The Raven Flame [The Crown Saga III] (First Draft)

Unbreakable Heart

His jaw tightened when I removed my weight from him, his lungs holding the breath he'd just inhaled.

I shifted my weight to roll off him when my eyes settled on his rigid chest. If I dared place my palm against his skin, would I be able to tell if his heart was beating as fast as mine?

"Is something wrong, Will?" Caiden suddenly said, jerking me back to reality as a bolt of agonizing lightning shot through my body.

"N-no," I said and jumped to my feet before grabbing the bag and tumbling back to the bathroom. "You can look now."

I closed the door behind me with a loud bang and sighed loudly as if I'd been holding my breath for longer than humanly possible.

Why couldn't I act normal in front of him anymore? Why did I have to stumble over my feet every time he as much as glanced at me from a distance?

I threw the bag on the floor, reluctant to take off the towel for unexplainable reasons. It still felt as if Caiden's hands wrapped around my arms, the heat lingering on my skin.

It wasn't the first time Caiden's fingers had touched my naked skin. I'd worn many strapless dresses, but having only a towel between us in a room with no other people made it different.

I slapped my heated cheeks lightly, trying to shake the forbidden thoughts from my rattled mind. Then I grabbed my bag to pull out the limited selections of outfits I'd brought to dress appropriately.

Thinking through endless combinations of empty words to say, I slowly opened the door, expecting Caiden to be sitting in the bed or standing in an awkward position, waiting for me.

Instead, I saw him bowing in front of the microwave, mumbling curses, and pressing meaningless combinations.

"What are you doing?" I said, knitting my brow as I dared myself closer to him.

"Will!" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet as he turned around to meet my eyes. "I-I wanted to make you dinner, but I can't seem to get this disobedient machine to work."

A smile crept into the corner of my mouth as he rubbed his nape, squinting his eyes at the microwave.

"You have to close the window, then set the time before you can push the start button," I explained, stepping closer to take the convenience food from his hand so I could read the instructions.

Then I shut the microwave, set the timer, and pressed start. Caiden stood motionless when the plate inside started rotating.

"It's that easy?" he asked, bowing down to watch our dinner cook.

I chuckled as I threw the container into the trash can. "It's no royal feast, but it's better than what we had for lunch."

The thought of that eel on a spear still turned my stomach.

It was strange to think that one of the most influential people in all of Heliac had been defeated by something as simple as a microwave.

Caiden watched, amazed, as I took out the heated lasagna and placed it on the table beside him. It was less intimidating being alone together than I'd feared.

However, once the time came for us to find peace between the sheets of the only bed in the room, my chest suddenly became a little tighter.

"I'll sleep on the floor," Caiden suddenly said when I'd been staring at the bed for a few minutes too long.

"What?" I said, blinking as he grabbed the pillow on the right and the top sheet.

"Take the bed. You'll need the energy for tomorrow when we arrive at the Inferno Castle."