His golden eyes watch me carefully. “He’s a man. He can lose and lick his wounds alone.”
“I know he can… I just don’t want him to.”
His expression softens. “You care about him.”
“Of course. And just like I’d never want to leave you alone, upset, I don’t want to do that to him either.”
Sevrin kisses me on top of the head. “Okay, but walk with me for just a little while first. I want to be sure he’s had enough time to calm down.”
I know what he’s implying—that Gareth might hurt me,—but I’m not worried about that. These princes might be able to break my heart, but they wouldn’t attack me. That’s just not who theyare. Even when Alaric hit me while we were fighting, I was in a fighting ring. I have to be prepared on some level to get hurt.
“Alright,” I say, and we begin to walk around the stunning garden, even while my heart’s with Gareth.
“You know he’s not actually hurt, right? He’s upset because he wanted to come out on top with me in front of you. He’s jealous of our relationship and wanted to prove he was the better man.”
“Even if he’s just struggling emotionally, I want to be there for him. I want him to know that win or lose I care about him.”
Sevrin smiles. “You’re a good woman, but you seem to baby them a bit.”
I try to put my thoughts into words. “The princes didn’t grow up the way we did. They grew up without the loving comfort of their mothers, and their father was a cruel, harsh man. They don’t understand things like communication and tenderness. All they know how to be are warriors.”
Something softens in Sevrin’s face. “That’s no way for anyone to grow up. Being a warrior is important, but we fight to live, not live to fight.”
We continue for a while longer, and he asks me questions about everything he sees, seeming to try to memorize the names of every flower and plant we come across. He smells the flowers, is drawn to all the bright, beautiful colors, and truly seems to be enjoying his time with me. It’s nice that even doing something as simple as this is fun with him.
But I can’t stop thinking about Gareth.
I pull away. “I should go talk to him…”
Sevrin sighs and nods, but then says, “You know, with time they’ll have to get used to the fact that I’m not going anywhere.”
I smirk. “The key word there is ‘time.’ We just need to give them some of it.”
He laughs and kisses me, and I turn away and start hurrying down the hall. Already it feels like too much time has passed. I hate thinking about the look on his face after he lost. The look he gave me.
These boys need to know that whether Sevrin is bigger, stronger, or better at fighting, that’s not what’s going to determine how things go between us. The way they treat me, the relationship we form between us, that’s going to determine our future.
But, somehow, I don’t think that will be an easy thing for them to accept.
10
Harper
I takea deep breath and knock on Gareth’s room, having no idea what I’m about to face. I’m prepared for him to be angry. I’m prepared for him to accuse me of betraying him, and I have no idea what I’ll say when I have to deal with all of that. My heart says I owe these men, that in some strange way they owe me. But reality? Reality says I owe them nothing.
“Come in,” he calls. Nothing in his voice betrays l how he’s feeling.
I open the door and close it behind me, then turn to see Gareth standing beside a tub, a towel wrapped around his waist. My jaw drops open, and I find myself absolutely eye-fucking this man as water runs over the hard lines of his body, and his towel does nothing to hide the outline of his absolutely massive cock.
“Harper,” he says, surprise in his voice.
I jerk my head up and swallow hard. “Sorry, I can come back another time.”
I’m turning when he says, “No, you can stay. What’s going on?”
And the thing is, he doesn’t sound angry in the least bit. He doesn’t even sound possessive or betrayed. He sounds… hopeful. Happy maybe.
Looking back at him, I will myself to keep my focus on his face and not the rest of him. I won’t be able to get through this if I look at his body. “I was just coming to check on you.”
