usually, at the weekends, I allowed myself to stay in bed a bit longer, simply lying with my eyes shut, and today was no different. Though, I didn't know if it was a weekday or a weekend because days in Prythian seemed to be all the same for me.
Still not opening my eyes, I took a deep breath and wiggled my fingers. The pillow they were resting on had become warm, so it was definitely time to get up and have some breakfast. I knew I was slowly feeling hungry, and four delicious pancakes with strawberry jam and whipped cream would certainly stuff my 'little' empty belly.
Suddenly, the big pillow moved slightly upwards.
Both shocked and terrified at the unexpected movement, I somehow managed to open my eyes. The first thing I saw was a muscled male arm with a big black tattoo that was covering most of its owner's bicep. I noticed it was forming a complex pattern which consisted mostly of tree branches and stars that were entwined with each other. Then, I held my breath when I laid my eyes on a shredded naked torso and my right motionless hand which had been resting on it.
Oh, shit, I thought, exhaling quietly. From the moment I saw the starry tattoo I suspected it was him, but I had to make sure I was right. So, feeling my heart's pounding in my ears, I lifted my head carefully and looked at the man lying next to me.
Cupping the back of his head with his left hand, Rian was stretched out on the bed. He was so close to me that I could easily spot the dark stubble on his chin and cheeks, and hear his soft breathing. Having realised that it was the first time I had a chance to look closely at him, I knew I wanted to take my time. I let my eyes move slowly up and down Rian's sleeping face, admiring those handsome features. After all, I didn't know if I would ever get another opportunity to do that.
But at the same time, there was a thought that was nagging me from the moment I saw my hand on his torso.
Uncertain about what to do next, I was debating inwardly whether to remove it or keep it on him. Had I taken my hand off and drawn away to the other side of the bed, it might wake him up faster than I'd like to. But on the other hand, if I didn't do anything and leave it there, he might awake with me touching his naked stomach. And to make things worse, I didn't know which was worse – removing my hand from him or leaving it there.
"Good morning." Rian's voice caught me off guard.
I quickly took my hand off his stomach. So much for my grand dilemma, I thought.
With his eyes closed, he flashed me a smile and asked, "Did my favourite human girl sleep well?"
"What are you doing in my bed?" I whispered, still lying on my side.
Gazing at me with his eyes slightly closed, Rian said, "That's my bed."
I frowned. "It's not true. I was here first."
To my surprise, he rolled to his side and propped his head on a fist. "That's my bedroom," he said quietly, furrowing slightly his eyebrows. "I always get it when I'm in the Summer Court. It has the best view on the night sky, so, obviously, it had to be mine."
"So why did they put me here?" I asked, a bit distracted by his closeness.
Well, to be honest, I was very distracted by his whole body, and I tried not to stare at that naked torso. Had he caught me gaping at him, we would both feel super awkward, and I didn't want that to happen.
"I don't know." Rian rubbed his eyes, trying to chase away his sleepiness. "Maybe they ran out of empty bedrooms and decided to put you in the tower room. After all, with so many guests in the palace last night, they could have simply forgotten to let me know that I would need a new bedroom." There was amusement in his blue eyes as he added, "Or maybe, they believed we were together and prepared the tower room for us." He flashed me a sexy smile and winked. "With one big bed to share."
One big bed to share, I thought, glancing at his muscled arms and stomach and feeling rather turned on. I swallowed hard as unwanted images of us in bed appeared in my head.
"Why would they believe such a thing?" I asked hoarsely, knowing my heart was beating rapidly. I glimpsed at his mouth and felt that my body's reaction started betraying me even more than before. "As far as I know, we're not together."
When I looked at Rian, I noticed his nostrils flared slightly and it was enough for me to realise that he was aware of my excitement.
"No, we're not," he said, lowering his eyes. "But if someone had entered the room some time ago and seen us together in the bed, they would assume we were fooling around at night. Especially with you lying completely naked." He looked right at me. "I saw your dress on the floor when I came in, so I put it in the bathroom. You're welcome."
Swallowing hard, I replied, "It was too wet and thus uncomfortable for me to sleep in it."
"Why didn't you ask anyone to get you a new one?" Rian asked.
"You were missing, Cerys was long gone when I entered the room, and I didn't see any of the Summer fairies up here," I explained, trying to prepare myself for sitting up on the bed. I knew I had to get up and put on that blasted dress, but first I needed to come up with a plan of how to do it gracefully, since there was nothing more than a sheet around me. "And besides, I was sure it would be just my room for the night, so I didn't even care about finding a new dress."
"Yet, here I am, honey. Lying in the same bed and having a nice conversation with my favourite human girl." He smiled. "You must know that the moment I entered the room and saw you in my bed I realised I had to prepare for your snoring. But I'm quite surprised you didn't snore at all."
Feeling really annoyed with that handsome muppet, I sat up on the bed. "Seriously?" I huffed and faced him, holding the sheet to my chest. I didn't care anymore if the sheet showed some unnecessary parts of my naked body. "Seriously, man?"
Rian laughed and rolled to his back. "How did I know you would get angry?" he asked.
Huffing once again, I stood up and pulled angrily on the sheet. I didn't give a shit if I accidently uncovered him and showed the whole world his naked arse. He would deserve it. "Oh, my God. You're so annoying," I grumbled. Having twisted the sheet tightly around me, I glanced at that handsome muppet. "You're lucky that you're wearing some trousers as I might have seen your little cock," I said.
Surprisingly, Rian burst into laughter and sat up. "Why do I get the feeling you're really interested in my cock?" he asked. "For your information, it's not that little."
"Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that, Tinkerbell," I spat and looked around in search of the bathroom.
In the daylight, the tower room seemed bigger than I had thought. Built in the shape of an octagon, it had midnight blue walls and a dark hardwood floor which reminded me of the hall outside. Apart from the gold four-poster bed I spent the night in, there were also two bookcases with lots of books, three chairs around a table, and a massive wardrobe whose door were slightly opened. Several huge windows were showing the sea and letting in the warm breeze, but it was still too hot, if you asked me.
Finding only one door, I fixed my eyes on Rian. I didn't know why I hadn't realised who lived in this room as everything in the hall indicated to the Night Court. Maybe I was too tired to notice such details.
"Where's the bathroom?" I asked, still holding the sheet.
Grinning from ear to ear, that handsome muppet stood up and took a step towards me. "I can prove it to you," he said, ignoring my question and reaching for his trousers.
"Yes, please. I can compare it with Henry's penis." I rolled my eyes and then repeated, "Where's the bathroom?"
Rian sighed, getting closer to one of the chairs. "Oh, you're such a spoilsport, lovely Alexandra," he said and lifted a dark shirt that was hanging on the back of the chair. "And to think that I wanted to show you one of my most precious things. Shame on you."
"Bathroom," I whispered.
He put the shirt on and for one short moment I saw him tightening the muscles of his stomach. My eyes had immediately fixed on him, making me forget what I was asking about. Good God, I thought, what would I give to touch those muscles?
"You have to go through the wardrobe."
I frowned, looking suspiciously at him. "What? Through the wardrobe? Just like in Narnia?"
"Excuse me?" Rian straightened his shirt and gave me a look.
Shaking my head, I said, "Never mind. I'll tell you later as there is a more pressing matter." I set my eyes upon the wardrobe door, still doubting his words. "If you're pulling a trick on me, Tinkerbell," I added, "you will taste my feminine wrath."
Without waiting for his answer, I approached the wardrobe and went inside. I just hoped I wouldn't make a fool of myself.