The Beast And The Blessed by Ashley Breanne
Chapter 27
Natalie’s P.O.V.
The night was awful.
I didn’t get a wink of sleep, and I was positive that Killian didn’t either. Although with him sleeping in the sitting room, I moved from the uncomfortable armchair to the empty bed so I wouldn’t have to sit up all night.
It made me smile when he came back into the room. Even if we were mad at each other, I felt heard. He had listened to me the last time we fought and even if he didn’t want to sleep next to me, he still came back. He didn’t go sleep somewhere else, and he didn’t stay up working all night. While his legs hung over the end of the couch, and he was clearly uncomfortable, the small gesture made me very happy.
The next morning breakfast was brought to our room, and I was stunned when Killian sat down with me at the small two-person table and began to eat in silence. We had never shared breakfast before, and I felt self-conscious as he watched me eat.
“What is your favorite color?” His question after a long night and morning of silence took me by surprise, and I blinked at him from across the table.
Civility. I had asked him for civility, and he had heard me.
I smiled softly as I realized that he was making an effort. He hadn’t stormed out of the room and slammed the door between us. He slept in our room, stayed to have breakfast together, and now was trying to learn more about me.
“Blue,” I looked away as I felt my cheeks warm. His piercing, hazel eyes were burning into my soul, and my tongue felt like it was tied in a knot as he continued to stare at me.
After I left him high and dry last night, I had expected him to be angry at me. But if he was, he didn’t let it show.
If anything, he seemed more at peace now than normal.
“And you, what is yours?” I glanced over the rim of my cup as I took a sip of my orange juice. His eyes, locked onto mine, and I smiled at him as I swallowed my sip and lowered my drink.
“Green.” He said, and I forced my eyes away from him to glance around the room. There wasn’t a single green thing in here, nor did I remember seeing anything in his office.
I wasn’t daft enough to think that he favored that color because of my eyes. We had a long way to go before any deeper feelings could come to the surface between us. The physical attraction was undeniable, but it was the walls he had up around him that made it so difficult to get to know him or develop feelings for him.
“That’s good to know,” I whispered as I smiled down at my plate. There had been no hesitation in his answer. He willingly told me something about himself. Even if it was as small as a color, it was a step.
The loud knocking on the door disrupted my thoughts, and my smile fell as I looked over my shoulder at the heavy wooden barrier. I wished I could send them away, but it wasn’t proper nor was it polite. More than likely, it was Joselin telling me that I had to train today, and I would owe her an apology for my actions and words during my heat.
She hadn’t deserved the way that I had lashed out at her. Now that I knew I had been wrong about her relationship with Killian, I was ashamed to have to face her.
“Put your clothes back on. I am coming in!” The familiar voice of Killian’s sister shouted as she cracked open the bedroom door slowly as if she was scared for what she might find on the other side.
Killian grumbled, his hand tightening around his fork as he looked away from me and to the door.
“Charlie, it’s safe,” I said trying to hide my disappointment behind a forced smile. Killian had finally started talking to me this morning. It may have only been one question and a one-word answer, but it was a start.
“Oh, good. I was hoping we could spend the day together before we get ready.” She cheered as she walked forward and grabbed the uneaten English muffin half from Killian’s plate. He let out a growl as she proceeded to help herself to some jam before taking a large bite.
Killian glanced at me briefly, and I could see that he was feeling torn. If I had to guess, he was enjoying our civil time together as much as I was.
“Thank you for breakfast, Killian,” I said, and he seemed to light up when I used his name again. The brief moment of happiness vanished as soon as his little sister looked at him. He pushed his chair back aggressively as his eyes met mine. “It was very nice.”
His shoulders fell a small amount at my words, and as he walked past me toward the door, he stopped by my side. I held my breath.
It felt like he was a scared animal, and he was trying to approach me on his terms. I didn’t want to make any sudden movements and scare him away.
His hand lifted as he reached for me, hovering over my shoulder. His fingers flexed before he curled his hand into a fist and pulled his arm back to his side without touching me.
As he walked away, my eyes followed him. I couldn’t help the small feeling of longing for his touch. He hadn’t held me last night and refused to touch me this morning. My chest almost ached as I watched him leave. My lips parted as I took in a deep breath wanting to say that I appreciated the effort he had put in this morning, but not wanting to do so when his sister was currently sliding into his chair and eating the rest of his food. Instead, I called out, “Have a good day!”
He looked back at me, our eyes meeting for the briefest moment before the door closed between us.
“That was really awkward,” Charlie mumbled as she looked up at me with her mouth full.
I didn’t want to discuss my relationship with her but didn’t want to push her away when I had no other friends here. So, I kept my mouth s*hut.
“It was actually a very nice morning,” I said, pushing down my bitterness that it had been interrupted and finishing my eggs.
She let out a short hum, raising her eyebrows in disbelief before taking another bite.
“What are we getting ready for?” I asked, wanting to change the subject, but the way she glanced at the blanket and pillow on the couch told me that she was still distracted by my relationship with her brother.
“My welcome home celebration. It won’t be very big. Just a gathering of the court and my friends. It’s more like a small ball, really.” She lit up when she mentioned her friends, and I smiled at her. It was a happiness that I hadn’t seen from her before, and I knew that it had been the night decision for her to leave the castle and travel.
It was hours of pampering with a team coming in to do our nails, giving us a full body ma*s*sage, and a facial.
I wasn’t a huge fan of having someone else touching me, but once I was able to relax, I thoroughly enjoyed it. In my old pack, I had never been able to afford a luxury like this. I never even had the free time to do something like this. I had spent all of my time cleaning up after others and waiting on them hand and foot.
My entire body seemed to melt and by the time they had us laying with face masks on and cuc*umbers over our eyes, I felt like an entirely different person. All of my sore muscles from training and my stress were gone.
I also really enjoyed the day with her. She was genuine, friendly, and a little quirky.
The low hum of meditative music had me dozing off, and my fingers twitched as I fought off the sleep that was calling to me.
“Natalie,” Charlie called out, and I hummed in response. “What has my brother told you about our parents?