The Bond and Other Curses || Book Two

CHAPTER 3 - ORION

"Orion!" Strong hands gripped my shoulders, shaking hard. "Orion!"

I gasped awake, slicing clawed fingers through empty air.

The effects of the nightmare drained away instantly and Tritteon's narrow eyed concern came into focus, every bristle on that strong, square jaw perfectly clear despite the dimness of my room. The curly blond mess of perfection fell in spirals into his eyes and he didn't waste time brushing them aside. His suit was so dark I would've guessed it to be black. But it was obvious he hadn't slept yet, so he was probably still wearing the same dark blue one with the leather sleeves from yesterday.

He held his hands in front of him, palms facing me, like I was a wild animal backed into a corner, the two black rings on his right ring finger and thumb glinting strangely beneath the dim orbs bobbing up and down inside the canopy of my bed.

I rolled over, burying my face in my pillows, pressing my knuckles against my chest to counteract the pressure filling it.

"Did I wake you in time?" he said roughly, doubtful. The question would have sounded sweet if he hadn't said it so objectively.

I rolled back, pushing my fingers through tangled hair, meeting those gorgeous, hesitant, gold eyes of his. "Yes. It hadn't gotten to the worst part," I lied.

I felt his relief, though he didn't show it. Instead, Tritteon dug in his pocket and pulled out a small, thin bottle. He dumped a single, Asoiri peppermint bead into his palm and held it out to me.

I waved a hand, Veehming it into mine to avoid touching his skin, and allowed it to burst across my tongue. I rested the backs of my hands against my forehead as my heart slowed and the horrible pressure in my chest from the nightmare lessened. I caught Tritteon relaxing his shoulders, breathing out a relieved sigh, his knuckles briefly rubbing across the same spot on his own chest.

I was grateful for such a simple remedy. Unfortunately, once I took the little thing, I couldn't seem to fall back to sleep.

"Will that be all?" he asked, as though I'd summoned him on purpose, and for no other reason than to ask about the weather.

I rolled my eyes. Was he intentionally trying to make it awkward? "I'll be fine."

He hesitated. I could almost see a question forming in his eyes. But then he nodded quickly, almost robotically, a few curly strands getting caught in those long, dark lashes. He flicked them away. "Good. Goodnight then."

I gave him a tight smile. "Goodnight. Thanks...again."

"Of course." He gave me a slight bow, those unruly curls doing something to me I tried hard to shove down before he noticed, and left.

I grabbed a pillow and dragged it over my face, muttering curses into it. There were eleven days left. That last day couldn't come soon enough. After I had promised him I would give them two weeks to convince me to stay and the stupid bond had made us kiss for a second time, I hadn't exactly been the most inviting person to be around. And the two alternating nightmares I had every time I closed my eyes weren't helping any.

Tritteon seemed to have lost his confidence and we hadn't worked on fighting compulsion once. For the most part, he, like everyone else in the Palace, avoided me throughout the day and, frankly, I was okay with that. Made my decision all the easier.

If not for the horrible nightmares, my solitude would've continued uninterrupted. But Lexicon was useless and Tritteon had found the only way to wake me from it was to physically do it himself.

"I resent that," Lexicon grumbled.

"I doubt that. To resent, you would have to be more than simply a dictionary inside my head."