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I didn’t have to look at him to know he was talking to me.
And something told me it would be a bad idea to protest after everyone had bowed and so clearly offered him their support.
I grabbed my bag of clothes off the floor near my feet and stood. Bright and I followed Kierden, Death, Eisley, and Sharp out of the shop and then we all headed back to the castle.
Kierden and Eisley exchanged a few quiet, angry words before he growled at me to follow him and then strode in the direction I knew his room was.
“Do you think I can convince him to give me my own room?”I asked Bright.“I’d like some space from the big, angry bastard.”
“I don’t see why not.”She brushed her side against my leg and I scratched her behind her ears. It was probably early in the morning, but I was still full of arrival-adrenaline, so I didn’t feel tired.
Death held the door to Kierden’s room open for me with his big, furry body, and I murmured a thank you as I passed him. He surprised me by brushing the side of his head against my thigh. It was the first bit of affection he had ever given me, and I had no idea what I was supposed to think about it.
I stopped abruptly inside the room when I slammed into Kierden’s chest. As I stumbled backward, he caught me by the waist. After I was steady I tried to step away, but his grip tightened to stop me.
Bright and Death slipped past us to get into the room. She only brushed up against me, but he made a point of rubbing against both of us.
“What was that?” Kierden glared down at me.
I had to tilt my head back to look him in the eyes, and it made me feel small. That feeling was frustrating, reminding me of the way it had been between me and the men who held me captive in my mother’s town. “What waswhat?”
“You and Uron, in the shop.”
“He was just being nice.” I took a step back, and the king held onto my hips as he stepped with me, ending up even closer to me.
I quickly took another step back, then another, and another, until I was pinned between Kierden and the wall. His body was hard against mine—every inch of him. It made me warmer than I cared to admit.
“You let him touch you,” the king said, his voice low and his eyes nearly feral.
“He was beingniceto me,” I repeated, emphasizing the words. “I’m not against being touched by nice men.”
The king’s lips twisted in a snarl.
His chest was rising and falling faster, his thoughts spilling into my mind.
“She’s mine.”
“I want her.”
“My female.”
“My mate.”
The thoughts moved rapidly, and so powerfully that it made my mind spin. It made me want him—and I couldn’t let myself want him.
“What’s my name?” I asked aloud, my attempt at halting his thoughts and my own lust.
The words leaking through our connection stopped abruptly, but he didn’t answer.
“You don’t get to care who I talk to or touch when you don’t know anything about me,” I said. “We’re not friends or family, Kierden. I don’t owe you anything. This mate bond isn’t real, and—”
My words cut off when one of his hands lifted to my face. His fingers dug into my hair, his grip firm and unyielding. “A temporary bond is stillreal. Tell me your name.”
The command only angered me further. “No.”
He stepped closer, pressing his body harder to mine.
I inhaled sharply as his erection pressed against my belly, his muscles pressed close to me.
