The Alpha King's Hated Slave

Part 2: Chapter 35

She kept quiet. Breathing harshly, sweat poured from her face. She was in a lot of pain. The king noticed. He let go of her hand and stood, then walked to the table and poured water into the wooden cup. He took it back to her and raised her head slightly. “Here, drink this.”

She followed his instructions and drank as much as she could. Afterwards, he set the cup beside him.

“You can’t take another herb until morning. Endure the pain; it will pass.” A look of remembered pain flashed in his eyes.

Their hands were close together, so Danika didn’t need to use much strength to reach his. She twitched her hand, slipping it into his much larger one. “Did it work… for you…? Did it… pass?” she asked, her mind too clouded, her head pounding.

He didn’t say anything for a while. His eyes were pinned to where her hand met his, and he wrapped his hand securely around hers. “Those on the outside eventually do.” His throat worked. “If you’re lucky, those on the inside eventually will too.”

“Were you… lucky?” She could barely get the words out.

“No, I wasn’t. I never am.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You should worry about yourself right now, Danika. Not about anyone else.” He pulled his chair closer and placed his free hand to her head. He glowered at her. “You’re burning up.”

He might be glowering, but she saw the underlying concern in his eyes.

“I feel sick,” she admitted.

“That’s because you are sick. You have to get well.” He paused. “A lot of people are waiting for you to get well.”

She blinked slowly to clear the sleepy fog in her eyes. “Are you… waiting too?”

“I am.” He lowered his head and placed a kiss on her clammy forehead. Then he pulled away and stood. “I have to go back to my chambers. Sleep well, Danika.”

“Can’t you… stay here… with me?” she forced out through a dry throat, her eyes filling up. “I don’t… want to be… alone.”

He turned and looked at her. For a moment, indecision flashed in his eyes before it was gone. “I cannot stay any longer. It is not appropriate.”

“Stay with me… please… Just for tonight…”

Just for tonight. Her whispered words came with memories—memories of all the times when he’d made use of that same phrase. When he used those same words as an escape to feed the unusual urges that slammed into him where she was concerned.

The first night he took her on his bed, he let her sleep on it. The time he took pleasures from her body in a missionary position. The time he let her touch him, caress him. That day he was so sick, he let himself suckle from her lush breasts. The day he gave in to the urge to kiss her.

Memories of all their intimate moments together only fed his strange hunger to stay longer by her side. Memories that fed another strange hunger to hold her stomach close to him a while longer.

Lately, he found himself drawn to that part of her body, and he didn’t know why. But he did not understand a lot of the things Danika did to him, so he chalked it up to one of the many baffling things about her where he was concerned.

While he stood watching her with eyes that revealed little of whatever was going through his mind, Danika felt the cramp in her lower belly again. In her foggy mind, she understood why he shouldn’t be in her bedroom, but it did not stop her from longing to feel him beside her. It was as if something inside her wanted him to cuddle her in his arms for the rest of the night.

The more he stayed away, the stronger her belly cramps became. A tear slipped from her eyes and she whimpered.

He began undressing himself, having been in his royal attire all day. He pulled off his well-embellished tunic, the gold work catching her tired eyes before they did a slow slide back to his face. He removed his surcoat, followed by his gold belt.

Standing in his underthings, he walked closer to her. The cramps stopped, and she felt better.

The bed dipped as he climbed in beside her, and she swiveled her head to stare at him with eyes that were barely awake. It was difficult keeping them open, but she did.

Then he laid beside her and pulled her into his arms. The movement hurt, but Danika endured it as he cushioned her on his chest and buried his face against her hair. She closed her eyes, breathing in satisfaction as she snuggled against him. He rubbed her shoulder soothingly. “I won’t be here when you wake up in the morning, Danika.”

“I know. I just want you… with me… until I fall asleep,” she whispered.

It was well past midnight. The time for lovers. The time when a man’s head went to sleep while his heart remained wide awake.

King Lucien pulled her head up and his lips found hers, then kissed her passionately and intensely.

Like a man who was told awful news earlier in the day about his woman being beaten up brutally.

Like a man who stood for hours watching his bandaged woman fight for her life.

Like a man with such a burden on his shoulders, he needed solace, a refuge.

The kiss went from ravenous to gentle and reverent. In the end, his tongue tangled with hers slowly and thoroughly, his lips sucking hers persistently. When he drew back at last, Danika was panting. The pain in her body was momentarily forgotten, and the guards around his stony heart were momentarily down. There was an enormous crack in the armor around his heart and it reflected in his erratic breathing.

Seconds after the kiss, Danika fell asleep in his arms, her body going lax. The king held her head to his chest.

Another part of her called to him. He slipped his hand into her clothes and caressed her smooth belly soothingly, with no thoughts.

Maybe because it was the only part of her that wasn’t bruised and bandaged.

A feeling of peace came over him and a lightness settled over his heavily burdened shoulders. It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep too.

.