The Queen's Conquer

Chapter 14 : Woman in Gold

Dormiveglia • [door-mî-vay-glee-a]
The space that stretches between sleeping and waking.

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After our bath, I'm dried off and carried back into the bedroom where Samuel dresses in boxer briefs before slipping one of his clean shirts over my naked body that he brought with him. I find myself falling asleep to the beat of his heart with ease, feeling nothing but silent peace while being in his arms.

But the next morning strikes me like a snake's bite as rays of sunlight pierce through the large window's curtains from across the room. Me and Samuel's legs are ensnared in the sheets of this odd bed, wrapping our bodies close to one another. I groan out, feeling the exhaustion of yesterday's events hit me like a freight train; but he continues to snooze soundly despite my discomfort. I move to release my legs from the blankets, pulling his muscled arm off of my waist in a desperate attempt to get up and use the bathroom. Once I'm sitting upright though, I'm yanked back down into his hold.

"Samuel," I hiss, pushing against his muscled chest. He only hums into my hair in a half-conscious state, his arms contracting to adjust around me. "Samuel, I have to pee," I finally admit.

"Five more minutes," he grumbles, now stroking my light brown locks. Chills shoot through my spine, lulling me to stay here. But my bladder says otherwise.

"Please," I urge. "I'll be back in a minute, I swear."

He groans out, finally giving in to my request as his arms release me. I'm up in a heartbeat, nearly stumbling over my feet just to reach the bathroom in time. After finishing my business, I wash my hands and look briefly in the mirror to witness the bags under my eyes—to take in the sight of my nearly healed neck. My irises flicker into that same, strange violet hue a second later, but it's soon gone with a startling barrage of blinks. I stare at my reflection, seeing if it'll happen again. But my restlessness finally pulls me away from the glass and out of the bathroom. I shake away the goosebumps that now run up my arms.

I return to find Samuel with his elbows propped against his knees, his hands holding up his head as he attempts to rub his eyes awake. I walk up to the end of the bed, crawling over the sheets and taking his wrists into my grasp. Instinctively, he pulls them away and wraps his arms around my torso as we fall into the messy bedding. His playful behavior forces a giggle out of me as he kisses my cheek sleepily, his hands roaming up the length of my back underneath my shirt.

"Good morning, my Luna," he murmurs against my skin. My fingers rake through his hair as a somber smile plasters itself against my lips.

"Good morning, my Alpha," I whisper in reply. His own grin appears, kissing my other cheek now.

"How's your neck?" he says, his head pulling away as he pushes my long hair back to get a better look at it.

I feel my body cringe at the question but I still choose to answer. "Better," I breathe, his fingers gently feeling around the skin where that man's hand had left its imprint. "Fast healing does wonders. But you should really be asking that question after tomorrow."

My marking ceremony is scheduled to happen tomorrow evening at some rented out garden estate I've never heard of—at least that's the current plan. After last night's events though...it only worsens my uneasiness. Butterflies shoot through my stomach at the realization of how soon it is. And then I remember that I still haven't made a final decision on whether I want my marking to be public or private, causing a tidal wave of nausea to crash into me.

"Anastasia," Samuel begins, his tone shifting as he absorbs my words. I look down, taking in his worried eyes. "You should know that we were only able to capture one of them yesterday. The female rogue—she...she somehow scaled the Wall and got away. But I don't want you worrying about anything going wrong during the ceremony. I'm going to station more warriors on our borders for the event."