Chapter 4

There was a gentle push in the air, a quiet but firm command that forced me to lay down on the couch, wincing as I stretched my left side to get into a comfortable position. “Easy. Don’t strain yourself.” Once I had stilled on the couch, he draped the comforter over my tiny form, the weight of it cocooning around me like a safety net. That familiar spring scent flooded my senses, and I inhaled deeply, burying my nose in the blanket and losing all sense of where I was for a second. Blinking, my cheeks burned with embarrassment as I slowly lifted my eyes to the King, who stood there watching me with his brows raised and amusement dancing in his eyes.

“Sleep, Rieka.” And like a light, I was out before I could inhale his scent again.

******

Sunlight pouring in from the open curtains awoke me the next day. My eyelids fluttered open, and I went to stretch my sleeping muscles but quickly regretted it as I felt my left side pull. I groaned as I became entirely lucid with my surroundings once