Kent turned to face me. Our eyes locked. His brows furrowed, and the black of his irises burned through me with intense, blazing heat.
“Why?” I asked again.
“Because you are mine.”
His voice was quiet, full of cool control, and confident that I belonged to him, that I was his. Something exploded in my chest, making me see stars.
“You are mine, Alina. And there is nothing that can keep me away from you, not now, not fucking ever. I will do anything to get you back, even if I have to burn the palace down, or the whole damn city.”
“You sound like a mad man,” I whispered.
Instead of answering he closed the distance between us. Istepped back and immediately felt the rough surface of tree bark against my skin. His eyes, his voice, everything about him terrified me, but it also made a liquid heat pool in my abdomen, even his lips, and his tightly set jaw. His hand slowly moved toward my face, but he never touched me. Instead, his hand pressed against the tree trunk just inches away from my head.
“I’ve been a madman since the very first time I laid eyes on you. Just one look from you, and I’m ready to fight and die, if that’s what you want from me. Just one word, and I’d gladly leave everything behind for you. But there’s no way I’ll ever let you choose another man. Not in this lifetime, nor any other.”
My eyes opened wide as he leaned closer to my face. His hot breath brushed against my skin and involuntarily my lips parted. I wanted to lean into him, feel his lips on mine, drag my fingers through his hair. It was torturous, forbidden, and so, so sweet.
“This is crazy.” I exhaled.
Right away, I felt that I said something wrong because his face hardened. He moved away, his chest rising and falling as if he just ran many miles.
“You better get back to your room before your maid returns,” Kent said, his tone suddenly detached and impersonal.
I lowered my gaze, feeling so incredibly confused by his reaction – and by my own feelings, which were undefined and scattered.
Kent returned to the main path and I followed him.
He offered me his arm and I accepted it, still too dazed to think clearly. We did not talk on the way back, and when we finally made it to my room, he opened the door without even looking at me.
CHAPTER TEN
TYNAN
The days dragged on, and just when it felt like they would never end, Corliss, the old crone, came up with the idea of a date for Alina and one of the pathetic candidates the clans had provided. I gritted my teeth so hard that pain clenched my jaw. I was standing by an old oak tree while the young idiot from the gold clan tried to help Alina get in the saddle. When the kid placed his hands on her waist, all I wanted was to cut his sausage-like fingers off.
Alina was clearly avoiding me, and I had nothing else to do except dissect every sentence, every line of our conversation, and regret that I was so upfront, so direct with her. She was clearly not ready. She did not know me. It waspossible that she would never know who I was, and what we had together. If I could only ask Sage, but the old man stayed in Darragh, probably happy to be able to drink uninterrupted. Every time I tried to think rationally about everything that had happened to all of us, nothing made any sense. Except, I believed what Sage had told me about the bond, that it was meant to be, and the visions that came with it.
Alina was finally settled on her white mare. She adjusted her gloves, as she carefully avoided looking in my direction. There was no end to the ways her body tempted me. I could not take my eyes off of her. Her bright red hair was pinned up on her head, but some loose strands fell on both sides of her face and the way it brushed against her shoulders did something to me. I needed to get her alone again, but I could not touch her until she knew who I was. She remembered the color of my dragon and there was no way for anyone to know that. We were bonded, that was not a dream. I remembered everything as if it happened yesterday. We were meant to be together. She had to feel it too. She will remember, I was sure of it. I just had to be patient, and wait.
I scowled, watching the kid lingering by her horse. The situation, the fucking charade was playing on my nerves. I wanted to give her some space after confessing my feelings, but she just avoided me.
“Beautiful couple, aren’t they?” a new voice sounded right behind me.
I looked to the side, eyeing the slender build, unruly hair and a face without any signs of facial hair.
“Mayer? What are you doing here?”
“I transferred to guarding duties.”
“You what?”
“I had some strings pulled. I’m going to be your partner, guarding the heiress,” he reported.
“Is that right?” I switched my gaze back to Alina.
The fact that he was able to get the position without any training was insane. He would be absolutely useless if Alina was ever in real danger. But, she was never in danger, even the attack in the gardens had been carefully executed according to my plan.
That day in the garden, the man under the cloak was Victor. We practiced our fight several times and it went better than I thought. I was able to get in position almost immediately. But, they did not know that.
