He took slow steps in her direction. “Yes, I imagine you are quite exhausted.”
“I am,” she answered as primly as anyone with seaweed stuck in their hair could, turning her back to him.
A large hand slammed the door shut just as she was opening it. He was close enough she could smell the warm heat rolling off him, taunting her. Bergamot and amber enveloped her as he lowered his face to her ear. “Going against my advice twice in one day. I can’t say many would be so bold.”
Her pulse increased, beating against her throat as his low, smooth voice curled around her. Still, she pried his fingers off the door, letting go of them like they would contaminate her.
“You said you wouldn’t stop me.”
Aidan allowed her removal of his hand, spinning her around, so they were face to face. “Was seeing your friends and parading through the city where your head is wanted worth breaking my trust?”
She scoffed, an almost hysterical laugh coming out of her mouth. “Oh mygods. The amount of delusion required foryouto talk tomeabout breaking trust. When were you going to mention the unspoken immortality clause? Never? Just hoped I wouldn’t notice?”
Blue fiery eyes held hers, and as much as Elysia wanted to eviscerate him, to dig her heels in and scream at him for what he’d done—she didn’t.
She spoke again, but this time with an assured coolness she didn’t remotely feel. “And yes, it was worth it. Because taking steps that will aid me in finding the talisman and to work with the people of my kingdom is more important than accommodating whatever personal deficit drives you to be so overbearing.” She looked up into his hard face, refusing to back down or away from him. Seawater dripped from her onto his bare feet, but he didn’t move, both of them holding the other at an impasse.
“Grim, get out.”
Grim silently shot her ashit luckkind of expression as he took a wide berth around the two of them and used a different exit. The door latched quietly, but the sound still made Elysia’s heart jump like a rabbit given how intently Aidan continued to stare at her, his jaw working like he also was fighting the urge to let her have it. All feelings of victory evaporated as the seconds extended and she waited for him to strike back, her anxiety ramping higher the longer he said nothing.
As he was wont to do, Aidan did the opposite of what she expected, abruptly moving away from her, and giving her room to breathe as he paced along the edge of the sparring mat. Stopping, he stuck one hand behind his head, tugging at his hair and gesturing at her with the other.
“Fine. Tell me then. Tell me what was so important that it demanded your presence not once, but twice in that festering city where anyone would turn you in without thinking twice.”
Given he was still covered in sweat and shirtless, it was practically obscene the way his muscles rippled. She narrowed her eyes. As if a man that old didn’t know what he was doing.
Her shoulders tensed as her natural defensiveness grew, but still she held her tongue as her brain struggled to find a way to explain she didn’t know how to give up checking in on her sister, and it mattered to her what was going on in Relaclave.
When she didn’t speak, Aidan shook his head, misunderstanding her silence. Resigned disappointment dulled the usual fire in his eyes now. He made a dismissive motion with his hand. “Go to bed then. We’ll talk once you’ve slept.”
Confused, she grappled behind her for the door handle. “That’s it? You’re dropping it?”
Aidan gave her a tight, close-lipped smile, his dark eyelashes lowering as he cast his gaze over her from head to toe. “To be clear, I am gloriously angry with you.”
Her stomach dropped out as Aidan took small, measured steps back to her. His hand gentled on the curve of her throat, thumb brushing over her erratic pulse like he could hear it. Voice dropping to a murmur, his blue eyes held her hostage.
“There are a million ways I could pry the answers I want from your lips.” His fingers drifted to almost touch her mouth, but then dropped as he took a step back. “But pushing you will not get me where I want to be.”
Face scalding, she blinked, trying to force herself to remember that he was a manipulative twat. Her mind and body fought as she turned to flee but paused, speaking haltingly in a tired voice. “I hate that you didn’t tell me. You said you didn’t want to start this relationship with lies but giving me a chance during negotiations to examine you with unpracticed magic isn’t the same as being honest.”
Aidan ducked his head, shame darting through his face as his hands went behind his back. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. I wish there hadn’t been restrictions on what I could say, but it doesn’t change what happened, and I understand why you’re angry.”
Elysia took in the slight hunch to his shoulders and found herself confused by the raw emotion in his voice. The ache and fear in his words. He was showing her his stomach, knowing she could plunge the knife. Exhausted, her scorn was long gone. It would no doubt return, but right now she was left with only one quiet, doubtful question. “Are you? Sorry?”
He met her gaze now, his words strong and straight from thechest. “Yes, while there were restrictions, the truth is that I was afraid. Afraid you would run screaming back to Kava, and I would never see you again while the future of Kava and the Deathlands hung in the balance. But I shouldn’t have taken that choice from you, and I am as sorry as I am able to be for securing the most important deal I will ever make in my long, immortal life.”
She nodded. “I hate what you did, but I would have done the same.”
Aidan’s brows flew up.
Elysia lifted a shoulder, lips gently pursing. “It’s not a compliment. You did what you needed to do to guarantee I’d make a deal. It was manipulative and shitty, and if you do it again, I’ll figure out how that one bitch poisoned a god to start all of this and try it on you.”
A hint of a real smile played at his lips, but he graciously accepted the gift she had given him in laying down her defenses with a dip of his head.
Elysia walked slowly back to her room, replaying every moment of their conversation in her head. Aidan wasnotwhat she was used to, and she had no idea what to do with that.
Chapter 10
