Ashes of Dearen: Book 1

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  Eleanor woke up in the middle of the night moaning. Rebeka’s hands shook her gently.

  “Eleanor? Eleanor, are you well?”

  “Oh … oh.” Eleanor’s eyes fluttered open and her body stopped writhing under her soft linen blankets. She looked around and tried to reorient herself.

  Princess Fayr had given her a beautiful room to stay in, complete with a large pillowed bed and a table full of candlesticks. Rebeka must have woken up before her and lit some, for a few golden flames illuminated the Haze in the room. Through the sparkling tendrils of smoke, Eleanor gazed up at Rebeka. Eleanor had allowed Rebeka to sleep in the same bed as herself, for it was big enough to accommodate two people, and therefore why waste space?

  Rebeka looked more beautiful than ever. Even though she had just been sleeping, her olive complexion was glowing, her eyes bright, her lips moist. Her black hair slipped in waves down her bare shoulders. The expression on her face was so tender and caring that it enhanced her beauty even more.

  “King-wife?” Rebeka’s green gaze darted from one of Eleanor’s eyes to the other. “Were you dreaming, Eleanor?”

  “I … I … I suppose I was.” What had she been dreaming about? Her entire body thrummed, as if with an energy she had never known before. Her blood pounded. Her skin tingled. Her breath came in quick, heavy bursts. But worst of all, a fire seemed to burn between her legs. Was this how Byron had wanted her to feel when he took a long time performing intercourse, kissing her slowly and exploring every inch of her body with his hands? If so, then he had not succeeded. She had never felt this way before: not with him.

  Then she remembered. Her dream had been of the two women she saw in the Dearen hallway. Except one of the women had been Eleanor. And the other was …

  “Was it a good dream?” asked Rebeka. She smiled softly and reached out to touch Eleanor’s cheek.

  “No!” Eleanor reached up and grabbed Rebeka’s wrist, pushing it away from herself. “No it wasn’t! My Discipline is wearing off. This damn safra is getting to me. I need more Discipline. Quickly!”

  Rebeka hesitated. Her smile wavered. Then she got up to obey.

  Eleanor drank the Discipline potion and tried to get back to sleep. Unfortunately, she could not. Her thoughts ran rampant. She could not figure out why she had dreamt what she did no matter how hard she tried, nor why her body had reacted so strongly.

  8

  The Edge of Pain