“You’re not the first woman to feel the brunt of a man’s rejection. Don’t be too hard on yourself,” she rasps.
Lifting my head, my eyes widen and I try to shake my head to deny the allegation, but I can’t. “How did you…”
She smiles, but it’s not condescending or snide. It’s a real smile and it’s kind and soft. “Anyone can see the way he looks at you, and you him. It was bound to happen, though I’d hoped it would have been a bit later when you knew one another a little better so that something like this wouldn’t have happened.”
I almost laugh, because she’s not wrong, and I knew I should have abstained even when we started. My body wouldn’t let me though. It needed him and judging by the way he was looking at me, his body was feeling the same way.
Forcing myself to stand up, I smile at the boys as they bring the buckets into the room and fill up the small tub. Once it’s full, Martha closes and locks the door before she dips her chin toward the water.
I already know the drill. I gather my nightgown and strip it off of me before I sink down into the water. Closing my eyes, I let out a sigh as the warm water touches my skin. It doesn’t take me long to bathe since I’m not washing my hair, then Martha helps me back into a corset from hell before she puts me into the blue dress.
“We’ll get some more dresses made for you since you’re going to be here a while,” she murmurs as if she’s talking to herself.
I don’t care about the dresses. I don’t care about anything right now. All I really care about is trying to find a way home and my sisters. I don’t know what this prophecy means or what it has to do with me, really, but I don’t give much of a fuck about it right now either.
COLT
Sitting in my office, I ignore the fact that it’s first light and I’m opening a bottle of whiskey and pouring a glass. Logan doesn’t even knock as he breezes in, closing the door behind him. I don’t even lift my gaze to meet his as he sinks down in the chair across from me.
“You did something last night,” he announces.
I tilt my head to the side and watch him for a moment before I bring my glass to my lips and take a sip. He doesn’t say anything right away, but I don’t ask him what he means. He’ll tell me, and he does just a moment later.
“You did something with her.” Arching a brow, I wait until he finishes his thought or his accusation. “There were blue streaks of light in the air. It was beautiful, but it was definitely not something that I have ever seen before. Mind telling me what that means?” he asks.
My lips purse and I shake my head once. “I’m sure you know what it means, why are you even asking me?”
“I want to hear you say it. I also want to know how it was.”
I snort. “I wouldn’t tell you even if I wanted to, which I don’t and I won’t.”
“A woman sent from the gods to fulfill some kind of prophecy and you’re not going to tell me what it was like? How unfair of you, Colt.”
Lifting my arms, I place my hands behind my head and give him a grin. “I’m not telling you anything. Except…”
He leans forward a bit.
“Before we, before we found our release, it felt as though my blood was actually boiling inside of my body. The only relief was actual release.”
His entire body jerks as his eyes widen. “You’re joking?”
I shake my head slowly. “I don’t know what it means, but it was strange. It was almost frightening. I was no longer in control of myself. I had a need and there was only one way to fulfill it. I thought I was going to die if I didn’t get what I needed. I’ve never felt that way before.”
“So, you need her.”
“If I decide to be alone with her again, yes.”
He chuckles, reaching for my bottle of whiskey. I watch as he takes a sip from the bottle, then hisses. “You will, Colt. Not just because she is beautiful, but because she is yours.”
“Adelaide was mine,” I snap.
Logan shakes his head. “Adelaide was yours, but she is no longer here. This woman, sent by the gods, she is yours, Colt. You must remember this. There is something bigger brewing. We don’t know what it is, but maybe when we find her sisters, we will be able to piece it all together. I have a feeling that the gods waited thousands of years for a reason and it’s going to be huge.”
“Or maybe it will all be a gigantic letdown?”
“You’re practically a king, Colt. This country has never had any type of supreme leader. Sure, the Assembly is still trying to control things, but they can’t, not really. You and your bloodline are in control until something changes again. This did not just happen.”
Drat.
He’s right.
I know that he is.
I knew that was the reason last night.
“Blue lights, huh?” I ask, slightly changing the subject.
He chuckles. “Blue lights, Colt. They filled the sky. It only lasted a few moments, but they were there. They were serene and beautiful. Just like the gloominess of the day is not lost on me, assuming you did not take your loss of control well and no doubt hurt your lover’s feelings in some way, it wasn’t lost on me last night that the blue lights were indicative of her emotions. Your woman holds magic, Colt.”
I want to deny it. I want to tell him that he is wrong. She is not my woman and she does not hold power, but I would be lying, therefore I say nothing as I take another sip
