Nova really didn’t want to deal with him right now. Not with feeling the way she did.
“Why?” she asked. “We didn’t exactly part on the best terms.”
“I know. That’s why I want to talk to you.” He took a step closer.
Nova winced as the sensation at the back of her neck intensified to a burn. “Ulrich, you seem like a…” She paused, trying to find the right words. “Traditional sort of guy. I’m not conventional at all. I’m pretty sure we won’t be a good fit.”
“How would you know when you haven’t given me a chance?” he asked.
Okay, this conversation wasn’t going to go anywhere. Nova was going to try a different tack.
“Ulrich, I’m afraid I can’t give you a chance. I started dating someone recently and I really like him.”
“Recently? We just went on a date less than two weeks ago! How could you meet someone else?”
Nova blinked at him. “You do realize we’re both using a matchmaking service, right? I’m sure they’ve contacted you with more matches since then.”
He nodded. “Yes, but I didn’t like any of those females. Not the way I liked you when we met and when we texted before that.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve met someone I really like. He and I are dating each other exclusively.”
Ulrich’s face turned red. “You didn’t even give me a chance!” he said, his hands clenching tighter. “That isn’t right.”
“Ulrich, even if I wasn’t dating Torin, I wouldn’t go out with you again. I enjoyed talking to you, but I knew after we chatted for a while that we would be better as friends.”
A low growl ripped through the hall and Nova took a step back, her body tensing at the sound.
“That wasn’t right,” Ulrich said, his voice low, deep, and it held the same edge of the growl that she just heard.
“You don’t get to decide what’s right for me, Ulrich,” Nova said.
His eyes changed, turning red. “That’s not what I meant.”
While she was afraid, her temper also stirred. “Then, what did you mean?”
“You keep twisting my words,” he said, his voice almost demonic.
“Then tell me what you meant,” she insisted.
“You can’t treat people that way!”
“What way?”
“You have to give them a chance.”
Nova’s temper bubbled harder. “I have to give them a chance? Why?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do.”
“Ulrich,” she said. “I can see you’re upset, but you don’t get to say what’s right and wrong for me. As far as I’m concerned, I did give you a chance. We went on a date and I realized that I don’t care for your attitude towards females. That’s what happened. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to accept it.”
He seemed to grow before her very eyes. Nova realized then that he was intentionally trying to scare her and her hold on her temper snapped completely.
Bright blue light burst from her, coalescing into small bubbles that danced and zoomed around her. A magical wind swept through the hall, coming from her.
Ulrich shrank a bit and his eyes faded back to their original color.
“We never got around to talking about our origins, Ulrich,” she said, her voice filling with magic. Unlike the demonic tone of his, her magic made her words sounds musical and high.
