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I shouldn’t have felt safe while he was telling his buddy to murder people and talking about the person he was going to kill, but I did.
Maybe I belonged in the mafia more than I’d thought.
Priel held me carefully as he jogged to his home, and jumped inside so smoothly that I barely felt the motion at all.
Those had to be some massive thighs.
I should probably study them, to see just how massive.
With my hands, if I wanted to be more thorough.
My lips curved upward slightly at the thought.
He lowered me to the bed and brushed hair out of my eyes. His lips brushed my forehead, and cheek, and throat, before he straightened and stepped away.
Something within me said he was going to start pacing again if I didn’t convince him to get under the blankets with me.
“Will you hold me while I sleep?” I asked him, scooting over to make space.
“No.” His voice was gruff.
I frowned. “Why not?”
His expression hardened. “You smell like Clevv.”
Oh.
I hadn’t considered that.
“Then why did you put me in your bed? It’s going to smell like Clevv too, now.” I slid out from beneath the blankets, putting a hand on the wall to help me stand on my wobbly, exhausted feet.
“We’re not coming back here, so it doesn’t matter.” His gaze dared me to argue.
I glared back at him. “Stop talking to me like I’m the enemy. I didn’t know he was coming after us until right before I woke up with him hovering over me. And obviously, I didn’t know that he was going to get this attached when I kissed him, or I wouldn’t have even considered it. He said he was okay with me using him just so I wouldn’t get hit on by the other guys. The relationship was supposed to be fake.”
“Fae don’t do fake relationships, North. Look at us.” He tossed a hand toward me.
“We’re different. I’ve seen Nev and Dots together, and Sunny and Teris. They’re just friends. I heard last month that Ervo even told Mare he sees her as a sister.”
“They’re all full of shit,” Priel said, stepping toward me. There were only a few inches between our chests, and the only fabric separating our skin was that of my fireproof tank top. Both of our chests rose and fell rapidly, the anger and exhaustion functioning as one to get us both worked up over this silly argument. “Every one of them. We’re selfish bastards, Gorgeous.”
He studied me for a long moment.
My mouth was dry as I struggled with my thoughts.
What was he saying?
Was he suggesting that the arrangement between us and the Wild Hunt had been a setup?
His voice was low and rough. “You can’t really think we offered ourselves up out of the goodness of our hearts. If becoming mates over time was possible, and there were only five female candidates, you’d better believe that we manipulated those cards perfectly. You see us as innocent because we’re virgins, but that doesn’t make us stupid.”
My throat swelled. “Did you rig the name-drawing?”
He scoffed. “Of course we rigged the damn drawing. I wasn’t going to end up mated to Dots. Have you seen how much she smiles?”
I couldn’t suppress the snort that escaped me.
“Sunny was into you,” I threw out.
