Lenore's POV:
I read the letter again as I ran my fingers over the seal. I hadn't slept or ate since he left. I just sat in our chambers and waited for word of his return. I told my servants not to disturb me unless it was with news about his highness. I'm not sure when, but I fell into a deep sleep due to exhaustion and fantasized about him.
My dream at first was filled with fear and abandonment. I couldn't believe he left me this way and the fear I'd never see him again was maddening. I lay in the darkness of my dream when his hands reached for me and he held me close whispering his love as he tried to reassure me of his return. The dream felt so real and my body reacted in desperation to his touch with fantasies about what I wanted to do to him flooded my mind unhindered and unrestrained.
I was sweaty and flushed when I awoke from these erotic dreams. In my fantasies I wasn't afraid to express myself sexually and I could still feel his lips on my skin and the taste of his salty cock in my mouth. I knew it was only a dream but it was so vivid and real that pleasure pooled between my legs and my breathing became erratic. I splashed cold water on my face and composed my appearance before I opened the door to ask his soldiers for an update.
"We have heard no word but are confident his highness will be victorious," one of the soldiers said.
I nodded and closed the door quietly. I walked slowly to the chaise and threw myself upon it crying uncontrollably. Why had he not sent word letting me know if he is ok? Why did he leave me behind to wait and worry until his return? I'd been married to Anthony for only a few days but I was forever altered by his presence and couldn't imagine my life without him moving forward.
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She never thought Anthony would want or care for her and now she hoped beyond reason that he did. Lenore always thought men like Anthony were incapable of affection but the man she spent the last few days with was more tender and loving than anyone she had ever met. She laid there trying not to think as time passed without recognition. Her mind shut down as her body existed unfeeling and lifeless just waiting for his return.
What time it was, she knew not. All she could comprehend was her heart would not beat again if he did not return. In the distance she heard footsteps and guards give their report. The door opened and she heard Anthony call out her name as he hurried to her quickly. He scooped her up in his arms and held her for a tender embrace. In her despair, she hadn't eaten or prepared for his return so her appearance was fragile and his eyes filled with concern.
"Lenore, you have not taken care of my most treasured possession," he gently rebuked her as he combed her silky hair with his finger tips. "Let me call the servants to prepare dinner for us and draw you a hot bath. Since you seem incapable of taking care of what's mine, I will tend to your needs and show you how to properly treat the things I hold most dear to my heart."
He gently kissed her lips and his body comforted her in ways she couldn't express in words. Relief washed her fears away and the recognition of his love and her value to him soothed any doubts she had of his affections.
The servants prepared a hot bath for Lenore and Anthony undressed her with care and placed her naked body in the tub. The hot, steamy water soothed her aches and pains. Anthony knelt beside the tub and rubbed fragrant soaps into a soft sponge. He gently massaged the sponge down her arms and back, awakening her body to his touch. She moaned and breathed in the fragrant steam as he lifted her legs continuing to show her how to properly treat herself.
"Next time I'm away wife, I expect you to find pleasure in remembering my touch as you take a hot bath and touch yourself if you need relief. When I come back to you, I want to make all your erotic fantasies come true, not nurse you back to health because you have neglected yourself in my absence," he said playfully as he continued to massage her body. He kissed her feet and gently placed them in the hot water before washing her hair and scalp. He finished rinsing her and delicately dried her off so her maids could attend to her but Lenore did not want him to leave.
"Anthony, don't leave. It was maddening when you were away and I didn't know if I'd ever see you again," she confessed as she reached up and wrapped her hands around his neck holding her body close to him. He wanted to fulfill her needs but he knew she needed to eat and he needed to prepare himself after the long journey home.
He kissed her until she was lightheaded and whispered in her ear, "My dear silly wife. I will never leave you and when I am away I will invade your dreams and pleasure your every sexual desire. I knew there was a wild, sinister woman inside you just longing to explore new heights of pleasure. I loved attending to your fantasies last night. It's one of the reasons I rode back so quickly."
Lenore was confused by his words as she thought about her erotic dream from the night before. Could Anthony invade her dreams? Was this another one of his supernatural powers? She stared into his eyes and watched the storm of his emotions build inside him. Those eyes were present in her fantasies with the same intensity and his touch felt so real. Her mouth opened in awe at what she just heard.
"How long have you been entering my dreams?" She asked him, trying to wrap her head around his confession.
He paused and pondered if he should tell her the truth. "I've always been able to invade dreams and when I found out about you, I was drawn to your beauty. I needed to know more about you so I started entering your dreams to listen to your unrestrained thoughts. They were filled with hope and a peace I had never experienced before. I was addicted to entering your dreams like a drug and I quickly knew I needed you to be mine," he confessed. The truth continued to pour out from a deep desire for her to know him.
"I went to your father and asked for your hand in marriage. He gave you to me without hesitation and quickly your dreams transformed into nightmares at the realization of our betrothal. Then, as you slept in the carriage on our wedding night there was a glimmer of hope in your dreams and I wanted to do everything in my power to ignite that spark into a blazing fire inside you once more. So, I intentionally tried to let you know the man I always hoped I could be, not the monster everyone knew me to be. I was surprised how easy it was to be with you and you've forever changed me. Forever you will be my most beloved Lenore," his voice resonated with a deep love and intensity. He had never been this vulnerable and open with another person. He felt exposed in her presence and it was liberating.
Lenore listened in awe, overwhelmed by his abilities that allowed him to understand her hopes and dreams. It all strangely made sense and as he vulnerably revealed his secret, she became deeply aware of their supernatural connection. It seemed something more powerful than she could comprehend brought them together and there was no turning back for either of them. They were bonded forever and Anthony was altered by their connection as well.
"Dear husband," she said as she touched his rugged face, worn from days of battle. "You ignited a fire in me that will never fade away and we will spend our lives loving and treasuring one another. You may be a monster who can unleash a fierce storm but with me, you are tender and kind. No one else knows this side of you and I feel something powerful brought us together so you could be who you were truly meant to be."
He held her and kissed her tenderly, lost in the words of her declaration when her stomach growled reminding Anthony of her physical frailty.
"Lenore, you must get something to eat and I need to have the servants draw me a bath because I'm dirty from my journey home," he said. "Go out to the garden and I'll meet you there shortly. I don't want you any weaker than you currently are or else I may need to call for a doctor to look over you."
Lenore rolled her eyes at the ridiculous notion of medical care but he was right, she was starving and couldn't remember a time she had been more hungry. She agreed to eat in the garden and wait for him to come.
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