Chapter 7

LYRA

I pulled the blanket up to my chest and stared at Zade. “No. You gave me an entire wing of this penthouse. Remember? So why exactly do I need to sleep in your room?”

“Because you’re my wife, Lyra. You’re sleeping in my bed.”

I let out a disbelieving laugh. “Wow. You really don’t hear yourself, do you?”

His expression didn’t change. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you can’t just make up rules as you go and expect me to follow them. You gave me my own room, and that’s where I’m sleeping. End of story.”

Zade stood beside the bed, looking at me like I was making this way harder than it needed to be.

“To you, maybe,” he said. “To me, my wife sleeps with me.”

“Then you should’ve thought about that before bringing home a wife who doesn’t want to share a bed with you.”

His jaw shifted, but he didn’t snap back. Somehow, that annoyed me even more.

I threw the blanket aside and sat up, ignoring the ache creeping through my side. “Look, I know you paid for my surgery. I know I’m living under your roof right now, and trust me, I haven’t forgotten any of it. But that doesn’t mean you get to decide every little thing about my life.”

“I’m not asking you to pay me back by sleeping beside me.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

His eyes dropped to my side before returning to my face. “You can keep pretending you’re fine, but I can feel your pain through our bond.”

I went still. “What bond?”

“The one between us.”

“Since when can you feel what I’m feeling?”

“Since the pain started getting worse tonight. You think you’re hiding it from me, but you’re not.”

A chill ran through me. I wasn’t used to anyone knowing when I was hurting, especially someone like Zade. I’d spent years dealing with this on my own, and the last thing I wanted was him having access to something so personal.

“That’s creepy as hell,” I muttered.

“Call it whatever you want.”

He held out his hand. “Come on.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but a sharp pain shot through my side, stealing the words right out of me. I gripped the blanket until it passed, hating that he’d seen it happen.

“Fine,” I said, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. “I’ll sleep in your room. But don’t get it twisted, Zade. I’m doing this because I’m tired, not because you get to order me around.”

He waited for me to stand before turning toward the door.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, wife.”

I shot him a glare and followed him out, already regretting every second of this arrangement.

Zade’s bedroom was huge, with a king-sized bed, dark furniture, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. Everything was neat, almost too neat.

There wasn’t a single picture on the nightstand or anything that suggested another person had ever spent the night here.

I stopped beside the bed and looked at him. “So, where am I supposed to sleep?”

He gave me a look. “You’re standing right next to the bed, Lyra.”

“Don’t get smart with me. I mean, which side?”

“Pick one.”

I stared at him. “You’re seriously expecting me to sleep in the same bed as you?”

“That’s usually what people do when they share a bed.”

“Oh, my God.” I shook my head. “You know what? Forget it.”

I started toward the door, but his voice stopped me.

“You’re tired, you’re in pain, and it’s the middle of the night. Stop arguing and get some sleep.”

I turned around. “Just so we’re clear, I’m only here because of our marriage arrangement. Don’t mistake this for something it’s not.”

“Trust me, Lyra. I know exactly what this is.”

His blunt answer caught me off guard. At least he wasn’t about to give me some ridiculous speech about how we were meant to be together.

I climbed into bed and stayed as close to the edge as possible, leaving plenty of space between us. I’d sleep with one eye open if I had to.

Zade switched off the bedside lamp and settled beside me. I kept my back to him, listening to the quiet sounds of the city outside.

Then the mattress shifted. Before I could ask what he was doing, he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me against his chest.

“Zade! Let go of me.”

“Go to sleep.”

“Are you kidding me right now?”

I tried to move away, but he held me close. I was ready to start another argument when something strange happened.

The ache in my side began to fade.

I stopped struggling. It wasn’t easing up the way it sometimes did after medication. The pain was disappearing, and within seconds, the familiar ache around my kidney was completely gone.

What the hell?

I shifted slightly, waiting for it to return. Nothing. I moved again, just to be sure, but the pain stayed away.

“Feeling better?” Zade asked behind me.

I pressed my lips together. There was no way I was giving him the satisfaction of hearing me admit he was right.

“Lyra.”

“Don’t start.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Then stop asking questions.”

He let out a quiet breath. “Fine. Keep your secrets. Just get some sleep.”

I wanted to snap back, but my mind was stuck on what just happened. His kiss had eased my pain before, and now, simply being in his arms seemed to do the same thing.

Was it Zade? Our bond? Or did it have something to do with my wolf, who’d been silent for so long?

I didn’t have an answer, and that bothered me more than I wanted to admit.

“Stop thinking so hard,” Zade muttered. “You can figure it out tomorrow.”

“You’re not the boss of my thoughts, too.”

“Didn’t say I was.”

I rolled my eyes, though he couldn’t see me. I still didn’t trust him, and I sure as hell wasn’t comfortable with the way he kept making decisions for me. The fact that his touch could take away pain I’d lived with for months only made things more complicated.

I told myself I’d stay awake. I’d keep my distance as soon as he loosened his hold, and tomorrow, I’d demand some answers.

But his arm was warm around my waist, the pain was gone, and my body was finally getting the rest it desperately needed.

My eyelids grew heavy despite my best efforts.

For once, I didn’t wake up an hour later, clutching my side and waiting for the next wave of pain.

I slept straight through the night, deep enough that I didn’t even notice when the city outside went quiet.

And that scared me a little, because I couldn’t remember the last time my body had felt this good with anyone holding me.