A shiver ran through me, and I remembered I was still practically naked.
The movement must have caught Xander’s eye because he added another log to the fire. He stood and grabbed his cloak off the ground, walking over to me.
“Here,” he said gruffly as he laid it across my shoulders, “this will help keep you warm.”
The fabric did warm me within moments, and without even realizing what I was doing, I drew the cloak tight around myself. It smelled like Xander. Like smoke and ash and trees.
So much better than the sandalwood that haunted my past.
He cleared his throat. “I’m going to tell you a story.”
I raised a brow. “Is it interesting?”
“Is that any question to ask someone who offered to tell you a tale?” he snapped.
“Honestly, no one has ever told me a story before, so I don’t know how to answer your question.”
He stared at me. His brows furrowed as his voice softened. “What do you mean, no one has ever told you a story? What about your parents when you were young?”
I stared at the wall behind him, sighing as I twisted the cloak around in my hands. “I meant what I said. No one has ever taken the time to tell me a story. I…” my voice trailed off as I shut my eyes, burying my head in my hands as I admitted, “I never knew my parents.”
I waited for a response, but there was none.
Eventually, I opened my eyes to find Xander studying me. Then he stood and bowed. “In that case, Aileana, would you allow me the honor of being your very first storyteller?”
A small smile crept on my face. “I would like that very much,” I whispered.
Once Upon a Time
Xander shifted, leaning back against the rocky wall of the cave. He placed his hands behind his head, his muscles bunching as he shut his eyes. Resting there against the wall, he looked almost… peaceful.
He drew in a deep breath, his muscular chest expanding as he did so. I dragged my eyes away from him, studying our surroundings instead.
The cavern was roomy, and now that it was daylight, I could see outside. The sun was shining through the trees, illuminating the deep greens and browns of the surrounding forest. Small animals darted back and forth on tree branches, and birds flitted over top of the forested canopy.
Far-off mountain peaks were hidden in mist. From here, it seemed like the forest was never-ending. The air itself was fresher here. Deeper. More invigorating.
I felt… safe.
That thought perturbed me. This male had just tried to kill me. I had no right to feel safe around him.
And yet, I did. I’d never felt as safe in my entire life.
Before I could delve deeper into these thoughts, Xander cleared his throat.
“Once upon a time,” he began in a gravelly voice, drawing my attention back to him, “in a land far away, there was a young boy who lived with his family.”
“Does this boy have a name?” I interjected.
His golden eyes flew open, narrowing as he proceeded to glare at me. “It’s rude to interrupt a storyteller while they’re talking, Sunshine.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry, I just—”
“Seeing as how this is your first story, I’ll accept the interruption this once.”
He nodded, closing his eyes once more. “We’ll call the young boy Elyx. He had a much longer name, but no one ever addressed him by it. Elyx and his entire family lived in a village filled with people just like them. They were different from the other people in their country, but for centuries, they had kept to themselves. They didn’t bother the others, and the rest of the population steered clear of them. An arrangement, you might say. One that benefited everyone.”
He smirked. “Actually, it was rather like ours. For many years, the people lived in peace. They spoke many languages and traveled throughout the Four Kingdoms, enjoying all that the continent had to offer.”