Lost Souls of Gloria

Chapter Five

Trying to work against the effects of the druid wine I looked at Calivar waiting for him to respond. His hand skimmed lightly over my thigh and his eyes burned into me.

"No." His tone was absolute, and I sagged back into my chair as relief and then concern washed over me. I was relieved that my new husband hadn't been the perpetrator and knowing that without a doubt put me at ease, but I couldn't escape the nagging feeling of concern that I had no other leads. Another question popped into my head, "Did your mother?" He tilted his head and his eyes left me and seemed to think it over for a moment. "No, I don't believe she did. She can be cruel and harsh, but she has always placed the Uneti over anything, and hindering the alliance that will aid our people is not something she would do." I suppose that made sense as my father had always had a similar mindset about the Columba citizens.

"Why did you warn me of danger at the celebration?" At my question, he leaned back removing his hand from my thigh and sitting on the floor in front of me. A smirk grew on his face. I was beginning to believe it was the only expression besides a scowl that he was capable of.

"The look on your face when you walked up on me with that maid only proved my theory that you are incredibly sheltered, and I couldn't help but be concerned about your safety among the thirsty eyes of men. Especially the Uneti - my soldiers are good men, but they have been at war for a long time and it's unusual to encounter someone so...prudish. I couldn't be sure how they would respond to your presence when affected by the wine."

My face must have displayed clearly what I was thinking because his smirk fell, and he continued. "I am not saying that they would have necessarily taken you against your will, but our customs are very different from yours and I doubt you would have appreciated learning that the hard way."

I tried to think about his answer, but the druid wine was getting to me. I could feel it taking over my senses and encasing my brain in a fog. Looking at Calivar it seemed he was in a similar position, he looked far more relaxed on the floor than I had ever seen him, and his cheeks were flushed, the tell-tale druid wine haze covered his eyes that still somehow managed to focus on me.

We sat in silence for several moments only the sound of the fire and our breaths filled the room. The nerves I should have felt at the look in his eyes never came and I swallowed heavily. It was hard to breathe in my dress, and I felt desperate for air. I stood as gracefully as I could, Calivar's hand fell from my thigh, and he looked up at me from where he still sat on the floor.

"I-I need to change out of this dress." my cheeks burned as his expression darkened, and his lips curled up. "Do you need assistance wife?" I shook my head quickly before hurrying over to the bathing chamber. Once I had shut the door, I leaned my back against it and signed. The wine was getting to me. Vulgar thoughts that had never crossed my mind plagued my imagination. I could almost feel his hands on me. My breath picked up and my fingers shook as I righted myself and walked over to stand in front of the vanity mirror staring at my reflection.

My eyes were still their typical ice blue, but the druid wine haze made my lids heavy, still dark from the coal that Emilia had applied earlier. My cheeks were rosy no doubt the lingering effects of my most recent blush. more strands had escaped from my bun, and I reached up gingerly removing the pearl pins. The brown strands fell loose onto my shoulders.

I turned around so I could see as I loosened the ties at the back of my dress and let it fall, pooling at my feet. I stepped out of it and kicked my heels off my feet. I tried to reach the silk strands at the top of my back that laced my corset together, but I couldn't grasp them, and Emilia hadn't tied an additional strand to the ends of the silk to allow me to reach them. I realized then that I wasn't going to be able to undress and with my chamber maids nowhere in sight the only person who could help me was the brutish male sitting in the other room.

It must have been the wine, but I couldn't help the feeling of anticipation at asking Calivar to undress me. I could do this; I was presented with the perfect opportunity to prove to him I wasn't as prudish as he believed me to be. I righted myself in the mirror, grasping the edge of the vanity, and tried to give myself whatever form of encouragement I could before taking a shaky breath and moving for the door. 

I felt my stomach clench with nerves as I exited the room. My bare feet pattered softly on the stone floor. Calivar had moved from the floor and removed his scabbard from his hip. He currently stood with his back to me, seemingly trifling with one of the parchments I had left open on the end of my bed. 

"Are you comfortable now?" he questioned without turning to face me and I felt my nerves heighten "I could use some assistance," I responded quietly. He turned to face me then, the parchment crumpled in his hand as he took in my appearance. I felt every inch of my skin tingle as he slowly looked me over from head to toe. 

I stood in nothing but my corset, silk underwear, and stockings that ended mid-thigh held up by the clasps attached to the corset. I was keenly aware that the corset Emilia had tightened painfully pushed my small breasts up, creating curves that were not typically there and shrank my waist by several inches. My breath hitched when he dropped the parchment and took long slow long strides until he stood right in front of me.

My face felt warm as I lifted my chin to meet his gaze. His eyes burned and bore an almost feral expression. "I am happy to help but I must admit I have never had to remove a women's binding before, you'll have to bear with me." 

"The ties are in the back; my maid didn't attach additional strands to let me remove it myself-" before I could finish, I felt pressure on my chest and cold air. I looked down, startled to see that quicker than my eyes could track he had removed a dagger from somewhere in his armor and cut right through the fabric on the front of my corset. I gasped quickly wrapping my arms around my chest, relieved that he had somehow managed to not slice the skin behind where he cut. 

Calivar held my corset in the hand not occupied by the dagger he had used to assault my clothing. the ties that had been attached to my stockings with it and I felt the fabric slouch slightly on my legs. He glanced briefly at the corset before tossing it onto the floor beside him. My breath came in quick short busts I felt desire pooling in my stomach as he returned his eyes back to my face. He took a step closer brushing his empty hand over the line of my shoulder, and I shivered at the contact.

As we stood there staring at each other the need to touch him overtook me. Without thinking I dropped my arms and stepped even closer to him, our bodies pressed together. His hand left my shoulder moving to my back and slid down. I felt his palm encompass my lower back and I heard the dagger clatter to the ground before he used the now empty hand to lift my chin. His eyes burned into mine as we spoke "I would like to kiss you Alea." 

It must have been the druid wines effects because I felt nothing but anticipation and all I could do was nod in response. My lips parted and he moved his hand from my chin to my back of my neck, grasping it firmly as his dropped his lips onto mine.