Legend of the Swords

16: Erilyn

I was stunned as I made it back to my room, my face stinging from where Marie had slapped me. It was amazing she was even capable to slap properly and wondered if there was any chance some of her suitors had faced the same wrath. Even more surprising of the whole thing was Lord Izen coming to my defense. I had thought he would have been Marie's lap dog at this point, but maybe not. I didn't know what to think about him now; his initial behavior was inexcusable regardless of his seemingly docile performance while we were in town. Thinking on it now though, he had to recognize me as royalty with my new title. If I had continued down the path I had been on before being brought to the castle, there was no way he would have spoken to me as casually as he did.

That being said, he did offer to send some of his men to help with overthrowing King Nicaroff. That in itself was an interesting development. I definitely didn't like the idea of him knowing my previous occupation. Now he was a liability, and the thought of him leaking the truth of my involvement in the underground societies was enough to make my hairs stand on end. What a mess this was turning out to be in the end. For being a trained assassin, this task seemed to be unraveling threads left and right.

I got back to my room and felt exhaustion hit me as I closed the doors. I leaned against them for a second, begging the ringing in my ear to stop as I rubbed the sore spot on my cheek. I trudged over to the chaise perched nearest to the door and plopped down, throwing my arm over my eyes as I relaxed and waited for the pain and ringing to die down. I must have fallen asleep because a soft knock that sounded like Dimitri woke me. "You can come in." I stated mid-yawn and opened my eyes to confirm if it was Dimitri making his was to me.

I was correct, however he seemed to stop mid-stride as I sat up. "Erilyn, what happened to you?!" He was frantic as he rushed over to me, kneeling beside the chaise and examining my face. He was gentle, his touch warm, but I had to admit his touch did sting when he grazed the areas that were still tender. I looked at him as he examined me, and maybe it was because I had recognized some level of attractiveness in Lord Varen that I could now see Dimitri's striking features. His blonde hair was cropped even and clean, despite its current state from him shuffling about. His brows were thick and his eyelashes long. His blue eyes were gentle and kind as he looked over my cheek. His lips pursed, just barely open as he focused.

Something about looking at him this closely pulled at my heart, and slowly I felt my cheeks catch fire. Sparks were quickly igniting where Dimitri was touching me. I felt a pull towards Dimitri, something strong that I felt deep in my chest and my stomach. I accidentally shifted, moving ever so slightly towards him and he looked up at me, his concentration broken. When our eyes met, I don't know if he could see in my eyes what I was feeling, but his brows furrowed as he looked at me. "I don't think it'll bruise." He said softly and I slowly nodded, closing my eyes and letting my head rest in his hand. He didn't seem to mind as he gently began tracing his thumb along the side of my cheek. "Erilyn I..." I opened my eyes and met his. They were clouded with something I didn't recognize, something that made me feel what I could only come to assume was a level of lust. I don't know what came over me exactly, but looking at this man I couldn't stop myself. I leaned over and kissed Dimitri.

His lips were soft, and I could feel him tense at the interaction, but when I went to pull back he pulled me in while shifting his body to be closer to me. His hand that had been tracing my cheek was now tenderly wrapped behind my neck, his lips moving with mine with so much passion you would have thought he had been a man deprived of liquids in the desert and my lips were his first drops of water. His tongue slowly found mine and I welcomed it, surprised by how sweet Dimitri tasted. I slowly reached out, finding Dimitri's hair with my fingers and running them through it. Dimitri let out a deep guttural moan and pulled me closer, so tight he seemed desperate to close the space between us. I let my fingers slide down to the back of his neck, and then run down his shoulders. His muscles were so solid under my touch, his skin so warm even through the fabric of his tunic. I brought my hands back up, gently grasping at his hair as I drank him in, hungry for his touch and his taste. When he finally pulled away we were both gasping for air and the reality of what I had done, what we had done, hit me. "Dimitri I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me." I said softly, ashamed that I had lost my composure and done something so like Marie to him. I didn't know what to expect of his response, but he smiled and leaned in again, placing a gentle kiss on my cheek as I had done earlier that day.