Madeline wondered why she was even awake at this hour of the night. She was sure the hour was moving close to midnight. And coincidentally, at a far distance, from the closest village that was near the castle, the tower bell rang loud enough to be heard. She bit her bottom lip in thought, her eyes staring into the darkness of her room where she could see the shadow of the objects.
She pondered what to do about Beth. Madeline doubted that Beth would ever come to listen to her words. She knew that, Beth believed she knew everything and she didn’t need anyone’s help as she was smart, but this was not the time to act like that. The people who were related to the royal family, everyone appeared to be hungry for power that could be achieved by getting either the favour of the King or by killing the King. The latter was an impossible task to do. It was because Madeline had seen how quick Calhoun’s reflex was when the arrow had been shot at her in the forest.
All Madeline wanted to do was keep her family safe, away from any possible harm. She would have ignored Calhoun’s words if Rosamund never tried to encourage her from running away from the castle.
It was apparent that Lady Rosamund wanted the throne, but Calhoun would not give it to her. In the past, when Madeline had questioned about his possible marriage to Sophie, Calhoun had once said that Sophie was not related to him. She had taken his words in a literal sense, but now she came to realize that he meant it as a phrase because he didn’t like them. He didn’t consider them to be a family.
And Madeline didn’t blame him.
His father, who was the previous King of Devon, along with his grandmother, had mistreated Calhoun’s mother. She knew there was more story in there and Calhoun had only given her enough to bite and swallow. Remembering the woman who laid in the cemented gravestone, Madeline wondered why the King would even let her go. She was much prettier than Lady Lucy’s mother, and by what she heard from Calhoun, she appeared to be a good lady.
When Madeline was deep in her thought, she felt someone’s hand on her head, and she turned around with a startled look on her face to see Calhoun who had already seated himself next to her with his long legs outstretched on the bed.
Madeline’s eyes went wide on seeing him here. She had not heard a sound in the room nor the dip in the bed. Was she so immersed in thought that she had not noticed his presence, or was it Calhoun’s another skill?
“I thought you would be asleep,” Calhoun said, whose hand gently smoothened the hair on her head.
Madeline pushed herself up, one sleeve of her nightdress falling off her shoulder and Calhoun’s eyes took note of it. Gingerly, Calhoun moved his hand to pick up the sleeve and cover her shoulder. On the way, his fingertip caressed her skin. She quickly evened the sleeves as one of them had moved towards her neck.
The little action of his left an itch on her skin, like a bolt of lightning running through her body and Madeline gathered herself.
“Did you finish your work?” asked Madeline.
Calhoun gave her a nod, “I did. Why didn’t you sleep?” he repeated his question.
“I wasn’t able to sleep,” whispered Madeline, not wanting to admit that his words were lingering in her mind. His hair looked ruffled compared to the time she had seen him in the hallways. Like the wind had blown back and forth to dishevel his pitch-black hair.
“Why not?” questioned Calhoun. He leaned forward for her heart to skip a beat when he came close to her. But Calhoun was only moving past her side to get down from the bed and grab the glass of water that was placed on the nightstand.
Madeline shook her head. She didn’t know if it was normal to feel this flustered in someone’s presence.
With Calhoun in the room, she got out of the bed, to walk towards the candles to light them up. Lightning the five candles in the candle stand, she brought it to be placed next to the nightstand.
Calhoun poured himself another glass of water, and he continued to drink it while his eyes followed her around.
“What work was it?” Madeline tried to make conversation with him so that she wouldn’t be intimidated of his presence in the room, where she was alone.
“You are getting good at skipping the answers to my questions,” replied Calhoun and Madeline went back to sit on the bed, “I had to see two people off. They were going to another land.”
Madeline wondered if the people were of great importance that the King had personally gone to send them off, “They must be feeling very privileged.”
A broad smile broke through Calhoun’s lips, “Yes, they were very pleased with my presence,” and the room fell silent again. Madeline heard Calhoun place the glass on the nightstand and he removed his shoes, getting back on the bed, to sit with her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, bells rang when he was removing his shoes as if he was going to sleep here tonight.
It was true that they were making progress, but she doubted she would be able to sleep next to Calhoun. It wasn’t him but her. Or maybe it was because of the way he looked at her and the words he used to coax her. Her feelings were changing towards him, and Madeline was turning more aware of his presence, including the effects he had on her.
