Ruined (Ruined, #1)(15)

Jovita stood on the other side of the door. Em jumped up from the bed and rushed to her.

“Is he alive?” Em asked.

“He’s fine,” Jovita said. “It’s just his shoulder.”

Em breathed a sigh of relief, which was echoed by all three guards.

“He’d like to see you,” Jovita said, placing her back against the open door and beckoning at Em with two fingers.

He surely didn’t want to continue with the wedding night after getting stabbed, did he? Em swallowed as she walked out the door and started down the hallway with Jovita and two guards. Maybe his wounds weren’t very serious after all. There had been a lot of blood, but Em had suffered injuries that bled profusely but hadn’t slowed her down.

“We should have a discussion soon about what to do in case of an emergency,” Jovita said. “We have a meeting spot in case the castle is taken or unsafe.”

“Where is that?” Em asked.

“Fort Victorra, in the Southern Mountains. Do you know it?”

“I do. It’s near the Vallos border.”

“Good. I’ll give you a map later, just in case. All members of the royal family get one.”

Five guards were outside Cas’s rooms. Jovita led Em past them and through a dark office full of books. The door to Cas’s bedroom was ajar, light streaming out through the crack.

“You should rest, Cas,” the queen said from the other side of the door.

“I will, Mother.” Then, in a softer voice: “I’m fine.”

Jovita knocked and pushed the door open. The room was even bigger than Em’s, with an impressive dresser and ornate mirror on one side of the room, and two big plushy chairs on the other, in front of a massive window currently obscured by deep-blue curtains. Cas lay on the big bed in the center of the room, shirtless, with a white bandage covering his left shoulder. He was still pale, but he smiled as she walked into the room.

The queen turned, and Em found herself crushed against the woman. She held Em so tightly it was difficult to breathe.

“Thank you,” the queen whispered.

Em resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she extracted herself from the queen’s embrace. The king stood next to his wife, his face full of gratitude. Em quickly crossed her arms over her chest so he wouldn’t get any ideas about hugging her too.

“May we have a minute?” Cas asked.

The queen wiped at her cheeks. “We’ll be right outside.”

The king put a hand on Em’s shoulder as he passed her.

“We owe you a debt of gratitude,” he said softly.

Em tried not to appear too pleased. She couldn’t have found a better way to endear herself to the king and queen than if she had planned this herself.

The door closed with a quiet thud as they left, and she clasped her hands in front of her, suddenly nervous. An elaborate jeweled sword hung on the wall not three steps away, and another one, sheathed and ready to be grabbed, sat on the dresser in the corner. Five seconds to kill the prince. If she hadn’t just saved his life, she might have been tempted.

Cas was still smiling at her, and he gestured with his good hand. “Come here?”

He said it as a question, and she nodded in agreement as she stepped forward. She was tempted to stop in the middle of the room, but that seemed awkward, so she walked all the way to his bed and stood next to it.

She’d never seen a boy shirtless in his bed before. She and Damian had shared a tent many times, but that was different. They were both fully clothed, in the dirt, and usually Aren was there as well. This felt more intimate. Her heart pounded in her ears, and she wiped a sweaty palm against her dress.

“I just wanted to say thank you.” Cas kept his gaze steady with hers, and she found it hard to look away. In a certain light his eyes were blue, in others they seemed a bit green. Either way, they were clear and striking.

“You’re welcome.”

“It’s really above and beyond the call of duty to save my life on our wedding day.”

“It was nothing.”

One side of his mouth quirked up, his eyebrow rising with it. He was amused, but also . . . intrigued? He was looking at her as if he liked her. She didn’t think she wanted him to like her.

But she had to admit that it would be helpful if he did. She couldn’t ignore him and expect to be given inside information about Olivia’s location and Lera’s defenses.

She took a tiny step closer to the bed. “Are you in pain?”

“A little. It’s subsiding.” He glanced at the bandage. “The doctor gave me something. He said it would make me drowsy, so don’t be alarmed if I suddenly pass out.”

She tried not to let her body sigh with relief. If he was going to pass out, then there would be no expectation of her climbing into bed with him. She had another day or two until she had to face that particular challenge.

“Is it common for people to attack you?” she asked.

“This would be a first.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “Lera is usually very safe. Especially the castle. You don’t need to worry.”

“I wasn’t worried. I won.”

He laughed, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “You did. It was impressive, actually.”

“I’ve been attacked more times than I can count.” She said it almost smugly.