"Rest?" Brunhild asks. "Sexy bear asked me to do thing he likes with tongue and dagger. I even brought the rope."

Beck's cheeks go red. "Uh. I'm not even going to try to make something up. Yeah. We're gonna go do some weird shit," He takes Brunhild's hand, leading her up the stairs.

"See you in the morning," Ambrose says, offering a mock salute before heading up the stairs as well.

Mireen gives me a lewd wiggle of her eyebrows, then leaves me alone in the corridor with Raith.

"Come on. You need to get to bed." Raith starts ahead of me, taking the stairs by two as if he's determined to travel in front in case some danger is waiting.

He's waits at the landing for me to catch up, hand resting on the hilt of his newly stolen military-grade sword that he wears across his back. He gives a jerk of his head, indicating he has deemed the empty hallway safe.

I roll my eyes but grin as I follow him toward my room. "You're not seriously planning to stand guard all night, are you?"

He shrugs. "I've gone longer without sleep."

"Don't be ridiculous." I grab his wrist and tug him toward my door. "You need rest as much as I do. Come inside."

“If I come in there, I’m pretty sure both of us are going to get a lot less sleep, Nessa.”

The dark promise of his words lights a thrill in my chest. I bite the corner of my lower lip, softly lifting my shoulders. “Is that a threat, Mr. Hollow?”

He steps closer, invading my space in the most delicious of ways. “Staying apart from you today was the hardest fucking thing I’ve ever done. All I want to do is touch you. Feel you again.” His voice drops several registers, nearly becoming a growl. “Be inside you.”

I swallow, suddenly unsteady on my feet. “Okay. I hear you, and I’m still insisting that you come in.”

For a moment, I think he might resist, but then he follows, closing the door quietly behind him. Neither of us speaks as I move to light a candle on my desk, the small flame casting soft shadows across the walls.

"So," I say finally, turning to face him. Part of me is curious if he’s planning to strip my clothes off and fuck me right away, or if he’s going to continue trying to fight it. Just to tease him, I casually pop a few buttons over my chest, eyes lingering on his. “You came to stand guard over my room. Was there something specific I should worry about? Or were you just feeling overprotective?”