Chapter 88: Her Scent & His.
"I love what your scent does to me," Alaric murmured, his voice thick and heavy with something unidentifiable—exhaustion? Sleep? Or was it desire?
How did he know she wasn’t asleep? Salviana wondered, peeking at him from under her lashes. And why was he talking to her now? She’d thought he hated her; he hadn’t even joined her for dinner.
Turning slowly, she found his dark eyes watching her, somehow darker than usual. Ignoring the unsettling intensity in his gaze, she asked softly, "What do I smell like?"
Alaric’s mouth curved faintly as he climbed into the bed beside her. "Your scent doesn’t have a single note to it—it’s not something I can name. It’s more... a feeling," he whispered.
She blinked, curious and intrigued. "A feeling? Enlighten me."
He leaned closer, his voice barely above a murmur. "When I breathe you in, it’s as if peace settles over me. That’s what you smell like... to me." There was something vulnerable in his tone, as if admitting this had cost him something.
She fell silent, processing his words, a slow smile forming on her lips. Peace. If she smelled like peace to him, didn’t that mean he’d always find his way back to her? Did her divinity soothe his soul, grounding him in ways nothing else could? The thought made her heart skip, warmth blossoming in her chest as she looked away, lost in her musings.
Alaric’s gaze narrowed as he watched her with keen interest. In the faint candlelight, she glowed softly, her expression distant and thoughtful. It pleased him to see her smile, and yet... he didn’t fully understand why she was smiling.
He’d thought she’d ignore him.