Intoxicating Desires | T. Al Ghul ✔

[16]

Light entered the room as night faded into daylight. Accustomed to waking up at the first ray of dawn, Veruna peeled open her eyes. Unlike usual, she did not wake up to the sight of the blank walls in her room at the Al Ghul fortress.

The sight that met her eyes instead felt no less than a dream and she had to blink twice to make sure she had woken up.

Saahir was asleep, his arm resting under her head and his messy brown hair obscuring his eyes from view. She sat up, making sure not to disturb him then untied the strings of his cloak that he had put on her last night.

As she took it off and laid it in front of her, she could very clearly see the Persian Empire's emblem over the thick fur. Her hand brushed over it, smoothing it gently.

He had stood on the opposing side of the League on the battlefield and five years had passed since then. Yet something about him made her want to believe that he had no intention of going against the League. 

The fact that he was a prince yet still chose to live with Amma and the twins merely out of concern and affection for them made her come to the conclusion that revenge wasn't what he wanted. He had told her himself that he lost everything in the previous war but he couldn't bear to lose the family he had currently.

And if he struck against the League, his newly found family would the first price he would have to pay for it.

Veruna sighed, folding the cloak over to hide that emblem. If anyone else saw that symbol, it would put Saahir and the rest of his family in trouble.

Perhaps that was why he had kept it hidden away and taken it out only when there was nothing else he could find to give Veruna to keep her warm in that soakingly cold weather.

She shook all those thoughts aside, knowing that she had to get up and leave for the base as she had stayed away for too long. So very gently, she brushed the hair back from his forehead, in an attempt to wake him up.

Deep brown connected with hazel as his eyes fluttered open. Surprise crossed his features as well for he too wasn't accustomed to waking up to anyone else that close to him. But a smile played upon his lips shortly after.

"I should get going now," Veruna spoke up, retrieving her hand that had rested on his forehead a while earlier.

He sat up as well and took the folded cloak that she handed him. "Will you not have breakfast with us?"

"It's too early and I think Amma and the kids are still asleep," she replied, her cheeks tinting red slightly, "maybe next time..."

Her voice trailed off as his lips touched hers in a delicate kiss, making the shade on her cheeks deepen. "So you think there will be a next time?"

"Saahir..." As usual, he couldn't let go of an opportunity to tease her, making a smile play upon her lips as well.

"Alright, I will come with you," he stood up, offering her his hand that she took, "if we leave now, you will reach the base before the rest of them wake up and find out you were gone."

"Hard chance. We all wake up at the first ray of dawn."

"It's been a long time since I was a soldier or else I would have been accustomed to that too," he remarked, checking up on the occupants of the other room who were sound asleep. "You're right, Amma and the little urchins are all asleep."

"It's alright, you don't have to come with me," she spoke up, feeling that he might have other tasks to do but was putting them for later just so he could escort her back.

"Madame, I want to spend a little more time with you. May I?"

She smiled, stepping through the door that he held open for her, "alright but on one condition."