Embracing Pain (Book Three)

Chapter 5

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Deva felt warm sweat all over her body and an empty bed. She couldn't even remember getting into bed let alone knowing if her husband had joined her. Deva's head was spinning with questionable pain. Why did it feel like a hammer was pounding her skull?

There was no sun up and the room was dark. More confusion clouded her thoughts. 

"You awake, sleeping beauty?" The voice was low and playful. It was a voice she hadn't heard in a while. 

"Max. How long have I been sleeping?" She slowly tried sitting up. 

"The whole day actually. You've been in and out of these random heat flashes." He went over and handed her a glass of cool water. 

"Heat flashes?" That was strange. It had never happened before.

"Yes," Max explained. "We thought it had to be a lycan thing. There's no other explanation for it." 

Did it have to do with the Relic Moon? 

"Not that I'm not happy to see you but what exactly are you doing in my bedroom?"

"It was the king's idea actually."

She wasn't quite getting the picture. "What do you mean?"

Max fiddled with his fingers. "He basically wants me to look after you."

"You're joking, right?"

"Nope," he popped the p at the end. 

Everyone in the kingdom knew the queen could take care of herself. With her ability, it was hard for any to stand a chance against her. She didn't think it had anything to do with protecting but everything to do with trust. Maybe Darius didn't trust her anymore. Maybe he was tired of her secrets. 

"This is fantastic," she murmured before trying to get up. 

"Am I really that awful to be around?" 

Deva shook her head. She had actually missed him since he was away for so long. He wanted to travel the world and took one year to do it. 

"You still look the same but you've lost your accent." British accents ran in their family. 

He smirked. "I had to. Women would crawl all over me once they heard it." 

She laughed. "You have to defend yourself somehow."

"Precisely."

"I'm going to take a shower." Deva didn't take long to wash off the sweat of the night. She hadn't realized how bad her sleep had been. 

Back in her room she found Max in the same spot looking at his phone. Once he heard her footsteps he put down the phone and waited to speak to her. Something was on his mind. 

"How was your trip?" 

"I'm glad you asked." He stood straighter in his seat. "In my travels I also got to see my Aunt Emma."

She hadn't heard much from her mother in law; not since Alcide was born. "Go on," Deva said while taking the seat across from him.

"The first few days I arrived in Paris I went unnoticed. I saw her with a man."

That didn't surprise Deva much. It wasn't like she expected the widow to go on forever without another person to keep her company.

"This man had a strange resemblance to Adamarius."