Loving the Forbidden Prince

*****

AYLETH

An hour later, safely tucked into a small, but comfortable room suite on the top floor of an Inn called The Daily Rest, Ayleth jiggled one foot up and down under the small table set for two while she waited for Falek to return with food. After they\'d seen the gates close, his jaw had gone hard and he\'d been even more abrupt than usual, getting the finest room at the inn secured for her, and their horses to the stable for feed and a rest.

The suite was two bedrooms—the largest which Ayleth sat in, which also had a fireplace and a small sitting area. The adjoining room obviously for children or servants. There were two beds in it, both narrow and barely more substantial than a cot, but of course, Falek had insisted on taking it.

Ayleth couldn\'t say she was going to regret sleeping in an actual bed, but her Knight\'s tension was contagious, and everything within her screamed that they didn\'t know where Etan and Borsche were

—whether they\'d missed the gates as well and would show up at the same inn, or whether they were already outside.

Etan would be beside himself if they\'d gotten out and she hadn\'t.

But Falek wouldn\'t hear a word, snapping at her to stay in the room and not to open it for anyone except him.

So there she sat, the key to the door in her lap, watching the door, waiting for a knock and his voice.

When it came, she leaped up and opened it quickly, Falek sweeping in—he hadn\'t even taken the time to remove his cloak yet.

Urging her to relock the door, he put both plates on the small table, then finally removed his cloak, throwing it onto the bed, then dropping into the seat across from where Ayleth had been sitting and digging into the bowl of stew and crusty bread, frowning as if it had offended him.

Ayleth watched him for a moment, then shrugged and started spooning into her own meal.

"How are we going to—"

"If they got stuck inside the walls, Borsche will find us," Falek said. "If they didn\'t, we have a meeting place for tomorrow."

"You planned for this?"

"We plan for everything," Falek said starkly. "Just in case something like this happens."

They both ate silently for a few minutes.

Then Falek said, "I asked the servants to bring you a bath tonight. Once that\'s ready, you\'ll lock me out while you bathe—I\'m receive an informant from my eyes and ears in my room. I won\'t be more than an hour. Two at most."

Ayleth tipped her head. "That woman at the stall—"

"She told me where to contact her. And warned me not to try digging for information on my own. There\'s obviously already been word here. I need to find out what it is."

Ayleth agreed. She knew Falek received word from many people all over the continent, and had used it to guide and protect both Ayleth and Zenithra at times. But she supposed she\'d never considered that some of them might be women or people who knew Falek when he wasn\'t a Knight.

She wasn\'t sure why that thought made her feel irritated.

"I\'d love a bath," she said. "But are you sure we can\'t get out? When will the gates open tomorrow?"

"Sunrise. Rest while you can. Tomorrow\'s going to be a long day since we won\'t have traveled tonight."

They finished the meal in virtual silence, then just as he\'d said, the servants brought up a large tub and began filling it with scalding hot water.

Ayleth knew it would be another half hour before it was full enough to get into, so she sat in a plush chair in the corner, curling her feet under her, while Falek watched them all like a hawk, raking his hand through his hair every time he had to reopen the door and allow another in. His tension seemed to rise with every passing minute, but Ayleth didn\'t feel threatened by the servants. She\'d done as he asked and tucked her hair into a bun. In the dim light it wasn\'t as apparent that it was red

—because a cloak to cover it inside would have been far to suspicious.

When they were finally done, Ayleth stood and walked with him to the door. He waited, watching, ensuring no one came back up the stairs, then turned to her and met her eyes with a warning in his own. "I am just in the next room. If you feel threatened at any point, simply cry out. You do not open that door for anyone but me or Borsche or Etan, and you use every ounce of your training in the event someone breaks through it. I will be listening, and I believe we\'re safe. I see no warning signs in the servants, and none downstairs. But I will be as brief as I can so I\'m not distracted."

"I\'ll be fine, Falek," she said easily. "You\'re literally going to be one door away. Find out what you can. Let\'s both pray that the only people who discover where we are is Borsche and Etan."

He nodded, then turned and went into his own room, turning and waiting for her to lock that door too, since she would be bathing. She rolled her eyes, but did as he asked, then undressed for the bath.

It was an odd luxury to sink into the heated water—still only barely cool enough to touch. It turned her skin pink and made her shiver in contradiction to the intense heat. The steam was comforting, and Ayleth found herself sitting back in the large, copper tub, closing her eyes, and letting her head rest on its rim.

She was aware of fading in and out of a light sleep. At point point, her heart hammered because she heard the very quiet knock on Falek\'s bedchamber door, but she also heard his footsteps, the low murmur of his voice, and a higher one in response, then a long pause.

She closed her eyes again and let herself relax, vaguely registering footsteps, the door closing, and the low hum of voices in the room alongside.