All Chapters of Awakening the Rejected Queen: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Eden’s POVHis scent hit me, hard. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was. But then I remembered I was in his bed. His arms were wrapped around me, his head was buried in my neck. He was still fast asleep, holding me tightly.I was hyper aware of his body pressed into mine. I could feel his heat through my clothes. I gently lifted his arm off my stomach. He rolled over onto his back, murmuring and smacking his lips, but he didn’t wake up.His face was soft, with a look of contentment. He looked like a small child, happily dreaming about rivers of chocolate milk and trees of sweets.I stretched and noticed that I felt strong. Odd, I thought. A strange energy buzzed through me and all my senses were on high alert. My sight seemed stronger, like the edges of everything was clearer. I could hear birds outside the window, chirping away. And beyond, I could make out sounds from the forest, like the gentle rusting of leaves.I flexed my hands. I could feel every muscle in my hand, in my fi

Eden’s POV“You can cancel the duel,” Zane said softly. We were back at the palace in his library. This was the fifth time he had said that. Did he really think I would cancel? This was my chance, my chance to learn how to fight so I could defend myself.“Thank you,” I told him. “But you said yourself, you would trust Astrid with your life. So you must trust her with mine.”He nodded, clearly amused. “If this is what you want, Eden, then I won’t stand in your way,” he told me. “But be warned. Warrior Seth is one of our best. He’s strong and smart, a lethal combination.”I swallowed hard. Maybe I should have picked a weaker warrior. Oh well, no point in stewing over ‘what ifs’. The wheels were in motion.Just then, Astrid came in.“Let’s go,” she said, her face expressionless.“What? Now?” I asked.“No time like the present,” she quipped. “I sent training clothes up to your room. Get changed and meet me outside. We’re going somewhere private for our first lesson.”I looked to Zane. He

Eden’s POV“KILL myself? What are you talking about?” His expression changed then. He went from shock to confusion. He cocked his head to the side. “I was having a bath. A BATH, Zane. Nothing more.” Realization dawned on him and he looked slightly embarrassed. Clearly, he’d made a massive mistake. I wrapped my robe around me. I felt exposed. “Can you please get me some clothes?” I asked. This was so embarrassing. He’d just seen me naked and now I was wearing a wet robe. “In the dresser. I think there’s some left.”He nodded. Moments later, he passed me a dress. Then he turned around. I took off the robe and pulled the dress over my head. “Why did you just come barging in here like that? This is a bathroom. It’s private,” I told him. “You can turn around.”He faced me then with an apologetic look. “I can explain,” he said.How? How could he explain this? Was there NO privacy here? He had already taken away my freedom. I was forced to sleep in HIS room, in the same bed as him so I didn

Zane’s POVI blinked in disbelief. She had…had she? Had Eden just refused us? Slade whined from deep within me. Her knees were drawn into her chest and she had a sad look on her face.She had pushed me away! But why? I turned away from her.I was starting to realize that Eden, despite her gentle appearance, was quite spirited. She always managed to surprise me with her actions.Like that morning when she asked to visit the training grounds. Few girls showed interest in training, but she seemed genuinely excited. What caught me off guard even more was when she insisted on sparring with one of my best warriors to join in the training!My warriors ridiculed her. They said Eden was perfectly safe here, that’s right. There was no threat to her, not while under my guard in the palace. And even if something did come up, some sort of unexpected danger…well…I would protect her, obviously. It’s not like I had a choice. Slade was obsessed with Eden; he couldn’t stay away from her. Eden was ada

Eden’s POVThe shadow lurked in the window.“Who’s there?” I demanded again. But it didn’t move. Fear prickled through me. Was this figure…was it dangerous? Why else would it be lurking outside my window like this? The night air was silent, still. My fear rose until…I could defend myself. I am a trained warrior now. I wasn’t weak and useless. So I reacted. I grabbed the knife on my bedside stand and ran to the window. The figure bolted. I threw back the doors that opened out to the garden. Moonlight flooded the grass. I looked left, then right. And that’s when I saw it, a dark shadow running through the garden. I gripped my knife and chased after it.I tore through the grass. I was stronger and faster now because of all my training. He didn’t have much of a head start; it wasn’t long before I caught up with him. I lunged at the tall, dark finger, my knife poised to stab it in the back.But just as I lunged, the figure turned around. He grabbed my wrist, stopping the knife in mid-air.