A Beast's Tale

Chapter 61

"Hey, Chevalier!"

The voice broke through my subconscious, and I automatically tightened my grip around Ivetta with my left hand while reaching across her for my sword with my right. Something about the voice seemed familiar, but I wasn't taking any chances.

"Cheva - oh."

The surprised uptick in the voice dragged me fully into consciousness, even as my hand tightened on my sword hilt. It was Jin. He must have news from Obsidian, and judging by his excitement, it was good news. Which meant it could wait until tomorrow, and I didn't want him here.

"Um...hi," Ivetta said hesitantly.

"Well, isn't this adorable?" Jin teased.

"Go away," I mumbled irritably, loosening my sword from its sheath by about an inch as a warning.

"Now I know why you missed Yves' dinner," Jin continued, clearly not getting the message.

I finally opened my eyes to shoot him a glare. His broad grin was unphased.

"Leave," I said sharply.

"I thought you'd want to hear the good news, but it seems like you're kinda busy," he said, winking as he turned to go. "If you two need a break later, Yves is still going all out in the kitchens."

I groaned irritably and released my sword, restoring my arm to Ivetta's waist as he walked away. She buried her face in the pillow.

"Oh, my gosh..." she mumbled into the fabric.

I closed my eyes and nuzzled into her silky hair. "Just go back to sleep."

"Just go - Chevalier."

I recognized the frustrated tone in her voice and opened my eyes as she pushed herself up on an elbow, twisting around to glare at me.

"There is no way I'm going back to sleep after that!" she said firmly.

I smirked in amusement. "What would you rather do?"

Her green eyes widened, and her blush deepened.

"Oh..." she moaned, flopping back down on her stomach and burying her face in the pillow again. "I'd rather crawl into a hole and die."

I chuckled. "You're overreacting, Ivetta."

"Well, forgive me for not taking this as calmly as you," she muttered into the fabric.

Jin was right. She was adorable. I combed my fingers through her hair, leaning in to whisper in her ear: "Look at me, little dove."

"No," she said firmly. "If I look at you, you're going to kiss me, and then I'll be even more flustered when I try to sneak back to my room without anybody noticing. Which is impossible, because my guards already know I've been in here with you, and Jin probably has your brothers lined up outside waiting for us."

The first part of what she said was true, but she didn't have to look at me for me to kiss her. I brushed the hair away from her neck, placing a light kiss on her soft skin as she squirmed in my arms.

"Chevalier..."

"By your logic, it would make more sense for you to stay here," I murmured, stroking her hair.

"I should have listened to Theresa and Julius and stayed in my room," she complained.

"Why didn't you?" I asked curiously.

"I don't know." She sighed and turned to face me, her shy green eyes only inches from mine on the pillow. "It's not like I thought I'd run into you or anything."