Not one.
My body felt lighter than it had in years. I felt stronger, and calmer. I supposed maybe that was the power of sleep in its real, pure form: to bring my mind and body rest and peace. I hadn’t experienced that in so long it was painful to consider, but stars, I could definitely get used to it.
My gaze landed on Espen’s collarbone when I finally got my damned eyes open. His chest rose and fell rhythmically, and I could feel his hand moving slowly over my back again.
And damn, I loved the calming comfort of that touch.
I tilted my head back and stared up at him. His eyes were closed, but his expression wasn’t as blissful as I’d expected it to be.
“Espen?” I whispered.
His eyes cracked open, his lips curving upward a tiny bit before he murmured, “Good afternoon.”
Afternoon?
I turned my head toward the window I knew was behind me, but only got an eyeful of the blackout curtains hanging over it.
“I really slept all night and morning?” I whispered.
“Mmhm. It’s nearly dinner time.”
Stars.
“You could’ve left,” I mumbled, closing my eyes and dropping my head back to his collarbone.
“When my fucking gorgeous mate is in bed with me, naked? I’d sooner drop the moon from the sky again.” His voice was playful, but I could hear the slight strain behind it.
Holding the moon up was far from easy—and I knew I was a distraction for him.
“Besides, the castle is bustling. The restaurant is being put back together faster than we planned—I think the townspeople are trying to apologize for what happened to you. Jesh and Namir were planning on spreading the word about it, so I’m sure everyone knows by now.” His voice was light, but I didn’t get the impression that he was excited about the words he was saying.
“You’re a private guy,” I said softly. “They probably want to know you better than they currently do.”
He grunted at that. “I have no wish to be known by anyone other than you.”
“Not even your brother?” I checked.
“Namir doesn’t seem to like me much. Even as an adult, he’s far better tempered than I am, and thinks he’d be a better leader. I’m not convinced he’s wrong about it, either. Besides that, the past pains we shared aren’t easily forgotten,” he admitted.
“Namir seems to rely on his charm, Espen. What would happen if he was the one holding up the moon? Do you think he’d have the energy to charm anyone?”
Espen’s expression grew a bit softer, but he didn’t answer me. It was a rhetorical question anyway, though.
“As much as Namir and Diora don’t seem to want to admit it, it would be foolish for him to ask you to hand over your portion of the throne’s magic while Laith is still alive and holding the third portion. They have no way of knowing whether or not he’ll be able to hold the moon in the sky, even with an extra amount of power. I can’t imagine it’s an easy feat to be focusing on the moon constantly, and I can’t imagine either of them wanting to take on that responsibility. They’re young, and she’s jaded, and the way he looks at her tells me that he would never be able to put the moon first.”
Espen scowled. “And I can put the moon first, leaving my mate to suffer without me?”
I smoothed a hand over his chest. “No. You’re incredibly skilled at multitasking.”
His scowl deepened. “Like fuck I am.”
“What will you bet on that?” I checked, dragging my hand down his abdomen and over the ridges of his muscles there.
His jaw clenched. “Don’t tempt me, woman.”
My lips curved upward a bit playfully. “You know, I was going to get revenge on you by making you fall in love me. By kissing you, touching you, having sex with you… and then breaking your heart.”
Wicked interest gleamed in his eyes. “Is that so?”