by M. L. Greye
Her dress was crafted in the beaded fabric she’d found in Kruth. Not the same dress she’d commissioned – just made from the same fabric. This gown puffed out from her hips, while her bodice was tight with thin sleeves draped across her shoulders making the neckline wide. It was not an Enlennd fashion at all. Yet, she had seen this sort of style on women from the islands north of Perth – the style worn by the women under the rule of the Ship Lords. Emry didn’t mind it. The dress made her waist look incredibly thin.
A box of chocolates was on her lap. Emry popped one of the chocolates from the box into her mouth and nearly moaned. Absolutely delicious. These had to be imported from the islands as well. Everyone knew the Ship Lords had the best chocolate.
“Well, don’t you look nice.”
Emry twisted in place and grinned as Declan – long-haired and bearded – emerged from the mist. “Hello, Dec.”
His eyes scanned her up and down. Twice. He smiled out the side of his mouth. “I don’t know where you found a dress like that, but I do know you should wear it more often.”
She laughed. His compliment should have made her blush, but she didn’t feel embarrassed. She felt beautiful. Especially under Declan’s admiring gaze. “It does fit me well, doesn’t it?”
“Very well.” Declan sank onto the marble beside her – his eyes still locked on her. “What are you doing on the floor, though?”
“Eating chocolate.” She rested a hand on the box. “Would you like some?”
His smile slipped. “I haven’t had chocolate in a very long time.”
“Then allow me to remedy that.” Emry picked up one of the round morsels and reached out to hold it to his lips.
Declan stared at her, a hint of surprise in his gaze. He licked his lips, his tongue briefly brushing across her fingertips, before opening his mouth. She slipped it in, not caring a bit that her fingers came back damp. Declan actually did moan. Loudly.
The sound made Emry laugh again. “You like it?”
“I don’t know if I’ve ever had chocolate this good before.”
“That I can believe.” Emry retrieved another one and held it to his lips again.
This time he didn’t hesitate. His mouth closed around the chocolate, including two of her fingers. When she went to pull her hand back, he bit down on her skin. Not hard, but just enough to keep her in place. Emry loosed a startled cry, and Declan’s eyes smoldered into something wicked and mischievous.
The look did things to Emry’s insides – things she didn’t want to admit. She pulled back on her hand again, and Declan released her but not before sucking off the chocolate from the tips of her fingers as she drew them out.
Declan was grinning like a little boy. Emry noticed through his scruff he had a dimple on one side of his face. His left side. She wanted to reach out and brush her hand over it.
Before she had the chance, Declan dropped onto his back, swiveling so his head landed right in Emry’s lap beside the chocolates.
She gawked down at him, her heart rate suddenly picking up speed. “What is this?”
“I’m positioning myself to make it easier for you to feed me more chocolate,” he said impishly. “I’m just trying to help you.”
Laughter burst out of her. Surprised, pleased laughter. Bubbling and happy and light. She hadn’t laughed like this in ages. Declan just continued to grin up at her, as if utterly content. And the way he looked at her…
The urge to kiss him washed through Emry. So strong it made her laughter die in her throat.
It wasn’t that this was the first time she’d ever wanted to kiss him – she’d thought about it many, many times. She’d just never had the courage to try. But now as he gazed up at her … His mouth was practically begging to be kissed.
So she did.
She lowered her head and pressed her parted lips to his. For no more than a moment. Just a simple kiss. Or rather it should have been.
When their mouths met, it was as if one of Citrine’s tiny balls of fire burned through her – scorching her from head to toe, making her tingle all over. She straightened slowly, noting the shock in Declan’s eyes. Emry held back a wince. Had a kiss been too much? She really had no idea what he thought of her. They were friends, sure. But to kiss – Emry shouldn’t have been so impulsive.
“Do it again,” Declan breathed.
“What?” She blinked. She had not been expecting those words.
“I haven’t kissed anyone in a very long time,” he replied, his voice low. Slowly, he pushed himself up and leaned across her on one hand – putting his face inches from hers. She breathed in his scent. “Kiss me,” he whispered.
Emry barely had to move to close the distance between them. This kiss was anything but simple. It was slow, but not sweet. Hungry, but not rushed. It was powerful and passionate and right. Just so absolutely right. Everything about it.
Declan slid his free hand around the back of her waist, drawing her against him. She reached up one hand to cradle the back of his neck while her other gripped onto his shirt, bunching the fabric in her fist. She had no idea what had happened to the chocolates, and she didn’t care. They’d slipped off her lap somewhere. It didn’t matter. Her heart thundered in her ears, and beneath her fist on his chest she could feel his doing the same.
She had no idea how much time passed while they’d sat there consuming each other’s mouths. But when Declan eased away to rest his forehead against hers, she knew she wanted more. The feeling startled her. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever be satisfied – if she’d ever reach her limit. At least not with Declan. She could have kept kissing him for hours.
Maybe they had been. Kissing him was an entirely new experience – nothing like any of the kissing she’d done in the past. With Declan, it was invigorating and addicting and perfect.
“Emry, I-” He stopped, inhaling deeply, as if to calm himself a little more before beginning again. “Emry, you’re phenomenal.”
