Chapter 47 Only Of You 1

Chapter 47 Only Of You 1
He needed to calm down.
That much he knew, that he needed to calm down but then everything was irritating him and causing him to be restless, even the simple task of climbing up the stairs annoyed him, and rather than just walk up the stairs, he could not help but stomp his way up. He paused and sighed when he got to the last stairs, rubbing his temple with his thumb and index finger. Everything was a mess, he was used to chaos as he was always the bringer of it, but this was something else, it started with Lyra and ended with Lyra. Ever since she got here, ever since the burden of the year of Osyron came, it was all a mess.
Hopefully, this would be the last. He would have to do as his uncle had suggested; for him to go look for another Khione and not put all his eggs into one basket. He walked down the hallway, making his way to his room where Lyra was, as soon as everything here was settled, they would go out across the kingdoms in search of another Khione, he didn’t have time on his side, and just as Xanth had worried about; how long would that take him?
He walked into the room quietly and stood by the doorway, she lay on his bed, her face soft in sleep, her servant girl sat on a stool beside her bed, holding her hand tenderly and watching her Lady’s face with care and worry, the physician stood by the corner, arms crossed and his eyes on Lyra, and although his body was here, Ryder could tell that his mind was not.
“How’s she?” Ryder asked, drawing everyone’s attention to himself. He took a couple of steps into the room but did not come close to the bed where Lyra was. The physician walked up to him, his head bowed low in respect.
“The bleeding is under control and she is asleep now. Just a couple of days’ rest and the Lady would be on her feet again my Lord.”
“Hmm.” He grunted in response and then directed his next question at the servant girl. “Where is Iris?”
She hurriedly stood up from the stool and bowed slightly to Ryder, before answering him. “Probably in her room, my Lord. She has not come in here after she left after you.”
He hummed and nodded his head then took a couple more steps closer to the bed. The maid and physician stepped back, giving enough room and space for him. He stood awhile and watched her with an expressionless face. She was important to him, dearly but that was only because of the fact that he had a need for her, and she had to be alive and well to trust him completely, but she was making this task difficult for him and she was beginning to get into his head a lot.
He sighed and turned his head away, he had his own way of disciplining people into compliance and submission but each time he thought to do so, Xanth’s words would come into his mind; he had to learn to control, to make her trust and love him, but recently, he felt like he was under her own control, unconsciously.
“Let me know if there are any changes.” He said before walking out of the room. He had to see Iris.

She sat on the bed wearing nothing but a wrap-around nightdress with a cup of wine in her hand, she looked towards the balcony as the curtains swayed, welcoming the gentle breeze blowing inside. 
“Why have you come here?” She asked when she noticed Ryder standing by the doorway. “Finished with your precious Khione?” She sighed and downed the cup before casually throwing it across the room.
Ryder walked in and sat on the bed beside her, he placed a hand over hers but she removed it from underneath. “Iris you should understand why I have to do this.”
“That is the sad part,” She choked back her tears. “I do understand and I have to bear with it.”
“So why are you…?”
“Because it's hard to just watch and not be able to do anything, Ryder.” She faced him now and he could see that she was hurt. He sighed. “It’s hard to watch you love someone else.”
He frowned when she said that. “I do not love her.”
She sighed and looked down at his hand. “I know, I’m just…” She allowed her words to trail off.
She looked at his face and leaned forward then kissed him, slowly and passionately, her hand on his neck and her thumb stroking the underside of his earlobe. He responded and kissed her back, his hand held onto her wrist as she deepened the kiss. He didn’t want to touch her intimately because he wasn’t in the mood, but he didn’t want to upset her further either so he just went with it, hoping that it would end with just a kiss.