“Are you not going to sleep?” she asked him.
Calhoun, who stared at her, asked, “Are you offering me to join you in the bed or chasing me away from the room?”
“I don’t think I can do the second one,” Madeline replied, and his smile only grew.
“You are right,” Calhoun said leaning towards her, “You have been waiting for me to return, haven’t you,” he asked her. Madeline’s lips parted, but no words came out of her lips. She wanted to deny, but her heart was racing, and she knew Calhoun picked on it.
“What have you done to me,” she whispered, her hands clutching her nightdress near her knees. Every time she had calmed herself, Calhoun did something to stir up her emotions.
Calhoun tilted his head, “What did I do? I didn’t even touch you…now.” But he had before leaving the castle, biting her ear and licking it in the middle of the corridor where one could witness it if they were in the same hall. The smile on his face didn’t leave.
His hand shot up to rub the side of her ear where he had bitten, “Does it hurt?” Madeline shook her head.
“No,” she answered.
Calhoun moved closer to her, his eyes fell on her lips and then moving back to her eyes, “Now?” he asked, pressing the lobe.
Madeline’s breath was turning shallow, her body heating up, and her innocent mind quickly prayed to God to stop the wave of emotions she was feeling right now, “D-don’t.”
“Don’t what?” came Calhoun’s deep voice. Her hands which was holding her dress moved to the surface of the bed.
She gulped the ball of nervousness that had moved up her throat, trying to push it down while trying to keep her head clear which was hard to do right now. She then heard him say, “What do you have on your mind that you don’t want me to do? Tell me, and I will see what I can do about it.”
Just those words were enough for Madeline’s eyes to half close, and her body turned hot, “I don’t want you d-doing t-that.”
“And what is ‘that’,” asked Calhoun with a gentle yet persistent voice. Calhoun was playing the game of push and pull with Madeline, but there was a limit for it too because it wasn’t just her but also him who was being tortured, “If you won’t tell me, how will I know about it,” said the sly King.
His hand was still on her ear, rubbing it and she flinched when his fingernails nipped on the lobe, “What you are doing right now and what you did at the chapel.”
Calhoun leaned forward to take a whiff of her scent. It was sweet and innocent, a flower that was untouched which was now blooming beautifully. A scent that was turning rich that made him want to tear the flower so that he could hold it.
His fingertips trailed the side of her ear and then went down her neck before moving past to brush the top of her chest, “I bit you. Sucked the tender part of your swell, soft. Is that what you are saying? I finished taking blood for the hour. Even though I would love to have another sip from you.”
Madeline’s face instantly turned red with his words and at the action of his hand on her chest. Her hands pressed against the bed.
She was speaking about what he did after they came out of the chapel, and she knew that Calhoun knew what she was speaking about, but he wanted to hear those things from her mouth. The problem here was Madeline had bravely told him that she knew what to do…to relieve the tension that her body carried, but she didn’t. With her sister busy with Markus Wilmot and the others engaged with the other relatives of Calhoun, Madeline had no one to ask.
And it was shameful to ask something regarding to this with others!
But at the same time, she was going to be his wife soon. To be the King’s wife, Calhoun’s wife and at that thought, her face turned red again.
As if sensing her emotions, Calhoun said, “You shouldn’t be ashamed of what your body feels and needs.” Moving closer, he pressed his lips right behind her ear, “Madeline,” he called her name sensually.
“It’s your fault,” she complained.
“I know. Let me take responsibility for it,” Calhoun said sweetly, drawing her to his wolf’s den, “You don’t have to feel the way you are feeling. All you need to do is, ask.”
After a lot of resolute, Madeline said, “I-I think I am f-fine.”
Calhoun admired Madeline’s strength not to give in, but that was only because she didn’t know how it felt when the sexual tension was released. Of course, he wouldn’t make love to her today, but there were other ways to help her, thought Calhoun.
“I was wondering,” Calhoun said to gain Madeline’s attention, “Are your grandparents going to attend the wedding?”
“I guess they will. Why?” Madeline asked.
She then heard him say, “I was thinking about visiting them with you. Tomorrow.”
