The ball was tonight, and we had to attend. It was being thrown in our honor, after all.
“Evening,” I croaked, hoping he couldn’t tell how flustered I was by the direction my thoughts had taken. “How did you sleep?”
He ran a hand through his hair, shrugging. “Fine.”
I met his gaze, raising a brow. I doubted that. The stone floor was cold and uncomfortable, and while the bathtub made for a delightful place to soak, it didn’t seem like a very nice sleeping place, either.
But where else was he supposed to sleep?
The bed was occupied.
“Really?” I asked.
“It’s fine, Luna,” he said gruffly, his eyes meeting mine. “I’ll sleep on the floor as long as you need me to do so.”
My heart pounded in my chest and my entire body warmed beneath the weight of Sebastian’s dark gaze.
Why did he make me feel this way?
My fingers tightened around the blanket resting around my middle as I stared at the prince I had wed. Did he feel this strange pull, too? Nothing like this should have existed between us, and yet, I felt myself being drawn to him more with every passing day.
I opened my mouth to ask him, but before I could, a knock came on the door. Sebastian’s eyes widened, and he shook his head as though to clear it.
“Enter!” he called out with the ease of someone who had been attended to by servants for centuries.
“Miss Luna?” Julieta’s familiar voice came from the doorway, and I flung back the comforter.
Finally, a friendly face.
Balancing a wooden tray, my maid walked into the room with a dark gown slung over her right arm.
“Good mor—evening,” Julieta corrected. A nervous laugh escaped her, and her eyes widened as they landed on Sebastian. “Goodness, that is going to take some getting used to.”
“It is,” I said, as a small smile stretched across my face. Julieta was exactly what I needed right now, and I was so grateful she was here in Eleyta with me. I wasn’t sure how I would deal with the Tether without her.
Pushing off the wall, Sebastian crossed the room. Pouring me a cup of the dark liquid he called coffee, he handed it to me before making a second mug for himself.
Tilting his head towards the door to the adjoining room, he said, “I’ll just be in the bathing room while you get changed.”
Not bothering with the door, Sebastian and his cup of coffee disappeared in a swirl of shadows.
Alone at last.
Privacy was something I had always enjoyed but never truly recognized the importance of until it was stolen away from me. Like an old friend, it had always been there, waiting for me if I needed it.
Now that it was gone, I understood privacy as the luxury it really was. If we were unable to break the Tether, I would never be truly alone again.
Julieta stood a few feet from me, her gaze assessing as she looked me over. “How are you feeling, Miss Luna?”
“Fine,” I said, borrowing Sebastian’s word from earlier.
My maid tilted her head and pursed her lips. She might have been born Without, but she was very intuitive. Julieta gave me a look that told me exactly how much she did not believe me. “Really? Because yesterday, you collapsed in excruciating pain, but now…”
“It’s fine.” The most awkward laugh I had ever made left my lips, and Julieta continued to stare at me. “It was just a stomach… bug.”
I couldn’t even lie well. Already, I could feel my cheeks and neck heating as blood rushed to them. I was always bad at these sorts of things. Deception had never been my strong suit.
As if confirming that I was a terrible liar, Julieta crossed her arms. “Are you certain that’s the story you want to stick with, Miss Luna?”