My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 420

420 /526

Sera

My eyes snapped open to find a pair of eyes staring back at me, mere inches away, too close, too intimate. For a moment, my mind didn't register whose gaze met mine. But then my heartbeat slowed, the shock receding, and I blinked, bringing the face into focus. Amara.

"Fuck, what?"

The curse died on my lips as my heartbeat returned to something resembling normal. "Amara, you trying to give me a heart attack?" I groaned, scrubbing a hand over my eyes.

Sweet hell, she'd slept right next to me. Not in the little bedroll I'd set out beside my own, but right in the fucking mattress. I'd heard nothing all night, no stirrings, no swaying of the bed. I'd been so sure she'd stay in her own space.

"Morning, you little scamp," I murmured, reaching out to brush a few errant strands of hair from her face. Amara tilted her head, her eyes unfaltering. "Still not talking, I take it?" I sighed when she didn't respond, not that I'd expected her to. She just kept staring.

I glanced down at her, trying to read her expression. "Hungry? I could go for some breakfast. Bread and roasted venison, maybe? Eggs? I don't know what you like, though." I paused, expectant, but her only reaction was to blink. Slowly. "Fuck, if only you could tell me. Guess you'll just have to eat what I eat."

I yawned, stretching my arms above my head. "Gods, I'm starving. I'm going to bathe, then head down to the kitchen. We'll see if they have anything good that won't make you puke, okay?"

Amara's gaze tracked me as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, but still, not a twitch of her mouth. "I know, I look like an idiot, talking to you like this. But what else can I do, hmm?" I raked my fingers through my tangle of hair, giving a wry laugh. "I'm not letting servants handle your food, not after the shit they pulled at Blackwater. Constant gossip, little 'misunderstandings', undermining my every move. So yeah, I figured it was easier to do things myself. Still is, really. I don't let them touch mine either."

She stared. I stared back, then nodded once, like we were having an actual conversation. "Yeah, I know, I'm paranoid. But you'll just have to deal with it, okay?"

"I'll be right back, gotta wash off the stink of sleep." I tossed my furs aside and grabbed a rough-woven cloth, padding barefoot across my chambers toward the bath. The air thickened with heat and mineral scent as I descended the stone steps, entering the small cavern that housed the natural spring bubbling up from the earth.

I undressed and descended into the steaming cavern, the mineral scent thick in my nose as I slipped into the hot, bubbling waters. I sank down until they lapped at my chin, the heat seeping into my bones as I stared blankly at the rough stone ceiling.

I'd lost my chance to deal with Taya. Three days ago I'd been ambushed by the impudent girl in a corridor, but I'd kept my wits about me. I'd accepted her challenge and set the conditions: the ring, three days hence. It was a calculated risk, but one I was willing to take... until now. With the duel cancelled, I was left exposed, trapped by the very situation I'd thought to turn to my advantage.

The masking oil was a marvel in the stillness of the keep, but one decent sweat and it would thin like wax in a fire. One cut, one drop of blood, and it would break entirely. It wasn't a spell. I couldn't maintain it under real duress. And Taya would push me to that, make no mistake. She wanted me dead, and a duel would give her every chance.