Heir of Deception

Chapter 38

Della resisted the urge to inhale too deeply lest Fenrys heard. His sheets just smelled sooo good. She was being a freak, she knew it, but there was something about his scent that called to her blood.  It was warm and delicious.

After about 20 minutes of laying in her dress she'd caved and put on his shirt. She did not have the nerve to sleep in only her underwear.

She rolled over and waited, listening for him. She could here through the door him rustling on the couch yet again. Guilt creeped through her she he should be here in his bed she in hers, was it too late to change her mind? He was very tall and likely didn't fit comfortably on the couch.

Exhaustion claimed her as she planned her excuse to get back to her room.

— — —

Della woke with a jolt. Her nightmare had woken her again, it was the same one as always. It awful as always.

"Della? Are you alright?" It was Fenrys standing in the door, his voice soothing, gentle and tinged with sleep.

She flinched, she hadn't remembered she was in his room, in his bed. "Im sorry to wake you, I'm fine." She worked to push her fear down, even she could smell it in the room.

He approached her slowly as if afraid to scare again, then sat beside her on the bed. He pushed the hair sticking to her cheeks and neck out of her face. Fenrys clasped her face in his hand and swiped a careful thumb under each of her eyes. "You're still crying." His voice hoarse and smooth all at once.

She clasped each of his wrists, using his warmth to pull her back to herself. She gave him a weak smile, "I'll stop, don't worry. Sorry again for waking you."

"Don't be," he tilted her head up to meet his eyes. "It's an honor to be able help you. Do you need anything? Water?"

Della shook her head slightly.

Fenrys took a fortifying breath, "alright," a pause "then call for me if you need anything, anything at all."

He stood to leave her. The disconnect from where his warmth had been struck her. The thought of being alone again terrified her, her stomach churned. Again fear spilled from her in waves.

Fenrys froze, "Della?"

"Please stay," she whispered. She desperately needed him to stay, to hold her. He'd only done it once for her so far but already she was addicted. Already she craved that feeling so deeply it was engraved in her bones. The safety that she felt pierced her soul and she didn't know how she could ever go without it again.

"Of course," was his response. He said it like it was easy, like he'd hoped that she would ask.

Della considered back pedaling, telling him that he only needed to stay for a moment, or just until she fell asleep again. But she was already in his arms, one again curled beneath the pillow under her head, the other around her waist his hand pressing between her shoulder blades as he drew her closer to him. The words died on her lips and as he pulled the blanket up over the two of them her eyes fell closed.

— — —

For the second morning in a row Della woke in a perfect cocoon of comfort and warmth.

This time she'd beaten Fenrys awake. She was still nestled in his arms. She noticed that he was shirtless, she hadn't noticed last night. For once she wished that she wasn't in his arms so that could admire him better. Instead she settled for his face. He really was one of the most handsome people she'd ever met. His strong brow bone, full lips. The twin scars down his face that she now knew had been caused by Maeve. This close she also noticed how long his lashes were, males always seemed to have such long lashes. She could see the faint stubble along his jaw. In the morning sunlight peeking through the curtains it looked ever faintly like sugar or sprinkles. Della felt the overwhelming urge to lick it. Really she felt the overwhelming urge to put her mouth all over him, to taste him. She was confident he would taste good like cinnamon maybe? What she was not confident about was what his response would be to waking with her trying to devour him. She curbed the desire and in stead ran her fingers gently over his collar bone. It was just visible under the muscles.

The contact woke him and he took her hand in his. For the third time in a matter of hours she found her self saying, "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He kissed her hand before dropping it and rolling away from her to stretch.

"It's fine," he said between yawns, "given how high the sun is we both should've been up hours ago."

Della cringed, "what are the chances my father hasn't noticed."

He rolled to face her and offered her a teasing smile, "slim to none."

"What are the chances Aelin has redirected and distracted him?"

"Medium to high."

"What are the chances that he does not at all find it suspicious?"

"Slim to none."

She eyed him, "you seem remarkably unconcerned about all this."

Fenrys gave her a half shrug. "I meant what I said yesterday, your father would have no issue with the two us."

"You do realize Aelin's nickname for him is territorial fae bastard? While I understand I'm not his mate I hardly think that his daughter would be any exception."

"True, true but your father trusts me in a way he doesn't trust other people. Again he knows that I would never hurt you. In fact I would go as far as to say he hopes we'd be together."

Dellas jaw dropped. At times she forgot that his arrogance wasn't only jest, that he really did think of himself highly.

"You actually think that?" She asked disbelieving.

"Yes, think about it Della. I come from a well respected family of Doranelle. I am beloved by the people of Terrasen, blood sworn to his mate and I'm fae. Now that's not to say your father views humans as beneath him or you, just that it would be painful for a human to die at the young age of 80 with you still having centuries of your life left."

Della thought of Lorcan and Elide, she'd heard the male had tied his life force to hers so that he could avoid that exact situation.

"Your father is also not naive enough to expect you to be single forever," Fenrys continued, "So that leaves him with me being the best option for you both personally and politically."

Her jaw was still open. His ideas were well thought out, as if he'd been thinking this for a while. Perhaps even had this conversation with her father? Is that why he was so kind to her was because her father had requested it? The thought curdled something in her stomach, was all of this simply out of obligation? What if Aelin had ordered this through the blood oath? No. Aelin would never do such a thing.

But still Della wanted to ask, what did Fenrys think of the two of them as a couple? Was it something he hoped for? Did he view her as the best option? Yet for all her training and all her studying Della still found herself too afraid to ask.

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