“I like the sound of that.” She grinned, unable to contain it.
He chuckled, his warm breath, hitting her lips. “I want to kiss you again.”
Her thumb drifted to that one adorable dimple, brushing over it. “You can kiss me anytime you want.” She meant it with every fiber of her being.
“Gladly.” He bent to kiss her again, a crooked smile on his face.
The ballroom filled with blinding light. Emry reared back, raising a hand to shield her eyes. And just like that, Declan was gone.
Emry was in her bed in Warks’s home. Alone.
Sunshine streamed in from the open windows. It wasn’t early morning rays, either. No, these were clearly midmorning beams. Had she slept in?
A loud knock sounded on her door. “Emry?” Sera’s muffled voice called through the door. “Are you alright?”
Was she? Emry sat up on the bed. The rational part of her brain told her she was fine – nothing hurt. Still, something felt off, and there was this dull ache inside of her.
“Emry?” Sera repeated.
“I’m fine,” she replied, loud enough that her voice would carry through the door. “Sorry, I just overslept.” Emry should have been up hours ago, if the light through the windows was an indication of the time.
“Alright,” Sera said slowly. “I have some fresh pastries for you downstairs.”
“Thank you. I’ll be down in a few minutes.” Emry rubbed at her eyes, trying to wipe away the sleep from them as she heard Sera’s retreating steps.
She’d dreamt of Declan again. His beautiful teal eyes. His glorious mouth. It’d been so vivid.
Emry’s fingers slid over her lips. She realized what the twinge in her chest was but didn’t want to acknowledge it. Her dream hadn’t actually happened. Declan was miles and miles away, married with probably children. It was unlikely he even remembered her, let alone thought of her. Yet, still she ached.
“If only it were real,” she whispered to her empty room, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.
:::::
Everywhere Declan went, Emry was there. She was beside him while he ran. She watched him while he trained with Fiona and Rand. She cried for him while he dueled. She was in each of his breaths.
Her face was behind his eyelids every time he blinked. She was the first thing he thought of in the morning and the last when he drifted off to sleep. He was now dreaming of her regularly – twice a week. Sometimes three.
He walked with her among the pine trees of the Kruth Mountains. He teased her under the sunshine in flowered meadows, basking in the rays he hadn’t felt for months.
And he kissed her. Often. In every dream at least once. He couldn’t help himself.
The one time she’d kissed him had opened a floodgate within him. He couldn’t stop himself from tasting her soft, full lips. He’d wake with her scent filling his A-frame.
Throughout the rest of the day after, he’d go over every word they’d shared, and at night he’d crave more. More smiles. More kisses. More laughter. Most of all, he wished it were all real.
He was falling for a person his mind had created for him. His dreams were both depressing and exhilarating. Something had to be wrong with him.
Life in this camp had finally driven him mad. It was the only explanation. He’d grown just lonely enough that his mind had created a romantic relationship for him while he slept. It was like the ramblings of the insane. Normal people didn’t fall in love with mentally constructed women. They tended to love living, breathing women.
But Declan really must not be sane because dreaming of Emry had become a literal life-saver. Emry – dream or not – had become a beacon of hope for him. The moments they shared at night kept him going throughout the day. Her face was his constant companion.
She sustained him through his darkest days – made him actually start looking forward to his nights. She was all he thought about all the time. If he dwelt on anyone else, he found himself sinking into a sort of depression. With Emry, though … she was his light in the darkness.
Even now, as Declan laid on his back on his cot, staring up at the dark slanted ceiling of his roof, he couldn’t help but feel a little rush of excitement. He willed his eyes to grow heavy. Would tonight be an Emry night? His dreams of her always came as a surprise. If he’d had his way, he would have dreamt of her every single time he shut his eyes.
Declan focused on his breathing – on taking slow, deep breaths. He wanted to fall asleep. He had nothing else to look forward to. His dreams were all he had at the end of the day when it was just him in his tiny A-frame.
Eventually, his eyes struggled to stay open. Then, all at once, Declan was on a lake. Or was it just a really wide river?
Tall, thick trees with hanging moss floating in the warm breeze lined either side of the water. The full moon lit the world, casting it in a silvery hue. Crickets sang and frogs croaked, filling the air with nature’s summer music. These were sounds he hadn’t heard in possibly a full year. Declan drank them in. He was in rowboat, at its front – a paddle in either hand.
“Pretty, isn’t it?”
Declan whirled in his seat to find Emry behind him. He grinned at the sight of her. Tonight she wore all black – black boots, black leggings tucked into the boots, and a black tunic. Declan didn’t care what color she wore – he was just glad she was here. “It’s very pretty. I haven’t seen anything like it outside of the Midlands.”
She let out a short laugh. “This is the Midlands.”
“That would explain it then.” He glanced up at the massive boughs, bending over the water as if they were parched – in search of a drink.
“Would you like some help rowing?” Emry extended a hand towards him.
“If you think you’re capable…” He let his voice trail off as he handed her one of the oars.
“I’m stronger than I look.” She grunted, taking it from him before dipping it in the water.
