Aleksasha allowed Matias to guide her back to their shared quarters where the boy was being treated nearby instead of back to Matias's study nor her own quarters. Her steps alongside Matias were brisk to keep up with his longer strides. She felt a weight bearing down on her with the tangled of confused thoughts. This wing of the house was far quieter than the others, all guests were sequestered and housed elsewhere. There was a distant murmur of the house staff scurrying to cleanup after the banquet. She stepped through the large double oak doors with a sense of wonder.
When was the last time I was in these rooms?
Scents of pine, lavender, and smoky oak wafted through the room. A large rough stone hearth dominated the center of the room, its flames casted flickering shadows over thick rugs of dark blue and gold covering a polished dark stone floor. The firelight danced across ornate tapestries depicting a vibrant scene of Volkov ancestors conquering a dragon. Beside the hearth, a high backed couch upholstered in dark velvet sat beside a low oak table with a carafe and goblets with an iron candelabra with candles slowly melting down its arms.
In the corner, a carved oak bookcase stood, its shelves filled old tomes, ledgers, and scrolls. Alongside a large window hidden away by heavy brocade curtains of blue and gold. She stared at the beauty of the chamber, despite its lack of use, their staff kept it meticulously clean for a moment such as this. Matias closed the heavy door behind them, shutting away the prying eyes of the world.
Her eyes flicked to the hearth, the fire lit and burning low. Matias drifted from her side to stir the embers back to life. She watched the subtle movements of his body as she sat down on the large couch before it. He watched her from the mantle with an intensity in his gaze, not speaking. She sensed that he was giving her space from what had been an overwhelming evening but she found no comfort in the distance. She fidgeted on the couch, twisting her hands together with her posture straight.
"It's… happening again, isn't it?" She asked in a tight voice finally breaking the silence as she stared down at her hands in her lap. "The same pattern. The same shadow looming over my… our lives." She glanced up at him, her emerald eyes glistening. "I thought, I escaped the curse when I married you." Her voice cracked. "But maybe I just brought it with me."
In a heartbeat he was in front of her, his hands cupping her shoulders with his rough hands. "Stop," his voice sharp. He leaned down, his icy blue eyes intense as they bore down on her. "You didn't bring this curse, Alek." His voice softened. "It's been hunting you. It's not something you did. It isn't your fault. It is someone's doing, not fate."
"And if they've been here all along?" She sniffed, her voice trembling on verge of tears. "What if I brought this shadow upon you… for them to linger after the ruination of my father's legacy… to still be here maneuvering people in our lives like pieces on a board…"
"Alek, none of this is your fault." Matias sighed, his right hand stroking her cheek as his left soothing rubbed her shoulder. "If these people chased you to me, it is not your doing. You are not the cause of your father's death." He leaned his forehead against hers. "Your father's legacy is not ruined, you yet still live - the best of him and the Ulanovs. And I will fight till my last breath for you." He kissed her forehead as he looked into her eyes. "If these fiends are here, we'll find them. Root them out and destroy them until no one dares to touch us or ours ever again."
She bit her lower lip, her fingers grasping onto the fabric of his shirt beneath his jacket. "Matt… I…." She met his gaze, feeling a swirl of fear and loss. "But… how, do we even begin to unravel this. Everything seems like it's meant to confuse us. Whatever Selene is playing at. Lord Adrian's attentions. The cipher… even the murder of our boys. Who murders children as a distraction?" Her head dropped as her body slumped into his. "Gods… Matt… they were old enough to be ours… if we had… if you hadn't left… I remember when they were born…"
He gently embraced her, rubbing her back. He let her vent and sob against his chest offering her his warmth and silence. She lost track of time, how long her body was racked with sobs as she cried into his fine jacket. She sniffed, when the tightness of her chest loosened. Aleksasha pulled away from Matias, wiping away her tears. "I ruined your jacket..."
"You did no such thing." Matias softly smiled as he gently tilted her chin up to meet his gaze. Sympathy and determination burned within his usually cold eyes. "We begin by focusing on what matters. The cipher and the messages are our only leads right now. We need to figure out who had access to our letters and books and when. The courier was being pursued as well. That's another important piece of information we can pursue. And we can question the child when he wakes, and if there's even a whisper of Selene's involvement, I'll wring every drop of information from her."
Her breath hitched at the rawness of his voice. His promise to not hold back for Selene's sake made her pulse quicken. He's serious.
Her eyes were wide and adoring as she stared up into his. His jaw set with determination and staring at her so intently. She gripped his shirt. "We… We should review the letters then. Ours and the two new ones. Maybe there will be a hint in the context of the cipher and when it happened within our key."
Matias cradled her cheek. "Then we'll go through every word, together. But first, you need to breathe."
"I am breathing," she replied, though her chest was tight.
He smiled faintly, his fingers tracing the curve of her jaw. He leaned close, his lips seeking hers. "You're not," he murmured as he stole her breath away with a long kiss.