Chapter 79 Seventy-Nine.
Chapter 79 Seventy-Nine.
OLIVIA'S POV.
King Sven tilts his head, an eyebrow arching slightly. “You can?”
“Back in the Shadow Moon pack, whenever things got too heavy and Kyle found it difficult to sleep, I usually sang to him,” I explain, keeping my tone perfectly level. “I know you do not like my kind because of the atrocities they committed, and fair enough, but Faes used to be known as a creature who helps soothe a restless mind. Like a Serenade. It used to work for him every time.”
King Sven stares at me for a long, quiet moment.
Then, his lips curve into a faint, mocking smirk, though his eyes remain deeply tired.
“You want to sing me a lullaby, little Fae? Truly? The King of Māui does not get put to sleep by bedtime stories and fairy songs. It’s ridiculous. I am not a kid.”
“You are not? You could have fooled me with how temperamental you can be sometimes,” I say, tilting my head slightly.
My words are meant to be a tease, which is weird because of how natural it comes out.
“What do you have to lose? You’re already standing in my room at probably two in the morning because your own mind won’t let you rest. The worst that could happen is that you find my voice annoying and leave,” I add, I tap the empty side of my bed. “Just… come. Let me put you to sleep.”
He doesn’t move. The silence between us stretches, heavy and thick with an unspoken tension. His gaze drops to my lips for a split second before snapping back to my eyes, and my pulse skips a frantic beat.
“Before I start singing,” I say, gathering my courage as I look up at him. “I want to ask you something.”
“Ask,” he murmurs, though he steps closer to the side of the mattress.
“Why haven’t you captured my brother yet?” I ask, the question tearing out of me as my gaze follows him. “You know where he is, so why?”
He goes completely still. The weariness on his face disappears, replaced by a cold, impenetrable mask. He stares at me, his green eyes flashing gold for a moment.
The silence drags on for so long that I think he might actually turn around and walk out or just choose not to answer.
“I have far more pressing issues to deal with than a rogue boy hiding in the brush, Olivia,” he finally replies, his voice dropping into a dangerous, warning baritone. “The borders of Māui are bleeding. The South is pushing for sovereignty. I am not in a hurry. When the time comes, your brother will face the law of this Kingdom. Until then, his existence is irrelevant to me.”
Again, the stupidly in love part of me wants to hope it is because of me and my begging. And not for the reasons he’s just said.
Gracious Elysia, I think I am going mad. Is this what love makes you do?
“My offer still stands,” I whisper, shifting slightly on the mattress to make more room for him, my heart hammering violently against my ribs. “About putting you to sleep.”
King Sven stares at the empty space beside me on the bed. His jaw tics. For a second, he seems to be fighting against his own exhaustion, against the ridiculousness of a Fae, a slave, offering him comfort. But the weariness wins.
He climbs onto the bed, and the mattress shifts under his immense weight.
The sudden proximity makes my skin flush with heat. He lays down flat on his back, his large frame taking up more than half the bed. He doesn’t touch me, but he is so close that I can feel the radiating warmth of his skin, smelling the faint scent of sandalwood that I have come to associate with him.
I lay down beside him, turning onto my side so I can look at his profile.
The contrast between us is staggering. He is broad, with muscular shoulders and dark hair against my smaller frame. The tension in the air is thick enough to choke on and I can hear my own heartbeat.
My hand hovers over the mattress, just inches away from his large, smooth fingers. I want to touch him so badly it hurts, but I keep my hands to myself. I know my place. I know what we are.
King Sven keeps his eyes fixed on the ceiling, his chest rising and falling in slow, heavy rhythms. “If your voice is terrible, little Fae, I swear to Cessi, I will throw you out of the window myself.”
“Already doubting me?”
“Well, I haven’t heard you sing before so my concerns are valid.”
“Then close your eyes and find out,” I whisper softly, letting out a breath of laughter amidst my nervousness.
“Don’t be scared. I promise not to bite, so please hold me, my little Fae,” he says next, catching me off guard as if he read my thoughts.
‘…Please hold me…’
I hesitate before closing the distance between us in the bed, throwing my hands over his torso as I press my body against his.
He lets out a long, slow breath.
Slowly, his heavy eyelids flutter shut. With how close we are, I notice he has long lashes, and they cast shadows over his cheekbones. The fierce mask of the tyrant King completely slips away, leaving only the raw, beautiful exhaustion of a man I have stupidly fallen for.
I take a soft, deep breath, clearing my throat. I let my mind drift back to the ancient, wordless melodies my mother used to hum back in Eris before the walls fell. I open my mouth and begin to sing.
The sound that leaves my throat is a low, ethereal hum. A soft flowing Fae melody that carries no words, only a rhythmic warmth which carries a soothing resonance. Almost like a gentle breeze rustling through a forest, one that is steady and calm.
Beside me, I watch as the tight, rigid lines of King Sven’s jaw slowly begin to relax. His breathing deepens, matching the slow tempo of my Serenade.
He shifts slightly, now resting his head on my chest. And it makes my heart skip a beat, but I do not stop serenading him.
Then, his hand moves and wraps around my waist.
This sends a jolt of pure electricity through my entire body, my voice faltering for a microsecond before I force myself to maintain the melody. His hand remains tightly wrapped around my waist, and I begin to run my hand down his torso. It feels too intimate, but I love it.
I keep singing, my eyes locked on his face as he finally drifts off to sleep.
He looks peaceful like this.
•••
I just wished he loved me back.