Warrior's Mind (Book 2 of The Warrior Chronicles)

Chapter 58

It was about an hour past sunset when the door opened again. Raphael came in, his movements slow as he closed the door behind him. Leyla stood in the middle of the room, braced for an argument as she watched him take off his coat and throw it over a nearby chair.

Why wasn't he saying anything?

"How are the guards?" She asked, breaking the silence. After almost a day of being stuck inside the room, Leyla felt like she was going to go crazy if someone didn't tell her what was going on.

"They are fine." Raphael said, his words oddly slurred.

"So they are conscious? Did they tell you what they saw?" She walked forward, following him around to his desk.

"Oh, they are awake and they had lots to say." He laughed mirthlessly, taking off his ring and placing it on his desk. Then he started tackling his shirt.

Leyla frowned. What in Diya was he doing? When he missed a step as he was turning with his shirt half-undone, her brows rose with realisation: "Are you drunk?"

"Why, yes. I thought I'd give it a try after your spectacular display the other day." He sent her an accusing glance. "You made it look more fun than it is."

"Raphael," Leyla reached out when he faltered again. He looked at her hand on his shoulder, then at her. The pained expression in his golden eyes surprised her into pulling her hand away.

"I don't blame you," he said softly. "I know this is all my fault."

"What are you talking about?" He was throwing her off again. By Tevvuk's Beard, she was meant to be angry right now! Hadn't she been locked up in a room the whole day? And yet, somehow, all she could feel was worry for the Prorex who was acting utterly out of character. How could he have gotten drunk and now of all times?

"Why am I paying for his mistakes?" Raphael muttered, dragging a hand through his hair in frustration.

His mistakes? Before Leyla could ask him to explain, Raphael reached out and pulled her towards him. She lost her balance with the suddenness of the movement and Raphael tumbled with her, twisting at the last moment to take the brunt of the fall. They ended up on the floor with Leyla sprawled on top of him.

"What in Diya are you doing!?" She pushed up, trying to get off him, but Raphael's arms came around her waste, keeping her in place.

"I know I have no right to ask. I know it well. But, can we stay like this?" He sounded tired, so very tired. "Just for a moment?"

Unable to find the will to fight, Leyla let her head rest on Raphael's chest. She didn't know what was happening, but she couldn't hold on to her anger when he seemed so defenceless. And after the day she'd had, no, after the life she'd had, it felt good to be held. She breathed slowly, feeling Raphael's warmth and taking in the spicy scent of his skin.

"Do you know, that until we met, I never once doubted myself?" Raphael's hand came up to her head, stroking her hair in slow movements as he spoke."As Prorex, it is my duty to exercise control over my people, my Kingdom and Gaia. I need to direct what happens, need to foresee what will happen and win wars without ever fighting them; that is what I have been trained to do." He took a deep breath, her head moving up and down with his sigh. "But no amount of training prepared me for you, Lieutenant. You make me weak."

Of all the words that came to mind, that one seemed to fit him the least. "When were you ever weak?" Leyla spoke into his chest. "I've watched the Hekka, the Green King, even the Warrior King; all the most powerful people in Gaia do your bidding."

"Precisely," Raphael gave a short laugh. "I offered the Hekka something she couldn't refuse, lured the Green King out of his Kingdom and strengthened the Warrior King's position, but why? None of it was for the benefit of my Kingdom. None of it was planned. It was all to protect you."

To protect her? Leyla's fingers curled into his shirt, her heart picking up its beat as he continue to play with her hair. "I justified it all by telling myself that even if our engagement wouldn't last, you were technically 'my fiancée'. That I had to protect you; that I was just doing my duty." His hand stilled on her head, his breathing deep. "But that night on the balcony, I realised I had just been fooling myself. Can you really not see what you've done to me?"

"Raphael," Leyla raised her head, unsure of what to think or what she wanted to say, but hating that he sounded so vulnerable. She looked down at his sad eyes, trying to find the right words...

"Do you hate me?" Raphael asked, reaching up to cup her face.

"No," Leyla shook her head. "I don't hate you."

His thumb brushed across her cheek, "Then, will you stay with me?"

What was he saying? Pushing up on her hands, Leyla started to back away. "Prorex, you've had too much to drink. It'll be best if you rest -"

Before she could say more, Raphael pulled her down into his arms. His lips were gentle on hers, drawing her in slowly, while his hands dug into her hair. "Forgive me," he whispered between kisses. "Don't leave me." Had he guessed that she was planning to escape? Leyla couldn't think past the pounding of her heart. He moved, setting her gently onto her back as he deepened the kiss. A hot feeling spread from the pit of her stomach to her limbs. She pulled him closer, holding on as the world seemed to spin. His scent filled her head as she tasted him; spicy and sweet, like pomegranate wine.

Leyla turned her head away as a thought pushed to the surface: "You drank pomegranate wine?"

Raphael watched her silently, then brushed a stray hair from her face. He looked steadier now; more in control.

"You did. But why?" Leyla frowned, trying to understand what was going on. She had known Raphael was not the kind to get drunk, especially not in a moment like this. So why would he get drunk on pomegranate wine unless... "You drank it because of what I told Michael?" Had Raphael believed her all along then? Did he drink the wine to find the one that was drugged? The smile that pulled at the corner of her mouth froze as another thought crossed he mind. "Why would you do that? What if you got drugged!?"

"That was the idea," Raphael laughed softly, then he was standing up and pulling her along.

"This isn't the time to jest," Leyla complained.

"I'm not jesting," Raphael kissed the tip of her nose, lifted her in his arms and started moving towards the bed.

"Wait - What are you doing?" Leyla gasped.

Seeing her panicked expression, Raphael shook his head in amusement, "There will be a short trial in the morning, nothing to worry about, but you still need to rest." He set her down on the bed, then sat down beside her and pulled her up to his chest. "Now stop imagining things and close your eyes."

Leyla blinked, trying to decide what to do. There were so many things she wanted to ask, so much she wanted to know, but the certainty in Raphael's tone mollified her. He wasn't worried which meant the guards must have told him she had nothing to do with the incident. Plus, her body was still fighting the effects of the drug and her head felt fuzzy.

"Leave the thinking for tomorrow, Lieutenant," Raphael said softly. His arm tightened around her as he let his head rest back on the wall, "I promise, I won't let anyone hurt you, so sleep comfortably."

Giving into the lure of the warmth around her, Leyla closed her eyes.