Free Rule (Roam Series, Book Five) by Kimberly Stedronsky Page A

ears.
    I tried to stuff the pillow over my head, but the pounding only increased. As the last remnants of my dream escaped me, I realized that the pummeling noise in my head was…
    My head.
    “Help,” I croaked beneath a dried tongue, rolling over to my back. The light in the room assaulted my stomach, and I covered my eyes with my palms, moaning.
    “I swear to you, it will pass.”
    His voice was amplified through a bullhorn. I covered my ears, crying out in protest.
    “Why are you shouting?”
    “I am not shouting, Eva.”
    I forced my eyes open, finally focusing on the man lying next to me. Fully clothed, he stared at me, and I tried to gather enough strength to smack the amused smirk off of his face.
    “Do you think this is funny? You’d be arrested for this, in my world,” I coughed, which only added to the throbbing in my head.
    “Arrested…?”
    “Underage… drinking and… sex.”
    I could feel him stiffen on the bed. “I slept here with you, Eva. That is all.”
    “Will… I think I’m dying.” I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the bright light that would surely come at any moment.
    He chuckled. “I assure you, you shall live. First, you must drink.”
    “I’m so thirsty.”
    “This is vegetable juice,” he tried to put a straw to my lips, but I turned my head in disgust.
    “Gross.”
    “Just drink.”
    “Water!”
    “Eva,” he lifted my body up, propping me against the pillows, and I dared to open my eyes again. Slapping my hands over my chest, I realized that I was completely naked beneath the sheet.
    “Where are my clothes?!”
    “The maids undressed you… However, I dismissed them when you refused to put on the sleeping gown.”
    “Was I really mean?” I cringed. Great. More apologies.
    “You threatened their lives.”
    “I really don’t like to sleep… in anything. But… I guess you didn’t need to know that.” I tightened the sheet over my breasts, glaring at him. “Okay, juice.”
    “Good girl.”
    After one sip of the liquid, I gagged. “There’s alcohol in this!”
    “Just a small amount. Let your body deal with this new alcohol, and forget about the old.”
    “Did you learn that in medieval medical school?” I shook my head, taking another long drink and gagging again.
    “No, I learned that from experience. However, the hangover for an immortal is quickly remedied in little time.”
    “Of course.” That’s why I’ve never felt like this before. I threw my hand up in the air, shoving the drink at him. “Take. This. Disgusting. Shit.”
    “Language, Eva.”
    “We’re alone! ” I cried, gesturing toward the vast, empty chamber. Only then did I realize the room was completely different from the one I’d spent the evening in, preparing for the feast. “Is this your bedroom?”
    “Yes.”
    “And we… didn’t have sex.”
    “No.” He sat up, placing the glass on the table at his side. He was fully dressed, already showered and freshly shaved. The first two buttons of his shirt were undone, and I blinked, turning away from the enthralling view of his chest.
    We almost kissed, though, I remembered, sliding my fingers over my throat as I stared at him.
    “Are you… sure?”
    “Quite.” His eyes swept over me, and he stiffened. “I’m going to send the maids in for you to bathe-…,”
    “Wait,” I held my head, knowing without looking in the mirror that my hair was in a knotted mess. “I don’t want them to see me… weak… like this. Could you just give me a hand to the bathroom?”
    “Eva…,”
    “I want you to tell me more about last night, anyway. You know- the shooter. I know I got him.”
    “If by ‘got him’ you mean you unarmed your king, deprived me of my weapon, and shot into a crowd of more than one hundred people, you are correct.”
    “He was going to fire!”
    He reached for the bottom of the sheet, near my toes, and yanked the fabric until it was free from the bed. Wrapping me securely, he scooped me up and against his