"Hey! I was the one who warned her not to tell you..."
She tried to turn and snap at him, but his grip was firm, as he turned her back around. His body came so close to hers on the bed that her heart whimpered.
She couldn’t understand the feeling. Just when she thought it was easing off, his arms slid slowly around her waist from behind, pulling her in. He rested his head gently on the curve of her neck.
Then came his lips, pressing small, warm kisses against her wound. Her breath trembled under his touch.
"Ashen... don’t you dare hurt my girl!" She let out in a more fierce tone, but he grabbed her hands, stopping her from moving as he kept trailing kisses on her neck.
"Ashen... yo... You are crossing the limit," she whispered, but he only smirked against her skin.
"You will fully be my woman in a few days," he murmured, "So why do you think I am crossing the limit?"
She remembered the reason the Queen had come into her chambers.
"We are not supposed to be this close... You know the customs..." she whispered, insisting that he let go of her.
But he stayed right there, his breath tickling her ear.
"I don’t give a damn about traditions," he replied softly.
She flinched a little, at how deep and husky his voice was. It sent a chill down her spine.
"But I do..." she whispered. "They pushed me because of that..."
Ashen’s calm expression changed. He raised his head and gently turned her to face him.
"Why didn’t you tell me?" he asked, his eyes searching hers. "They touched you wrongly... they hurt you. That was wrong, Lumina."
She looked down, her fingers brushing over his hand. He grabbed hers quickly, like he was scared she would hide them.
"Hold on? How did the queen come up with that?" Lumina glanced at his way, also confused.
She had never thought of why the queen had mentioned that he was having an illicit affair with Ashen.
Ashen paused and then smirked like he was trying to understand, "Guess she told her..." Lumina raises her head wondering who he is referring to.
"Lady Freya must have told her." Lumina’s face scrunched up at this, "But why?"
Regret washed Ashen’s face as he recalled why Lady Freya must have said that. "I must have warned her regarding some bruises appearing on your body and she took it the wrong way thinking of a way to pull you down."
"Hey! You go around threatening people behind my back, Ashwn rolled his eyes not looking her way.
"I told you we needed to act foolish," she tried to explain.
"For what?" he cut her off. "What’s the point of acting foolish if you are going to get hurt? That was over the line."
She could feel the anger rising in his voice again, but his arms still held her gently. She smiled sadly and leaned closer, her head almost resting on his chest.
"It hurt, Ashen..." she whispered. "Make it cool..."
Ashen sighed, pulling her sleeve back carefully. When he saw the bruises, something inside him snapped.
"What is this?" he whispered. "It wasn’t up to this two days ago..."
She tried to hide it again, but he held her hand tighter, refusing to let her pull away.
The more he stared at it, the more pain he felt. His heart ached at the thought she had treated his wounds with these same hands, while hers were hidden and bruised. She had kept the pain from him just so he wouldn’t worry.
"It hurts," she repeated softly, lifting her hand toward him. "Make it stop..."
He stood and shouted, "Bring me some ice!"
Then she shook her head gently. "No, I can’t wait for ice," she whispered.
He looked at her for a long moment. Then he smiled, leaned down, "Would you want me to..." he whispered, pulling her hands up and bringing them closer to his lips. He kissed her wrist softly, over and over.
She smiled, and he swore he never wanted that smile to stop.
Ashen opened her sleeve more and kissed along the bruises carefully, his lips tracing every wounded inch.
Just then, her lips brushed against his cheek and this made him freeze.
He turned and saw the smile on her face... and before he could stop himself, he pulled her into his chest.
"Hey!" she called out, her cheeks flustered.
"I can numb my pain," she admitted.. "I have the power for that."
He scoffed, the sound vibrating against her ear.
"Maybe that’s why you never take bruises seriously," he muttered. "Still... I hate seeing them on my woman." She smiled, eyes closed against him.
"What did you even do to get punished?" she asked gently. He didn’t answer right away. Then, with no regret in his voice, he said,
"I cut off the hands that touched you." Just right when Stella walked in.
She froze, not just because she saw them holding each other... but because of what Ashen had just confessed.
Ashen didn’t turn to look at her. He just wrapped his arms tighter around Lumina.
"What? You are shocked I did that? Do I look like a monster to you?" Stella dropped to her knees, startling Ashen.
"Thank you, my lord... thank you for defending my lady."
"Stella!" Lumina called, surprised.
But Stella just looked up at Ashen, eyes glistening. She had wanted to do something when they hurt Lumina. But Lumina always stopped her.
If Lumina doesn’t give her the go-ahead she can’t do anything and that makes her mad. Ashen turned, his hand stretched toward Stella.
"Give me what you brought." Stella hesitated. He sounded angry... angry that she hadn’t told him.
"Stella, you told him about Freya hurting me, right?" Lumina asked, frowning.
Stella shook her head. "I didn’t. My lord... must have other eyes."
Lumina turned to Ashen then and he let out a soft smile.
"I do," he said. "I have hidden eyes now. Since I can’t trust you or your maid to take care of yourself... Then I will be the one to do it."
"Leave Lady Freya to me." Lumina let out and Ashen shot her a long stare before exhaling sharply.
"Then I am giving you a few days to deal with her."