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I hate him.
I hate that he can stir me so easily, or make me want him with a single look when I know there’s nothing about him worth wanting.
Even his walk carries a cocky swagger as he leaves the woman and heads toward me. She wasn’t even done talking to him before he slipped away mid-sentence. The blonde scoffs, storming off. Little does she know, this just saved her from making a huge mistake.
"You came back," he says, his voice tinged with a newfound confidence, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. "That’s good. You hadn’t given me the chance to make things right."
I narrow my eyes, refusing to give him the satisfaction of pulling a smile from me. I’m here for one reason, not for him, but for a room–or three–but definitelynotfor him. "What could you possibly do to make things right? You left me for dead. There’s no coming back from that."
“We’ll see.” He leans his side casually against the bar, bringing his face closer to mine. The angle showcases the chiseled, toned muscles of his body, the tendons stretching in his neck, and the sharp, defined edge of his jaw. All man. Every inch. Had he looked like this when he was in the dungeon, I don’t think it would’ve taken weeks for him to convince me to do things.
My gaze travels from his full lips to his throat, and I swallow thickly. "As a shifter, it’s rather dumb to leave your throatexposed, isn't it? I believe it was you who told me it’s the optimal spot to place mate marks. They’re visible and most people don’t protect it enough. It’s making you look easy."
His grin widens, an auburn eyebrow arching in challenge. "Do you wish to claim me?"
"Not in a million years," I say, reaching over the counter to pour myself a drink. I’m going to need it to get through this shit. His grin is unflinching as he watches me like a hawk.
"Then it's not dumb, is it?" he counters. "Besides, you used to enjoy kissing my neck."
"Don't flatter yourself.” My tone is sharp. "You were literally the only option. It was either you, or the orc who had your cell before you. And I wouldn't have touched him with a ten-foot pole." The memory of the orc's cat-calling whistle sends a shudder through me. "It didn't stop him from making his interest known, though."
He laughs silently, but when I glance at him, he’s not looking at my face. His stare is glued to my body. “You realize you’re covered in blood, don’t you?”
“It’s a new thing I’m trying. It’s good for the skin.”
He purses his lips, rocking his head as if he’s mulling it over. “So, if you’re not here for me, then why are you here?”
“I need a few rooms and apparently, you have some.” I take a long swig of the wine I poured. It’s thicker than the stuff Asmo’s let me try. Sweeter. “What is this?” Raising my glass, I peer through the side as if the color will tell me.
“Fairy wine, and I wouldn’t drink that whole glass.” Gone is the flirtatious attitude, replaced by a man who’s all business. “You said rooms, as in plural.”
“Yes, three.” I furrow my brows, taking another long swig.Gods, that’s good.
“For who?” He pushes off the bar, opening a cabinet of some sort below the counter in front of me.
“Me and my…” I’m not sure what I should call them. Friends? No. “Acquaintances.” Except for Brenn. I have a bone to pick with him at the moment. He’s on my shit list.
“Acquaintances?” Gael gives me a knowing look, peering through the room as if he’s looking for someone. “Well, they’re not hard to spot. They all must be trying the same thing as you, with the blood and all. Including the man you came up here with last. He hasn’t taken his eyes off you. Who is he?”
Jealous, much?
I snort out a laugh. “Your guess is as good as mine.” Heat blooms in my cheeks, and for some odd reason I can’t stop smiling. Gael wasn’t kidding about not drinking the whole glass. This stuff isn’t wine, it’s drugs.
“You’re staying with someone you don’t even know?” Gael pauses, the keys in his hands stilling as he seemingly freezes in place, his eyes locked on Loric from across the room.
I dare a glance over my shoulder and find his silver eyes glowing. It’s a look that sends an unbidden warmth cascading through me, holding me captive in its intensity. It’s like magic, or maybe it’s the wine. Hard to tell, but there's a playful twist to his lips, the corner just barely lifted in a smirk that suggests he knows exactly the effect he's having on me. I don’t like that either.
Rolling my eyes I sigh, taking another sip.
One of these days I’ll have a cottage in the middle of nowhere, where I can garden and paint as much as I want. Where I can do as I please without judgment, far, far away from all the testosterone. It can’t come fast enough.
“Something like that,” I say, returning my attention to Gael.
“Well, I only have two rooms, but you won’t need a third.” He holds two keys hanging from separate leather straps out toward me, but before I can grab them, he pulls them away, just out of my reach. “One condition.”
“Of course there’s a condition. I should’ve suspected that. There’s always something in it for you.” It takes me a moment to realize I’ve said that out loud and not in my head.
Gael’s eyes sparkle with a mischievous light. I can't help but feel as though he's peering straight into my soul, seeing things I've kept hidden, things I didn't even know were there. It's disarming. “You stay with me. At least you know I won’t take advantage of you.”
