19Tanith
Oren sank into the chair beside me, a wry smile on his face. Gliding his slim fingers through his hair, he tucked it behind his pointed ears as he regarded me. “Is that what you want? An invitation to my bed? Even though you also want the marriage annulled? What a contradiction.”
The laugher in his tone did not reassure me and my hand trembled as I refilled my wineglass. “I don’t know why I said that. I didn’t mean …”
“It was rather honest of you.” He chuckled, taking the wine bottle from my hand and pouring himself a glass. “Look at me, Tanith, and I will tell you the truth.”
It was hard to turn my head, for I was very much aware of the immortal being who sat beside me, promising to destroy a city at his whim, and then laughing when I complained about our marital bed. What had possessed me to say such a thing?
My clothes were too tight, restricting, my face hot, and the wine didn’t help at all. I needed something to cool me down. But more than anything, I wanted to sink into the ground instead of facing him.
Oren didn’t give me a choice. His fingers curved around my chin, turning it toward him. His touch would be my undoing, and I noted the way his hand lingered on my skin before he released me. Nothing in his eyes made me think he meant to taunt me or laugh at me, and his expression, one of blatant curiosity, was more than I deserved.
He spoke slowly, as if afraid of hurting me. “I did not explain because I assumed you would not be interested. After all, this is a marriage of convenience.”
I frowned. Who exactly was this marriage convenient for? But I swallowed down my words, determined to hear him out.
“I’m not mortal, and although I have human tendencies, I am different.”
How? I willed myself not to look down at his pants because that would not give me an answer. But I feared maybe he was deformed—odd, unusually large, or small, and embarrassed by what he lacked or couldn’t do.
As if he sensed my thoughts, he glanced at the fire. “I’m not explaining this well. Tanith, you are welcome in my bed any time you please, but beyond kissing, we can go no further. Not because I don’t want to, but I have to restrain myself. If you and I … if we are intimate, I will change you.”
Eyes narrowed, I studied him. This was the most awkward conversation I’d ever had and yet …. “How? Are you going to kill me?”
He shook his head. “Quite the opposite, in fact. When mortals come together, it’s for two reasons, for pleasure or to procreate. There is an exchange that allows new life to grow.”
“Yes, I know how it works.” I stopped just short of rolling my eyes.
“But with humans, that new life is a child, and while it is possible for an inhuman and a human to have children, what often happens during intimate moments …” Breaking off mid-sentence, he sighed. “You’ll become like me, inhuman.”
I licked my lips, which were suddenly dry. “I’d be immortal?”
“Correct.”
“But not when kissing, only when being intimate?”
He nodded, eyes hard again. “It is not a fate anyone would want. I had no choice, and I would not accidentally force immortality onto someone else.”
“Oh.” I breathed, curious. Unable to stop myself, I added, “Does it happen instantly or over a progression of time?”
Folding his arms over his chest, he leaned back, regarding me. “Tanith, you curious creature, you tempt me with your words, but no, we will not test it out to see if you will become immortal. Trust me on this.”
“Trust doesn’t come easily,” I retorted, settling back into our old territory of banter now that the awkward conversation was over.
Although it left me with a sourness in the pit of my belly. Not that I’d wanted to have sex with him, but now that he’d told me no, suddenly, it was exactly what I craved. But I’d wallow in self-pity another time, for this afternoon was all about gaining answers. I stared at my lap to hide my disappointment, but when his hand landed on my thigh, I faced him, eyes wide.
“You seem upset,” he said.
“I’m not,” I snapped. More words rushed to mind, but I did not say them out loud.
Ignoring my outburst, Oren continued. “I don’t expect to earn your trust quickly, but I will communicate more. Sometimes I get swept away in my work, and I forget about things you'd consider normal—eating, drinking, sleeping. The drive to finish what I started propels me on. But now when I leave, I’ll take you with me, and you can remind me of those basic needs.”
I nodded, grateful he’d changed the topic, but his hand on my thigh was warm and tantalizing after our discussion about what was forbidden.
“I was gone so long because I made you something. But Tanith, I need you to go back into the vault.”
I crossed my arms and waited, tamping down the slight twitch of anticipation.
