Darklina Smut: Lights Out

Coldest touch

Alina stood in the middle of her bedroom, heart pounding. It took her a minute to realize someone was knocking on the door.

"Come in," she called. Her chest heaved up and down, her pulse beating like a hummingbird's wings in her throat.

The Darkling was nowhere to be found, and before she could fully look around the room the door swung open.

"Sun summoner, you've been summoned to the strategy room,"' Tamar stood at her door, dressed in her her usual guards-uniform, short hair ruffled and lips twitching slightly at her lame word-play.

"At this hour? By who?" Alinas mind reeled. Her thoughts immediately and irrationally jumped to the Darkling. No, but that would be impossible. It couldn't be him. He was not welcome at the Little Palace—unless he wanted to be beheaded by the King, the Queen and the rest of court, of course.

"The little prince, who else?" She rolled her eyes as if to say: 'who else had the audacity to call on someone in the middle of the night.'

"Nikolai?"

Tamar nodded. "He said it was urgent."

The candle-light flickered when Tamar adjusted her guards-robes. Shadows danced on the wall, and Alina jumped reflexively. Tamar looked at her funny. "You all right?"

"Yeah, sorry, I'm fine," she tried to laugh it off but it sounded more like a breathless squeak.

"You look a little tense," Tamar did her a once over and then swept the room, eyes alert. Alina resisted the urge to do the same.

"No, really—I'm fine,"

A dubious expression creased Tamars brow, but she said nothing, only giving her a tight lipped nod. She held the door open. "Shall we?"

Alina nodded once, grabbing her robes. "Yes, let's."

꧁꧁꧁

NIKOLAI WAS POURING over a large map, hands pressed to the grand mahogany table when she entered the strategy-room. The curtains had been pulled back; the blackness beyond the windows so thick she only saw the room reflected back at her.

A look of deep concentration painted Nikolai's fair features. She knocked politely on the ajar door.

"Ah, Alina!" He exclaimed, looking up. A smile immediately took over his face, dazzling and charming. Ever the socialite, she rolled her eyes internally.

"You called for me?"

"Yes, I did," he said smoothly. It was well over midnight, but he was still dressed in day clothes—white shirt pressed and wrinkleless, his hair a golden halo of perfection. Did he ever sleep? Or look disheveled, for that matter?

Alina tightened the dark silk-robes around her waist. It was way too big for her and the material grazed the floor with each step.

If any of the servants spotted her meeting Nikolai in the dead of night—in her nightclothes no less—she was sure a pregnancy-rumor was to be expected by tomorrow at breakfast. Rumors at The Little Palace spread like wildfire.

"I hope I didn't wake you?" He asked.

"No, I was awake..." Awake and playing host for the most wanted man in the whole of Ravka. The feeling of the Darklings dark powers running through her still whispered along her spine. She wondered were he disappeared to.