Page 106 of Captive of Secrets and Storms

I hadn’t considered that.

The fact Rian can still hold the illusion at all while his magic is suppressed is…impressive.

And terrifying.

“Yes. Oh.” He lowers his arms and fixes me with a dark stare. “Now, care to explain what you and Anders were doing together?”

“Exactly what he said. He gave me a book about the basics of healing.”

I lift the tome up as proof.

The muscle in Rian’s jaw tics. “And have you kept your word? About not discussing your magic?”

“Yes, sir.” I roll my eyes. “Relax.”

A low growl ripples through his chest. “I could get used to that.”

“Used to what?”

Heat simmers in his gaze. “Hearing you call me sir.”

My jaw drops. “Stop it.”

“Stop what?”

My heart beats as fast as a racing stallion. “Flirting with me.”

“Why?” He crosses his arms, muscles bulging. “You liked it in Verdanthia.”

I sputter.

Did he flirt with me in Verdanthia?

At the festival, sure. But before? I don’t remember. He was kind. And helpful. Was that flirting?

It doesn’t matter. That was then. This is now.

“That was different,” I say at last, and instantly regret it when his eyes spark with genuine amusement.

“Was it?” he presses. “Why?”

I want to scream.

“You know why.” I gesture pointedly to the space above his head, where a crown would sit if we were in his uncle’s territory.

Rian’s expression dims, and his voice loses its teasing edge. “I see. You object to my title.”

I scowl. “It’s more than a title.”

It’s a reputation soaked in brutality and disregard for human lives… It’s the fact he’s evil.

Surely, Rian knows that.

Yet the way he tilts his head to the side and gives one long, slow blink makes me wonder…

Rian coughs once then lifts his head, and any hint of confusion vanishes.

He rolls his shoulders back. “Given your past, I thought you’d be more open to the idea that you might not know the truth about everything.”