CHAPTER 257: ANGRY HUSBAND_"WHO DID THAT TO HER?!"_PART 1

She was tired, hungry... but the thought that clung most to her mind was of her Rohan and what he was doing.

Had he really gone to kill the king?

And had he succeeded?

Belle worried about him for a while, her thoughts tangled in all the things that could go wrong. What if he hadn’t made it in? What if the king’s guards had gotten to him first? The fear clawed at her chest. She could feel it pressing on her, heavier than her own hunger.

But her body reminded her of its needs. Her stomach rumbled loudly, almost painfully, demanding food and pulling her mind away from the spiral of thoughts.

She recalled what the boy had said, that if she needed something, she could ring the bell, and she reached for it and pulled the string.

It didn’t take long. She heard a knock on the door, and Belle went to open it. The lad stood outside, grinning eagerly, probably because she had paid him with gold.

"Can..." She began to speak, but her voice came out hoarse, and she cleared it. "Can I get something to eat here? I’ll pay if I have to."

"Yes, ma’am, they’s an eatery right across the street. I can get ya a bowl of meal and hot coffee if ya want it."

Belle couldn’t have been more grateful for the promise of something hot. She sent the eager lad off, handing him another gold coin that made his young eyes widen in delight before he bowed and hurried away to get her meal. He looked no more than fourteen years of age, and happy, Belle thought, as she made her way back to the bed to wait for him.

After eating, she would decide on her next course of action, as she had told the elder man at the front that she would only be staying here for a day. She couldn’t stay longer, or she would bring attention to herself for being pregnant and alone without a husband in a boarding place.

In this day and age, a woman wouldn’t see the end of it if word circulated that she was a woman of shame. Though she knew she wasn’t, Rohan not being with her would make the man at the front jump to his own conclusion. Which meant she would have to look for either another village to stay another day until Kuhn found her, and she would send him to get word to Rohan about her whereabouts.

For now, that was her only plan. She would keep moving until he found her, which she somehow believed he would, and she prayed nothing had happened to him.

"You better come back to me unharmed, or I swear I won’t let you off for not telling me your stupid plans to go and kill the vampire king alone. Stupid blockhead," she murmured with a pout, though the corner of her mouth curved into a faint smile as her mind drifted, uninvited but welcome, to a memory from just a week ago.

Before all of this, she recalled how he used to hover around her constantly, always making sure she was all right. Whenever he saw even the slightest discomfort on her face, he would panic and rush to get her things to make it better.

She remembered one evening clearly, he had walked into their chamber after a bath, droplets still clinging to his skin, and found her pacing and grimacing as she rubbed at her aching waist and back.

"What’s wrong, sweetheart?" he had asked immediately, concern tightening his voice as he came to her. His large, warm hands had reached for her waist, rubbing gently to soothe the ache away.

"My back and waist hurt." Tears had welled in her eyes before she could stop them. "I’m just not myself."

"Anything I can do to help?" he’d asked, pulling her close to his bare chest, concern etched deep in his features as he hugged her against his warm, freshly bathed skin. He still smelled of soap and something faintly spicy that was uniquely him, comforting.

"Not unless you have a spell to take the ache away," she had murmured against his hard chest, her voice muffled and tired.

"I can rub and massage your back. How about that?"

"That would be nice."

She remembered how he had helped her lie gently on the bed, taking care not to let her strain herself. Then he’d sat on the edge beside her and turned.

His touch had been magic. She recalled his ministrations with vivid clarity now, how he used the heels of his hands to work carefully over her tense muscles, never pressing too hard, never lingering in one spot too long. He had started from her neck, working his way down her spine, and then circled back to focus on each of her shoulders in turn, easing the knots with firm, soothing strokes.

Belle had closed her eyes, giving herself over completely to the comforting sensations. His hands were warm and sure, and she had felt herself begin to melt under his touch.

"Your hands are magic," she’d told him on a soft sigh. "I haven’t felt this good in a while."

He had continued for nearly half an hour, tending to her like she was the most precious thing in the world. Then, with a tender brush of his fingers along her arm, he said, "I could make you some tea... and get you that snack from the fair. There’s still more of it left in the kitchen from yesterday."

Belle smiled to herself now at the memory, how he’d gone out of his way to buy her that snack when she had randomly craved it. It hadn’t even been available at the fair anymore, but he had found Cowen father’s house, and somehow convinced the man’s wife to make it fresh for her while he waited.

"It doesn’t feel right having you do all this for me and making my tea all the time," she had told him that day. "I’m supposed to be useful as a wife... doing things for you too."

He’d playfully slapped her bottom at those words, a teasing click of his tongue following. "Tsk. Don’t be silly," he’d said. "You’re supposed to be taking care of yourself, and that little brat. I’ll get you tea."

Now that she thought about it, Belle realized he had probably mixed blood into the tea all those times. She remembered the strange taste on her tongue, but because it had soothed her aches, she had drunk it without question. Rohan had always been there for her, doing even the smallest things to help her feel better. That was why it was so difficult now, being without him, not knowing what to do or which direction to turn.

He had carried so many of the burdens back in Bimmerville, quietly shielding her from the harsh truths. He hadn’t told her everything, perhaps to protect her or to give her time to rest. But now, because of that, everything that happened felt so sudden... so unexpected.