The Daughter of Time (Ace of Queens #6)

Ch.43 A Good Man

Chapter 43

With the windows slightly opened, the cold winter air crept into the room like a thief. Maya pulled the thick blanket closer to herself as Heyder's scent warmed her. She smiled in the half awakened state and sighed gleefully. She could feel Heyder beside her, but the light scratches of pencil moving over paper let her know he was anything but asleep.

Maya lowered the blankets just enough to open her eyes and look up at the jinn. The sunlight created a ring of light around his sharp profile and the little breeze made the pieces of hair falling into his eyes sway. Maya watched as he sketched away and absent mindlessly scratched the stubble on his jaw.

Heyder's pencil moved faster than his mind. His fingers were smeared with dark graphite and his eyebrows were knitted together in extreme concentration. He was beautiful in a dark sinister way. His eyes could cut diamond and his tongue could silence hell fire. But to Maya, he was her angel.

With a restless heart and needy hands, Maya reached across the small space between them and grazed Heyder's arm. The pencil in his hand stopped and his eyes shifted to her. Instantly, the darkness in them disappeared and his lips pulled back into a smile.

"More, birdie?" he asked, making Maya blush with memories of the night before.

Heyder put the sketch book aside and moved closer to Maya. He pulled her closer under the covers and Maya lifted her head to place it on his chest. Her ears picked up the sound of his heart beating and it was one of the most beautiful sounds she had ever heard.

"I love you," Heyder said, kissing the top of Maya's head.

"I love you," Maya lifted her face to look into his dark eyes. "How long have you been up?"

"Since before the sun," Heyder played with a strand of Maya's hair.

"What were you sketching?"

"Just some stuff in my head," Heyder sighed.

Maya nodded. She placed her head back down on his chest and cuddled closer. The jinn's arms tightened around her as he took a lung full of her scent.

"Heyder...." Maya said, quietly.

"Yes, my love?"

"What's bothering you?" Maya paused to listen to Heyder's answer, but she knew he wouldn't reply. The way his body shifted underneath her told her everything she needed to know.

Maya picked up her head and placed her chin on his chest. Heyder looked down at her as he leaned his head back on one of his arms.

"Tell me...." Maya said gently. She reached out and touched the side of his face. Her eyes stood witness to her mate hesitating. She watched his eyes dance uncomfortably as he tried to think of a way to talk himself out of the situation.

But Heyder never could get away from Maya. She had him pinned to the spot since they say she first laid eyes on him.

"I chose you," he said, his voice almost a whisper.

Confused at first about what he was talking about, Maya waited for him to explain.

"When Apollo asked me to choose between saving you and Heyden......... " Heyder spoke each word with extreme care. "I chose you."

Maya was left stunned by Heyder's confession. She slowly lifted her head off his chest as he avoided looking at her face. Pulling the sheets to cover herself, Maya's eyes darted to the nightstand beside the bed. She spotted Heyder's sketch pad and his rings scattered around. Holding her breath, Maya looked back at Heyder.