Ni'ev part 18

Sorry, guys. This chapter got too long and I couldn’t fit the smut, so it’s coming next chapter. Don’t kill me!

“I cannot do that,” Akdronis argues. “I must tell Ni’ev because I would hate it if he hid from me that someone assaulted my female.”

I understand where he’s coming from. The brothers are close, and don’t keep secrets from each other. Akdronis is especially open because of his history. He wouldn’t want to disappoint his brothers a second time. I hate that I’m asking this of him.

“He will find out eventually. I will tell him myself, but for now, I need him to focus on our relationship. Please help me, Akdronis.” I look at him pleadingly, and he drops his gaze to the tiles below, as if unable to handle my pressure.

“I do not know. Even if I keep silent, I cannot assure you that my brothers will do the same.”

“Can you try? I know you have a lot going on and I’m asking for a huge favor, but we’re going through a tough spot like all couples do. I’m trying to make things right.”

“G—get…” the man under Akdronis’ foot tries to speak, but his throat is getting crushed.

The violence is unnerving me, but I know it was necessary.

“Silence!” Akdronis snaps.

I take a step forward. “Take him to the cells, please? I would help you, but…”

I’m not strong enough. I would most likely just get in his way.

“Fine, Rosa. I will do it only because you are good to everyone, but never ask me to deceive to my brother again.” He sighs, exasperated.

“I’ll pay you back. One day, one way.”

He roughly handles the prisoner, forcing him to his feet. He pins him to a wall and brings his ferocious expression close. “You will walk in front of me and not give me any trouble,” he snarls. “If I even suspect that you’re going to escape, I will break your knees beyond healing. Be quiet, look down, and don’t give anyone a reason to suspect until you’re locked in the cells.”

“Mothers, Ak.” The prisoner coughs. “I only wanted to scare her. I wasn’t going to beat a female. She— she cost me my home. Ni’ev banished me for crossing her path. I won’t survive out there alone. I’ve always lived among others.”

“May you die alone and heartbroken,” Akdronis returns, pushing him off the wall.

The men leave, and I focus on catching my breath. The petals are still in my fist. Safe, but disturbed just like I am.

My legs feel unstable under me as I walk out of the room. I go to the kitchens, which should be empty around this time.

Usually, the girls and guys take turns to cook. The cultures have taught each other much about cuisine. I’ll never forget the way their eyes lit up when they tried an Ezronian hamburger before. The meat wasn’t quite beef, and the tomatoes weren’t quite red, but it was still delicious.

I’ve never been a skilled cook, but today, I will roll up my sleeves. I want to cook for Ni’ev to ask him out for dinner tomorrow. Maybe then, I can begin to repair the tear I formed between us.

I know how much he enjoys dumplings. All I have to do today is gather ingredients and mix the spices. An hour of searching, chopping, measuring, washing, and storing, everything is ready to go. My back hurts from when I was slammed against the floor, but I have no time to sit and rest.

I store the preparations away and go to my room. I should have a guard leading me, especially after the earlier incident, but I’m afraid they’ll be able to tell something is wrong with me and report it to Ni’ev.

I set the remaining petals on my nightstand and tidy up my room. If Ni’ev accepts my dinner invitation, we’ll talk. There will be no more assumptions made, no more begging for intimacy. I just want him to feel like I enjoy his company. He deserves it.

I go to bed early after planning more of my date. As I walk to work in the morning, there’s a little prep in my step.

“Hey sunshine,” Layla greets with her cheeks full. Her guard stands behind her.

“Hey.” I greet. “What are you snacking on?”

“Mmm.” She extends a napkin to show what’s inside. “I found preparations for dumplings. I guess Jaxxon was going to make them since he loves cooking them, but he got busy, so I made it for everyone. You should eat some. I made plenty. Kinda crazy to have these for breakfast, but they’re so good! He did a good job mixing everything.”

Oh, no.

I inhibit my sadness and smile brightly at her. Of course I can’t get angry. She didn’t know I intended to use the preparations for Ni’ev and I.

