Kingdom of isolation - you can't hide

Forty Eight ~ Aurora

Aurora

Damn, this blanket is so deliciously warm. I snuggle into the warmth greedily, rubbing my cheek against the satin fabric. Weird. I recall the fabric being a lot more fluffy. The blanket vibrates at my incessant rubbing all of a sudden, freaking me the fuck out.

"Morning, wife."

A choked scream leaves my mouth before I can even open my eyes. There's a demon in my bed! Dark eyes greet me unabashedly, watching me flounder.

"When did you get back?" I squeak, scrambling away from Alexander and immediately missing the warmth. Heart thundering against my ribcage, I take sharp breaths to calm myself down whilst clutching the blanket in between my clammy fingers. He's a horrible nightmare dressed like a dream. God, I was having such a wonderful dream that didn't include him in any capacity.

"Last night." His husky voice is strangely comforting to hear. But his words, paired with that devious smirk are so far from that.

"And you thought it was okay to just climb into my bed?"

"Our bed. And you were the one cuddling next to me."

He gestures to the spot beside him with a flick of his wrist, as if he didn't basically climb into my bed and manipulate my body's sleeping position.

Of course I was going to assume that warmth coming off him was my goddamn blanket. He's a fucking furnace compared to everything else in this medival torture chamber!

"Lies!" My voice is shrill in comparison, hands shaking. No, my entire body is buzzing. This situation is both embarrassing and horrifying. I can't believe I was rubbing my freaking face against his stupid body. Stupid Rory. You never learn, do you?

"You snore, by the way."

I gasp, just about ready to slap him for saying such a preposterous thing. "I do not snore. You take that back!"

"And you drool like a baby." His viciousness continues as I touch my chin instinctively, finding zero evidence of his accusation. My cheeks flare, realising I've been playing into his tricks like an idiot.

"Stop it!" I go to stand up on the bed with shaky legs, letting the blanket pool around my feet. His gaze follows, amused as usual. With my hands firmly on my hips, I say, "I thought we had rules, your majesty. We're not sleeping together. Why do you keep breaking these simple rules?"

"I changed my mind." He stretches out onto the bed, arms propped behind his head. "I must have forgotten to tell you. My bad."

This man does not forget so I'm not buying it. He's purposely doing this shit to rile me up, test the limits and see how far he can go before I bite his head off. Apparently, it doesn't take much to piss me off.

"Listen here, you—"

It happens so fast, Alexander pulls me down onto his chest in one swift motion. Air whooshes out of my lungs when my torso smacks into his own. Blanket tangled around my ankles and palms resting on the pillow for leverage, I regret waking up and facing this embarrassment. Oh, fucking hell!

Cool fingers brush across the shell of my ear, a sharp contrast to the warmth surrounding me that I can't help but shiver. "I'm listening."

"I'm not in the habit of repeating myself over and over. When I say, we're not sharing a bed, I mean it. Either you take the couch, or I will."

My words are a jumbled mess but cohesive enough to earn a brute reaction. Alexander tugs a few locks of my hair, forcing my head up.

"Try taking the couch. I dare you."