“Eyes up here.”
They snap up on command, and heat catches in my cheeks. “I wasn’t checking you out,” I say.
“No, I seem to remember it was my ass you liked to do that with.”
I narrow my eyes on him, and even though he’s right, I will never admit it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Mm-hmm. Come to bed, Goldfinch.”
I point a finger at him. “No ravishing, Ravinger. We’re both tired and you’re still recuperating from a power drain. We need to sleep.”
His eyes skate up my body as if it’s something to relish, when really, I probably look like a wind troll with tangled hair and three-day-old clothing. “Fine. But I’ll be ravaging you tomorrow. I’ll wear tight pants to set the scene.”
I roll my eyes, though my lips can’t help but tip up into a smile. “Good luck with that,” I tell him. “Can I use the bathroom to wash up?”
“Of course,” he says as he walks over to the bed. “And you don’t have to ask. Everything in this entire castle is yours. You may go wherever you like and do whatever you please.”
He pulls back the covers while I just stare at him for a moment.
When he notices me still standing there, his brows crinkle. “What?”
I snap out of it. “Nothing.”
Turning around, I quickly go through the only other door in here and close it behind me.
Go wherever you like and do whatever you please. He said it so casually. As if it’s normal. As if I’ve ever heard it before in my life, when in fact, I have not.
A smile pulls at my cheeks, and it stays there the entire time I’m in the bathroom. My bladder feels like it’s about ready to burst, so I quickly take off my gloves and use the toilet, and then wash my face and hands. I strip out of my old clothes, pulling on Slade’s shirt before I find a comb and try to brush through my tangles as best I can. I head for the door on another yawn, but I hesitate whether or not I should put my leggings and socks back on, but no. I don’t gild anything unless I want to.
As if to prove it to myself, I press my fingers against the comb again, calling up my magic, smiling when gold drips down the length of it. As soon as it’s gilded, I drain the magic up, pressing my fingers against the marble countertop to make sure not a single drop comes out.
It’s amazing how much easier it’s already become.
When I walk out with a smile on my face, I’m ready to tell Slade that I’m actually going to sleep in only his shirt, but I stop when I see he’s already fast asleep. His breaths are feeding in and out, his face relaxed, body slumped onto the plush bed. He looks so unburdened in his sleep that I just watch him for a moment, wishing he could have that same weightlessness when he’s awake.
On bare feet, I pad over to the other side of the bed and slip beneath the covers as quietly and gently as I can so I don’t disturb him. I try to leave some space between us out of habit, yet as soon as I’m in the bed with him, he seems to sense me.
His arm comes out, gripping me by the waist, and he tugs me over as if I weigh nothing, sliding me right up against his body. I hold my breath in surprise, going still, but he doesn’t wake. He simply lets out a long exhale, as if he can relax even more now that I’m tucked against his side.
I fall asleep just as quickly as he did, with a sigh and a smile drifting from my lips.
CHAPTER 46
SLADE
I wake up with a jerk, eyes focusing on the crack of light cut from the edges of the heavy black curtains. Then my gaze falls to the bed beside me—the empty bed.
I sit up, running a hand down my face, realizing I didn’t even wait for Auren to come out of the bathroom last night before I passed out. I didn’t want to worry her, but the power drain was worse than usual. I got carried away, exhausted myself more than I should’ve, especially knowing I had Auren to protect on the journey home.
I suppose there’s something to be said for returning to your own bed after months of being away. Last night was the best sleep I’ve had in months. The only thing I’m missing now is waking up with Auren beside me.
I wonder if she’s still worried about staying in bed past morning. I can understand that she’s had over a decade of conditioning herself to being up before the dawn, to not eat, drink, or touch anything once the sun comes up. But she doesn’t have to do any of that anymore. She has more control than she knows, though some habits may be hard to break.
Getting up out of bed, I head for the bathroom where I wash up and then go into the closet to dress. Once I’m ready, I leave the bedroom, expecting to find her in the sitting room, but it’s empty. I head for the door, and as soon as I step into the hall, one of my guards is doing his rounds, walking in the opposite direction.