It will be fine. I can do it all over again.

In the kitchen, I discover that Layla was right. The dumplings were delicious. Better than I would have ever made them. Instead of getting upset about the ordeal, I collect a few and bring them over to the common room. I feed little chopped bits to the kids, and the happy smack of their lips, their little fingers reaching for more, and their eyes of amazement make it all better.

After work, I rush to locate fresh ingredients. A guard follows me this time. Since we ran out of pepper, I search for more. I locate a confused Kyros who escorts me into the jungle. When I make it back to the kitchen with everything I need, another hour has gone by.

I finish the dumplings and leave a few behind in case someone hungry wanders into the kitchen, and I store the rest in my room. After a shower, I slip on a matching tank top and long pants, pulling my hair up in a tall ponytail and painting my eyelids with blue powder.

The food, joy berries, candles, and my notebook are ready. The only part missing is Ni’ev.

When I step outside, my guard does a double-take. I don’t get this reaction often, so I guess I did well at dressing myself.

“Can you lead me to Ni’ev, please?”

He stands taller and runs a hand through his hair, pushing his braid over a shoulder. “Ni’ev is not here. He went hunting early in the day. Maybe he’ll return at night.”

My shoulders sag. “Oh…”

Seeing my dismay, he offers, “I can tell him you were looking for him?”

I perk my head. “No! It’s okay. I’ll talk to him. Thanks. Hey… would you like to share some dumplings with me?”

– • –

Yesterday’s failure discouraged me only momentarily. I’ve accepted that Ni’ev is worth all my effort.

I wear a nice dress, braid my hair, and wear makeup to work. By the end of the day, my makeup is smudged because the kids clawed at my face. I turned heads today, too. Not because I look attractive, but for looking like a clown.

After work, I cook snack wraps and search for Ni’ev. I’m determined to not let him slip through my fingers this time. As I dash around with my guard, asking everyone if they’ve seen Ni’ev, I snip a flower— the same one he gave me.

It’s hot today, so sweat breaks out on my forehead from all the speed-walking I’ve been doing. I can’t wait to see him again. I can’t—

I turn a corner, and there he is. Standing in front of the Treasury in all his glory. His eyes are wide, as if I caught him off-guard.

He dips his chin. “Rosa.”

After that curt greeting, he sidesteps me, as if to walk off.

“Wait,” I call.

He stops and regards me with confusion. My trembling fingers extend the flower to him. “Will you spend the evening with me?”

My guard leaves, trusting that I’m in good hands.

Instead of accepting the flower, Ni’ev’s hand clasps around my wrist and tugs me gently. Our chests are separate, but I feel the weight of his head when he presses his chin atop the crown of my head.

“I missed you, my Rosa.”

“Me too.” I dare to wrap my arms around him. “Can we talk, please?”

“Yes. Let me finish business, and I will take you on a walk.” He disappears into the treasury and I smooth down my skirt. He returns in a minute, taking my hand and kissing my knuckles.

My chest warms. I missed him.

“I made a snack for us. Do you want to hang out in my bedroom?”

“Yes.”

We head toward my room, neither of us knowing where to start. I guess it’s on me to do the unveiling of the animosity between us.

“I was upset because I thought you struck that guy for just being unlucky and stumbling into me, but that wasn’t fair to you. I didn’t let you explain yourself. I apologize for jumping to conclusions about myself and everyone around me. I’ll keep working on this.”

Ni’ev squints toward the sun. The sun stares back, glistening his chest so he looks like he’s made of gold finer than the one in the Treasury he just walked out of.

“I’m not angry with you. It was a frustrating situation,” he assures.

“What happened after I ran out of the room that made you attack him?”

“He made a comment about you, so my fist told him I did not appreciate it.”

I should have foreseen this. It’s a mistake I won’t make again.

Morbid curiosity makes me ask, “What did he say?” I know I shouldn’t pry further, because the comment was likely so cruel that it will haunt me for days, not leaving me until I’ve lost tears and sleep over it.

