The Alpha's Temptation

Chapter 74 Why In Two Days?

The mist rolled away and evaporated after the spell's effect faded. Eltanin picked up Tania in his arms. He climbed the stairs and took her to his room, her head tucked beneath his chin. His treasure… his mate… He was feeling heady with all the power that he had sucked from her. It was still cruising inside his blood and he could feel his eather pulsate around him all the more strongly. For the first time in his life, he felt that his true powers were emerging.

He took her straight to the bathroom because he knew that she wanted to take a bath. As he made her sit on the edge of the tub, he ran hot water inside it and added jasmine oils. He wanted to stay there and give her a bath, but he didn't know if Tania was yet ready to bare herself in front of him. He wanted to talk to her about a hundred things, but silence hung in the air. Once the bathtub was full, he sat down in front of her. He held her hands in her lap and said, "I can stay and help you with a bath."

She shook her head lightly, her cheeks a pale pink. As the mist evaporated, so did the effect of the spell, and her coyness returned. "I can take a bath myself, Your Highness," she replied.

Eltanin leaned forward and kissed her on her forehead. Reluctantly, he got up and walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Tania stripped her gown and sank in the tub's steaming water. When she roamed her gaze around, she was stunned by the sheer opulence of the king's bathroom. It was huge with marble flooring. There were two porcelain sinks and a toilet behind an arched glass door, but the bath, it kind of occupied half of the bath chamber. It was more like a whirlpool that was hung over the edge of what looked like a steep fall. The edge of what she thought was a tub was like a mini pool, the edge of which merged with the darkness beyond and she wondered if the king's room was over a hill. The hot steaming water lapped her around her body, caressed her in little whirlpools and then silently fell over the side. There were so many lotions and oils stacked up in the shelves that she gazed at them with wonder.
Feeling tired from her earlier venture, she rested her head against the edge of the tub. A smile crept on her lips when she remembered what happened between the two of them. She searched for a hint of shame but all she felt was satisfaction. There was no shame in what she did, only a soft feeling blossomed in her heart which was like a butterfly that fluttered in her chest. She just couldn't point to the feeling.

Over the past few days, she had grown to feel good around him, and suddenly she realized that she missed him.

On the outside, Eltanin stood leaning with his back on the door of the bath chamber. He was in a state of tranquility that he had never experienced before, yet his heart was racing wildly. What happened down in the room was something he had only ever imagined. He tipped his head back on the door and closed his eyes, his thoughts replaying those memories again and again.

A soft knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. "What?" he growled.

The guard called him. "Your Highness, Princess Morava seeks an audience with you."

Eltanin frowned. He really had no intention of meeting Morava. The fact that she was still in his palace peeved him a lot. He grunted as he straightened. He growled, "Ask her to meet me in the throne hall." He just didn't want her to come to his wing. He wanted to keep her as far as possible from Tania.

"Yes, Your Highness," the guard said and bowed before leaving.

Eltanin traipsed to his closet. He wore slacks and tunic and draped a robe over it. He hated the idea of leaving his mate in the bath chamber, but a thought formed in his mind. And he had to let Morava know of his decision. When he reached the throne hall, he saw that Morava was sitting on one of the chairs and Ivy was standing behind her like her guard. She was leaning over Morava's ear and whispering something. As soon as she saw him, she straightened and bowed to him. Morava too rose to her feet and bowed to him.
He swept past her and went to sit on this throne, even though he could have sat down on a cushioned chair next to her. He relaxed his back and placed his arms over the armrests. "What is it?" he asked her as if unhappy over coming and meeting her.

Ivy looked at her princess for one last time and then she left the throne hall, leaving the two alone.

Morava stared at his face for a long time because she was sure she saw blue lights pulsing out of his eyes. But they had come and gone so quickly, it was as if they were never there. A wave of terror rocked her, but she kept it hidden. "Your Highness," she said. "I wish to leave Draka in two days."

Eltanin raised an eyebrow. This was exactly what he wanted to tell her. "Why in two days?" he asked, implying that she could leave now also or maybe early in the morning.

Morava was stunned at his rudeness. Her lips thinned as she checked her temper. "I could have left earlier, Your Highness," she said in a low growl. "But your father, Alpha Alrakis, has promised to take me on a tour of the capital." It was her who wanted to go for a tour of the capital and she had requested Alrakis. "He said that you would be visiting the town's square tomorrow for the opening of the Grand Library and that I could accompany you. He would pick me up from there and take me on a tour."

Eltanin chuckled as his lips curved into a lopsided smile. He knew her too well. She wanted to accompany him in order to show to the public that she was his future queen. "You don't have to accompany me," he said it loud and clear because he wanted to shatter all her hopes of dreaming to be his queen. "You can come with your friend Ivy in a carriage that will wait for you in the palace's portico." What he meant was that she was unimportant. "You can accompany my father, because I don't have time to escort you."

The tight leash that Morava was putting on her temper, loosened. "Are you insulting me, Your Highness?" she asked, staring at him pointedly. Suddenly, blue eather spilled out of his eyes again and streaked at an angle before retreating. She winced.

"Gestures are more than enough for a wise man to understand," he replied. "Please give my regards to your father when you meet him." Saying that Eltanin rose to his feet and strode out of the throne hall. Morava watched his back, shaking with anger.

When he reached his room, Tania wasn't there.