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“Will be sleeping alone from now on,” I said coolly. She shut her mouth and swallowed thickly, nodding in short, quick movements. “If someone so much as breathes a word about this, I will kill you myself—I don’t care who you are—and no one will stop me. Now get out.”
After a suspended moment of continued shock, every member of the High Court silently stood up, shuffling out the double doors with haste. Ysa followed, making eye contact with me, saying nothing. She knew what she needed to do. The door closed in slow motion, leaving me with Danni and Nova.
I scrubbed my hands down my face, letting out a growl of frustration.
The sounds of something shuffling to my side caught my attention. Danni stood up, wiping her palms on her pants and straightening her sweater. “I’ll leave you to?—”
I stood up quickly, startling her. She took a step back and winced, and I instantly hated the way she reacted. “I’m sorry,” I managed, knowing it wasn’t enough.
“Don’t be. You didn’t do anything,” she said, fidgeting with her hands.
I stepped toward her, reaching out to grasp her hands in mine. I turned them over, skimming my thumb over the tops. “You flinched because too many times someone has taken their anger out on you. I wasn’t going to, but I need to consider your experiences. I’m sorry you thought for even a moment I would harm you.”
“I didn’t think you would. It’s just instinctive, that’s all.” I cocked an eyebrow at her in disbelief, and she tilted her head toward Nova. “See?”
Nova sat next to the throne, completely unfazed by our conversation and encounter. I huffed a small laugh, a measure of relief filling me. “I understand now. Neither of you saw me as a threat.”
She pressed her lips together in a tight smile. “Hope that doesn’t damage your ego.”
“Quite the opposite,” I said with a grin. “I’m actually relieved.” I released one hand, stepping into the space between us. Cupping her jaw, I traced a thumb over her bottom lip and leaned in to kiss her.
It was soft. Gentle. I didn’t linger. I didn’t know if I should.
“What was that for?” she whispered, clearing her throat.
“I don’t need a reason,” I said in return.
She hummed, twisting her lips and looking toward the door. “I was going to go so you could process what happened, or deal with . . . whatever it is you deal with now. But if you want me to?—”
“Stay,” I said, my tone firm. “I want you to stay.”
“Sure,” she said, smiling. As she sat, she wobbled, her balance seeming off. I grabbed her arm to steady her.
“Are you okay?” I asked, searching her body for signs that something was wrong. She closed her eyes, nodding, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. After several cycles of breathing, she opened her eyes. “What was that about?”
“The beginning phases of the heat have started.” She grimaced, wiping sweat from her brow. “I wanted to tell you. I had some things I wanted to talk about, but then this whole thing happened.” She waved her hand around the room.
“What things? Markus?” Concern filled me as I watched her cheeks flush. I needed to know where he was. He needed to be locked up.
“No.” She laughed lightly, staring down at her hands while she spoke. “But it would be good to send him away now.”
“Are you worried?”
She shook her head, bringing her eyes up to look at me. The depth of her icy-blue irises almost swirled as she concentrated. “You said you’d take care of me. Make sure I was safe,” she said. I nodded, humming in agreement. “There might be more . . .”
“You’ve said as much. I believe the term you used was needy.” As serious as we were both attempting to be, it was hard to conceal my amusement.
Danni averted her gaze, popping her lips as she said, “Yup.”
“And?”
She sighed. “I just wanted to set perimeters around it.”
A crease formed between my brows. “What for? I said I would keep you safe. There’s no breaking that. I gave you my word.”
“The heat will go by faster if I give into it instead of pushing it away.” She wrung her hands before placing them under her thighs and sitting on them. “And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want some of it, but I did want to put those hard lines out there before anything happens. I’m going to be in a foggy place, and I am going to ask for things beyond what I say now. That woman, future Danni, she’s not me.”
“And what does current Danni want?” I asked, keeping my voice low. I knew acting on the impulses would push her through the heat faster, but I wasn’t going to propose anything. I wanted her, yes, but I also didn’t want her in pain. This kind of arrangement would need to be entirely her idea, no outside influence. Especially not mine.
