Alaric’s eyes opened slowly. His vision was blurred at first, shapes indistinct.
Where...?
He blinked.
Then gradually, the world ca back into focus.
A ceiling. Ornate molding. Familiar patterns he’d seen before.
My room.
Recognition settled in, along with confusion.
But how... how did I?
Then suddenly, mories rushed back like a flood, the storm, the Valtairs, the fight. Vivienne’s throat in his hand. And then... that girl on the rooftop.
The feeling of his consciousness simply... stopping.
"Urgh!"
He groaned and tried to sit up, muscles protesting.
And that’s when he felt a weight on his stomach.
He looked down and saw Selene had fallen asleep in a chair pulled close to his bedside.
Her head rested on the sheets, one arm draped across his torso as if anchoring him there. Her dark hair was slightly disheveled, falling across her face in uncharacteristic disorder.
She looked very vulnerable in sleep.
As he shifted, she stirred.
Her eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first. Then they found his face and relief flooded through them.
"You’re awake," she breathed.
Then her expression hardened.
Her eyes narrowed. She sat up straight, pulling her arm back, composing herself in an instant.
"What exactly were you doing?" Her voice ca sharp, cutting. "Why were you in that condition? Why did Nyra have to bring you back unconscious?"
She stood, crossing her arms.
"I asked you not to do anything reckless. I specifically told you to be careful. And now look... you hurt yourself, you could have—"
"Oh, you care for that much?" Alaric cut her off, a smirk playing at his lips.
Selene’s face flushed slightly.
"You’re engaged to the Duke’s daughter," she said stiffly, looking away. "Of course I care for your wellbeing. I don’t want to lose that connection. It’s strategically important."
"Strategically important," Alaric repeated, his smirk widening. "Is that what you were doing? Sitting by my bedside for strategic reasons?"
"I was ensuring you were recovering properly—"
"With your head on my stomach?"
Her flush deepened. "I-I rely dozed off for a mont. It’s been exhausting managing—"
Alaric tried to stand. His legs were unsteady, but functional.
Selene moved instinctively to help him, her hand reaching for his arm.
He raised his hand, stopping her. "I’m fine."
He stood on his own, taking a mont to find his balance, then walked slowly to the window.
Rain was falling, lighter than the storm from before.
The night sky was dark, clouds obscuring the stars.
He stood there for a mont, processing.
"How long was I unconscious?" he asked without turning.
Selene exhaled behind him. He heard her footsteps approach, stopping just behind his shoulder.
"Since yesterday," she said quietly. "Nyra brought you back in the middle of the night. You were... completely unresponsive. I thought—"
Her breath shuddered.
Alaric felt her hand grip his arm.
"I was scared," she whispered.
He turned, that smirk still playing at his lips. "Were you now?"
She pinched his arm hard. "I’m being serious, and you—"
Before he could finish what she was saying, he leaned in quickly and captured her lips in firm kiss, silencing her protest.
Then his hand ca up to cup her jaw, pulling her closer.
For a heartbeat, she resisted, her hands pushing against his chest, though without real strength.
She pulled back just enough to look at him. Then at the floor. Her composed mask cracking, showing sothing vulnerable beneath.
She sighed.
Then she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him back into the kiss.
This one was different, deeper, more desperate. Her hand slid up to his neck, fingers threading into his hair. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer.
The rain continued to fall outside.
The kiss deepened.
Selene’s carefully maintained composure shattered completely. All the fear she’d held back, watching him lie unconscious, wondering if he’d wake, if that strange power that had taken him down had damaged sothing irreparable, poured into the kiss.
Her fingers tightened in his hair, pulling him closer, needing the confirmation that he was real, alive, here.
The concern she’d masked with sharp words and strategic justifications flooded through her. She’d sat by his bedside for hours, watching his chest rise and fall, terrified each breath might be the last.
And beneath it all, sothing she’d never admit aloud, the longing, the ache she’d buried under layers of manipulation and careful planning.
The want she’d convinced herself was rely attraction to his usefulness, his power, his position.
But it wasn’t. It had never been just that.
Alaric matched her intensity without hesitation. His hand slid from her jaw to the back of her neck, his other arm tightening around her waist, crushing her against him. He kissed her like he was claiming sothing, answering every desperate press of her lips with equal fervor.
When they finally broke apart, both were breathing heavily.
Selene’s eyes were hazy, unfocused, her pupils dilated. Her lips were slightly swollen. For once, she looked completely undone, hair mussed, cheeks flushed.
She looked at him, then away, trying to gather herself.
Her gaze drifted to the window. The rain had lightened to barely a whisper. Through the glass, she could see the position of the moon, what little was visible through the clouds.
It was Midnight.
"I—!" Her voice ca out breathless. She cleared her throat, trying to find that composed tone again. "I think I should get you sothing to eat. You haven’t—"
He kissed her again.
Shorter this ti, but just as firm. Silencing her completely.
"No," he murmured against her lips. "No need for you to go."
"Alaric..." She tried to pull back, to inject so reason into this. "You need to eat sothing. You’ve been unconscious for more than a day. Your body needs—"
He pulled her closer, one hand sliding down to her lower back. His lips found hers again, swallowing her protest.
When he pulled back just enough to speak, his voice was low, teasing. "I have the perfect gourt right here."
Selene blinked, her hazy mind struggling to process. "Where?"
He kissed her again, deeper this ti, his tongue tracing her lower lip.
"Here," he breathed against her mouth.
Her face flushed crimson.
"That’s not... you can’t just—"
Another kiss.
"You—"
Smooch!
"Need—"
Smooch!
"Actual food—"
Smooch!
"I’m fine," he murmured, his lips trailing from her mouth to her jaw, then down to her neck. "Better than fine, actually."
Selene’s breath hitched. Her hands slowly slid up to his shoulders.
"This is... completely irresponsible..." she managed, though her voice lacked any real conviction.
"Mm." His lips found that spot just below her ear that made her shiver. "You’re usually such a stickler for responsibility."
"Soone has to be—" Her words cut off in a soft gasp as he nipped gently at her neck.
"Not right now," he whispered. "Right now, just... stay."
For a mont, Selene hesitated. The practical part of her mind tried to reassert control.
But her resistance crumbled.
"You’re impossible," she whispered.
She pulled his face back up to hers and kissed him.
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