“Was that you accepting a challenge?” Declan raised an eyebrow.
“To out paddle you?” She grinned crookedly. “Easy.”
He laughed. It felt good to laugh. He rarely had the opportunity. “If it wouldn’t make us tip over, I’d kiss that smirk off of you right now.”
Her smile twisted into something he’d never seen on her before – sultry and taunting and downright intoxicating. “It’s a pity you’re so far away.”
That was it. Declan was in love with Emry. He couldn’t ignore it any longer. Couldn’t deny it. He loved her. His dream woman. Declan was in love with a dream. A beautiful, breathtaking dream.
“So where are we going anyway?” Emry asked, her head tilting up to catch the moon beams on her face.
“I thought the person in the back did the navigating,” he replied.
“You should smack whoever’s been feeding you that nonsense,” she retorted.
“Would you do the honors for me?”
She laughed, the sound carrying all the way to the trees before being gobbled up. “Concerned you’d injure your hand?”
Declan flexed one of his hands in front of him. “They’ve endured enough. Besides, I think I’d like to watch you try to take someone down.”
“Try?” Emry repeated incredulously. “Not succeed?”
He swiveled away from her on his seat and began to row. “Was that not implied? Of course you’d succeed.”
“Why do I suddenly feel like you’re patronizing me?” She asked dryly.
“Well, you are fairly petite.” He was thoroughly enjoying pestering her.
“I’ll have you know I scare people,” she shot back.
“You?” He turned. “Impossible.”
“Why would that be impossible?” She asked, taking a moment too long to respond.
She was being serious. Declan blinked. It bothered her. Slowly, he leaned forward across the space between them and brushed his lips over hers. “It’s impossible because any sane person wouldn’t be scared by you – they’d be terrified.”
“Terrified.” She winced. “So, you think I’m terrifying.”
“I never said I was sane.” He winked.
Emry loosed a disgruntled cry and shoved his shoulder backwards. Declan laughed until he realized he was leaning too far to one side. She’d pushed him too much too fast and now the boat was off balance. He reached out for Emry, calling her name, but it was too late. They both fell overboard.
Into waist deep water. It took Declan all of two seconds to realize he could stand up. Emry didn’t take much longer. She popped up a couple feet from him, and he immediately reached for her hand. Just because it wasn’t deep didn’t mean that he wanted to lose her.
“Come here.” He tugged her towards him before heading to the nearest sandy bank.
They sloshed through the water for about twenty feet before finally reaching the shore. Once there, Declan peeled off his drenched shirt. The air was warm enough to dry him, but with a wet shirt on it was much chillier. Emry didn’t have the same luxury, though. He turned to ask if she wanted him to start a fire when he noticed the stunned look on her face. “What?”
With one hand, she reached out and brushed her cold fingertips along his right side. Directly on top of his scar. “When did this happen?”
“Not too long ago.” Instinctively he wanted to step back, but that would take him out of her reach. He didn’t want her to stop touching him.
“I’m sorry,” she breathed, flattening her palm over it.
“What could you possibly be sorry for?” He asked softly.
Her gaze flicked upward from the scar to his eyes. “I’m sorry you suffered.”
“It’s better now.” He pulled her hand from his side up to his mouth, kissing her knuckles one by one.
She shook her head slowly. “It still causes you pain. I can see it.”
“I hardly even notice it’s there anymore.” He frowned, wondering how she’d be able to see if he was hurting.
Emry flinched. “I don’t mean physical pain.”
A loud splash in the water
made Declan whirl. He dropped Emry’s hand and stepped in front of her, placing himself between her and whatever had made the noise. He scanned the surface and surrounding trees but couldn’t find a sign of what it might have been.
After another moment, he turned back to Emry. But she was gone.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Emry was in trouble. She was losing her mind. It had to be from the stress of trying to take control of her father’s kingdom. She was simply cracking beneath the pressure. That was it. A normal reaction. She wasn’t actually starting to have feelings for a construct of her imagination. Because that would mean she was legitimately crazy. She didn’t need to add an inadequate sense of reality to her life right now. Her life was plenty complicated as it was.
Yet, each morning that she woke up without dreaming of Declan, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed, and the mornings after she did, she was definitely happier. She’d have an unusual bounce to her step – smiled more … That could just all be a coincidence.
After all, she was under a lot of pressure, and naturally a pleasant dream of meandering through meadows or hiking through fresh pine forests would lighten her mood. Declan also being in her dreams was just an added bonus. A happy surprise.
It was most assuredly not because she was falling in love with him. Dream Declan. Not real Declan. Real Declan was out there somewhere with his real life that did not include her.
Emry wouldn’t know, though, because Levric was so tight-lipped about his own children. She’d asked twice now if Declan was well – in attempt to broach the subject. All Levric had said was that Declan had been well the last time he’d seen him. He hadn’t really expounded more when she’d followed up with when that had been. Levric had merely answered with his daughter’s wedding. Emry had no idea how long ago that had been, but by Levric’s stiff back and shuttered eyes, she’d decided to just let it drop. Maybe she’d test her luck to get some answers from Llydia next time she saw her. Whenever that would be.
