Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Liora's POV

I froze, partly in fear, and partly in shock.

Every nerve in my body went rigid as his eyes opened, dark and alert, already locked on me. He didn’t move right away, she didn’t sit up. He just looked at me like he’d been awake the entire time and had been waiting to see what I’d do.

The torch had somehow managed to stay lit, its flames dancing against his skin in the shadows.

“How long are you going to stand there?” he murmured, voice low and rough with sleep.

My cheeks burned instantly. I bent down fast, grabbing the torch off the floor like it had personally betrayed me.

“I- I-” I cleared my throat, completely mortified. “I wasn’t drooling. Besides, you were asleep, how would you even see that?”

I commended myself for recovering quickly.

“Was I?” His lips curved slowly, and he had this knowing look on his face.

He finally pushed himself up onto one elbow, muscles shifting under his shirt, hair falling messily into his eyes, and his gaze never leaving my face.

He looked so unfair like this.

“I’m pretty sure you were staring though,” he stated, with all the confidence in the world.

“I was not,” I shot back.

“Then, why did you drop the torch?” He asked and I rolled my eyes, as I turned my back on him and walked to the corners of the room to light the other torches.

“Because you scared me,” I shot back.

“No,” he said. “You dropped it because you were staring, and I caught you red handed.”

Heat rushed straight to my face, and in that moment, I was thankful he couldn’t see my face.

“I was not staring.” I argued, refusing to admit what I knew was the truth.

“Mm, right” he hummed. “But that’s not what your breathing suggested.”

“My breathing? You were supposed to be sleeping, not listening to my breathing." I felt so embarrassed at the thought of him being awake throughout the time I stood there just watching him like a creep.

“You came in so silently,” he replied, his voice low, and clearly amused. “Pulled the curtain aside, and then stood there silently. Tell me then, were you not staring?”

“I was not,” I lifted my chin stubbornly, “You’re the one lying in the middle of the room like some dramatic statue.

He chuckled.

“A dramatic statue,” he repeated. “Right.”

He studied me for a second longer than necessary, and I crossed my arms across my chest, like they could somehow defend me from him.

Then, slowly, he stood up, and started to move closer to me. My hands dropped to my side as I swallowed hard, as my heart started to beat faster than normal.

Instinctively, I kept moving back, until my legs hit the table, leaving me nowhere else to run.

And he didn't stop, not until he was completely in my space, trapping me with his arms on the table, on either side of me.

My entire body was alert. He was close.

Too close.

Way too close.

He leaned in, his eyes tracing my face, my nose, my lips.

I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t even stop him. I was just so completely taken by him.

How did it even get to this?

My heart was quite literally about to burst out of its cage.

His eyes lingered on my lips and he leaned in even further, his lips inching towards mine.

Was this really about to happen?

Just when my eyes fluttered shut, my lips ready to meet his, he ruined the moment.

“Your wings are twitching,” he suddenly whispered against my lips and my eyes flew open.

And it suddenly seemed as though that was all I needed to snap out of the trance I was in.

I pushed against his chest and he let me, as I freed myself from his cage.

“They do that,” I lied, as I subtly tried to catch my breath, trying to brush off the fact that we almost kissed. Or was it just me?

I didn't even realize that my wings had popped out. They only did that when I was extremely nervous beyond control. I forced them back in.

“When you’re nervous?” he asked.

“No,” I denied it immediately.

What was I? An open book?

“When you’re embarrassed?” he asked again and I rolled my eyes yet again.

“No, when I'm annoyed” I said and he smiled.

He freaking smiled.

And that very act filled me to the brim with annoyance.

I glared at him. He just kept looking at me like he could see straight through every excuse I was building.

“Say it,” he teased quietly.

“Say what?” I asked, confused.

He smirked, “That you weren’t expecting me to look that good.”

My heart skipped in the most annoying, traitorous way.

I scoffed. “You’re insufferable.”

“And you’re blushing,” he retorted.

“I am not.” I probably was.

“Your ears are pink.” he said and I reached up instantly, my fingers grazing them. Then I froze when I realized what I’d done.

I scowled, clearly annoyed..

He laughed under his breath, finding my reaction funny for some reason.

“Observation lesson,” he said. “One. Don’t react before you think.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Next lesson, what? Breathing exercises again?”

He tilted his head. Only if you need them.”

I scoffed, “Fantastic. Meditation with Kysen the Wise.”

His smile widened.

“Careful,” he warned, “You might enjoy that.”

I scoffed, turning away from him and pretending my heart wasn’t still sprinting like it had somewhere to be.

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

He moved behind me, slow and unhurried, his boots barely making a sound on the stone. I felt him there before I saw him. The air always changed when he was close, almost like the space itself noticed.

“You say that,” he murmured, “but your body disagrees with you a lot.”

I spun around. “My body does not have opinions.”

“Your wings do,” he replied calmly.

I glared. “Stop talking about my wings.”

“Stop letting them expose you.” he said, glancing at my back again.

For the love of…

Those darn things.

I forced them back in again.

“That is not how that works.” I said.

He leaned back against the table, arms folding over his chest, studying me like I was a puzzle he enjoyed taking apart.

“You know,” he said, “for someone who can hear when people lie, you’re terrible at hiding the truth.”

My stomach dipped.

“Excuse me?” I asked, like it wasn’t something he had said before.

“You react first. Defend second. Think last,” he said. “That’s why people get past you.”

I straightened. “No one gets past me.”

He raised a brow. “I just did.”

That shut me up.

He pushed off the table and stepped toward the center of the chamber.

“Come on,” he said. “You didn’t sneak into our precious little hideout just to admire the scenery.”

I followed him reluctantly. “You were the scenery,” I muttered under my breath.

He paused mid-step, and slowly turned to me.

“Say that again?”

Oh dear Green. He heard.

I froze. “I didn’t say anything.”

He smiled like he’d just won something.