“I’d rip my teeth out before I repeat it,” Ni’ev replies. “It does not matter. He is gone now.”

That settles it.

“I’m sorry for assuming the worst. I’ll make it up to you.”

He smiles at me, as if he didn’t hear a word. “You are so beautiful. I was pure misery without seeing your stunning eyes.”

I purse my lips.

“The soft curve of your cheeks. I saw you in the clouds, heard you in the wind, felt you in the rain. You have consumed all of my senses, and I don’t want them back. Keep them. Keep me.”

I won’t be alive much longer to keep him. He’s killing me softly.

I wrap my arms around him and disappear into his embrace. Ni’ev always makes me feel tiny. Without fully registering it, we begin to sway in broad daylight, like lovesick fools so high in their attraction that they’ve lost touch with reality.

“Hey kids, get a room before you get a heatstroke!” a female yells. I’m not sure who it was since my face is pressed against Ni’ev, and I don’t care to look up and find out.

Eventually, we make our way to my bedroom. Ni’ev is all over me. He sits beside me, making sure our thighs touch, brushing our hands together whenever he gets a chance. I drew the line when he tried to hand-feed me like a baby.

“These were delicious.” He says as he finishes the last bite of his wrap.

“Glad you liked them. The secret is to add—”

I find him staring at me with hunger, although he just ate. There’s a message in his gaze that even the purest woman can read.

I’m sure you’re tastier.

With a cough, I swipe a hand across my cheek. When I pull it back, I find it covered in red dust. Oh, fuck! I never wiped my smudged makeup off!

“Why didn’t you tell me I had this all over my face?” I groan and attack my face.

“Why would I?”

“Because I look crazy,” I sigh. “And here you are giving me all these compliments.”

He shrugs. “Your messy face-dust does not make you any less beautiful.”

I want to kiss him and throttle him at the same time.

After I wipe my face clean and picking up the garbage, I stand from the bed and search for my notebook. “Hmm… where’s that damn book? I could have sworn I left it… oh. Here it is.”

I lift it from the floor and turn. I instantly drop the notebook again, because Ni’ev is standing, holding my strappy lingerie against his chest.

He wiggles his eyebrows. “How do I look? Do you want to jump my bones?"

Where did he find that damn thing?

“Ni’ev!” I stomp a foot, humiliated, and dive for him.

He’s laughing as he falls back onto the bed with me atop of him. His warmth slams into me first, and then his muscles. My breasts flatten against his chest. If I sit up a little, he’d be able to look down my dress. It’s a power I know I have, but am not bold enough to use.

God, this was a mistake. His musky, purely male scent is overwhelming. I’m rarely in the vicinity of a man like this. I don’t know how to carry myself when we’re this close.

I scramble off with the bra in my fist, and Ni’ev lets me go. He sits up with his elbows on his thighs and a lazy grin on his face. “You are so endearing.”

I throw the bra into the garbage and mumble, “whatever.”

“Come here.” He pats his thighs once, twice, and I glance up shyly.

Should I?

“I will be gentle.”

Please don’t.

I pick up my notebook. My feet shuffle forward until I’m seated on his right strong thigh. He hugs me, and that’s it. There’s nothing sexual about his hold.

To break the silence, I flip open my notebook. “Can I show you something?”

“Of course,” he replies, nuzzling my shoulder.

I show him the first page. There are words scribbled onto it in Spanish.

“This is my second language. Espanol.”

Niev runs his thick fingers across the page. “The characters are remarkable.”

“Thank you,” I reply. “I want to document all the words to preserve the language. Would you like to learn a few?”

He nods, so I begin. I teach him how to say hello, goodbye, and how to introduce himself.

“Yo te amo.” I instruct.

“Yaw tew amuu,” he tries. “What does this mean?”

I bite my lip guiltily. “It means good morning.”

No, it doesn’t. It means ‘I love you.’ I wanted to know what those words would sound like coming from his lips.

“Yaw tew amuu,” he repeats.

This chapter got too long and I couldn’t fit the smut, so it’s coming next chapter. Don’t kill me!