Aelin's POV
"Go awAY!" I yelled at Aedion, who had disturbed my well-earned sleep. Rowan would come home today and I dreaded it. I knew I was on my menstrual period and I knew I'd be insufferable. He'd probably come home, tired from his little trip to Adarlan to find me, yelling at anyone and everyone. What a graceful queen. I would go back to sleep and wait for my husband to get back, maybe then I wouldn't be as moody, but that was a big maybe.
As I fell into a deep sleep I dreamed about the coffin. I couldn't get it out of my head. I wanted to so badly, but I couldn't.
I awoke in the damp, cold coffin. I couldn't do anything. I was completely helpless for the first time in a very long time. I needed to get out of here, I needed to kill everyone who did this to me. Maybe I'd spend my sweet time on Cairn and Maeve. No, I'd definitely spend my sweet time on them. I'd sat in this coffin for too long. I was going to die of boredom if anything. I probably could kill myself in here somehow. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I kept thinking of Rowan, stupid love keeping me from killing myself. Stupid mate for making me stupid and want to live. It was all stupid now.
I saw light for the first time in what felt like ages but what probably a few days. I was happy at first, then I realized what that meant. I waited for Cairn to come into view, or Maeve, or some random soldier, but no, Rowan came into view. I couldn't contain my excitement and jumped for him. He pushed me off and called for Maeve. She came with Cairn and they took me to my pedestal to be whipped again. I looked to Rowan, but there was no pain in his eyes, no relief, no emotion. I looked around, thinking for a moment about what was happening. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't breathe.
Rowan came to me, and I thought he was going to help, but he picked up a steel cane, and swiped it through the air. It made a loud, "swoosh," sound. As he swiped it through the air a few more times, I heard cheering. I turned from him to see a crowd of all the people I loved, alive and dead. I saw Lysandra, Aedion, Sam, Nehemia, my parents, Dorian, Chaol, hell, even Evangeline was there. They were all cheering, encouraging Rowan to cane me.
I heard the sound of the cane and felt the blood dripping down my back before I felt the pain. It was overwhelming how much it stung. I let out a soft sob as Rowan, my mate, struck again, crossing the last. I cried, and begged him to stop, he just laughed. His laugh was so evil, so manipulative, like he'd been planning this the whole time. I felt like dying. I'd much rather die than go through a minute more of this. I whined as he went for his third strike, I wouldn't scream, I wouldn't give them the pleasure of that.
It felt like Hell as Rowan Struck, again and again. I didn't remember when the tears started running down my face, but now they were, urgently. Rowan laughed and smiled at every little sign of pain I showed, so did the entire crowd. They were still cheering for my defeat. They wanted me to be tortured, and I understood why. I'd let down everyone I'd loved, in most cases, multiple times. I deserved this, so I sat through it, still crying until I heard a cry, a plea, "Aelin, please,"
I awoke to Rowan shaking me, trying to awaken me. I felt my cheeks, they were hot and wet with tears. I growled at Rowan and he took a step back. He stared at me, I was a mess. Blood was now everywhere on the bed, not just the blood of my period, too much to be just a period. It was a wound, a small one, but still bleeding, probably from the wine glass I found smashed. He would probably run away, he would probably be disgusted. I thought he would be, but he wasn't. He came back over to me and caressed my head. He whispered sweet thoughts to me,
"It's okay, you're okay,"
"You're here, I'm here with you,"
"You're home, we're home,"
I snuggled against him, then realized that he was probably covered in the blood. I pulled away to look at him, he was. His white shirt was now splattered with my blood. I forgot that I was on my period and I was bleeding. I realized the source of blood was my hand. I had smashed the wine glass with my hand, probably while I was thrashing about the dream. I couldn't stop thinking about it.
"Fireheart, are you okay? I heard you screaming from the gardens when I first got here, and I rushed in to see if you were okay. I'm glad that you weren't being kidnapped, I don't think you or I could go through that again, but you were dreaming. I know how bad those dreams are,"
"I'm okay, I just. I'm so sorry I got blood all over you," I apologized.
"It's completely fine, I've seen my fair share of blood," he said it not jokingly, but sadly. I healed my wound on my hand.
"I know you have," I comforted. I reached out and held him tightly to my chest, he did the same.
"I brought chocolate, want some?" he asked.
"Did you know I'd be on my period, or just common courtesy for me?" I asked grabbing a fork that was left over from my last meal off the nightstand.
"Both," he admitted.
"Well, shouldn't you have some? I did cover you in blood," I suggested.
"No, I'm fine, you should have it,"
"Don't make me force-feed you,"
"No, Fireheart, I'm fine. I don't need anything." he declared, wrapping his hand in mine.
"That's it," I told him jokingly as I smeared a handful of cake on his face. I wasn't even trying to get it in his mouth, I just meant to mess with him.
"You-" he exclaimed, grabbing a handful of the cake to shove in my face. I tried to move out of the way, but he was too fast. He got me, straight in the face.
"Oh, now you're gonna get it!"
"Only if you can catch me!" he screamed and we crawled across the bed, throwing the cake at each other. I would've been extremely uncomfortable with my period, but I forgot all about it when I was with Rowan. He laughed as I got some cake, straight on top of his nose and mouth. I smirked and crawled closer to him, trying to mimic a lion with his prey.
He watched me, and I pounced, and threw the cake over his eyes. He grabbed for me, but missed. He tried to get me again, he missed most of me, but touched a piece of my arm, I hissed at him, mockingly. He wiped the remaining cake from his eyes and jumped at me. I got out of the way just in time and he nearly ran into the wall. I laughed then pounced on him, we both fell over.
He looked into my eyes, and pulled me in for a deep, soft kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and his went around my waist. I kissed him until I heard the door creak open. We both turned to see my head maid, looking shocked. Probably shocked that it was possible to make such a mess. Rowan and I both looked to each other, holding in laughter.
"Wha-wh- you- How?" she stuttered.
"Food fight!" I exclaimed.
"Are you five?" she asked sarcastically.
"No, it's fun! See!" I threw a piece of cake at her that missed her slightly. I missed her on purpose. I didn't want her to get too mad. She looked down at her dress that had a bit of chocolate on it and gasped. She still scowled at me and slowly turned and walked out of the room. Rowan and I burst out laughing, falling onto the bed again. Two grown faes, on a bed, covered in chocolate and blood. He looked deep into my eyes again,
"I'm so lucky to have you," he whispered in my ear.
"Yeah, you are a very lucky man,"
So I wrote this at 1:00 AM. Yeah, if it's really poor quality, I'm terribly sorry. I just wanted to fit in another part for you guys. If you have any suggestions, I'm totally open to that. No, seriously, suggest things, I'm running out of ideas. I'm so close to getting 100 viewable , thank you so much for reading!!!
~Jilli
