“I find him attractive and intriguing,” I agreed. “I admire things that Braxis has done for his people and us. When I was his captive, I felt things for him that I couldn't stop myself from feeling. I had no way of backing away from those feelings or him. But I'm not under his control anymore, and I can step away if I need to. I can stop him from...”
“Arousing you?” Everan lifted a dark brow and took a sip of tea.
“From arousing me,” I agreed. “But it's not desire that worries me. It's the more meaningful things.”
“What's more meaningful than desire?” Everan's voice dropped into a deep, sensuous purr and his violet eyes flashed.
“So many things,” I said with a soft smile. “Though I admit that it was your... physical assets that first drew me to you.”
Everan shrugged as if he knew it already. “It's always so with lovers, Shalani. We are attracted to the physical and that makes us want to know the spiritual. Falling in love is the process of discovering that we desire someone more for who they are inside than how they look outside.”
I mulled that over; love is the shift of desire from physical to spiritual. Okay, I could go with that, but I wasn't sure if I liked the idea that without a pretty outside, we'd never look inside. It's true enough in nature, I suppose. All you have to do is look at the animal kingdom for proof of it—every species has its ways of attracting a mate and none of them have anything to do with personality. Of course, we are not animals, but that basic instinct remains. We've just adjusted it to include things like power, money, and intelligence. But aren't those things merely extensions of what attracts animals to their mates? Strength, an ability to provide for offspring, and cunning that's necessary for survival. Maybe we are all just animals after all.
But I wasn't worried about being attracted to Braxis for his handsome face, strong body, or power. I'd already felt the excitement that those things could inspire and they didn't impress me. My kishanos were just as handsome, strong, and powerful as Braxis. More so. Instead, it was the prospect of learning what laid beneath his attractiveness that scared me.
“You're right; I'm worried about falling in love with him,” I confessed.
Everan's face tightened. None of my men wanted to add another kishano to our fusion. However, they knew that it could happen. Not without their approval, of course, but it was a possibility. And that possibility increased if I fell in love with another man.
“Do you care for him?” Ever whispered.
“I do, but not like that. I don't want another lover, Ever. That's why I'm so nervous. He's just so... so fucking Bleiten.”
Everan burst out laughing. “Indeed. I daresay he's more Bleiten even than your prince.”
“More tribal-Bleiten than Malik,” I amended. “But Mal is the epitome of civilized Bleiten masculinity.”
“As civilized as a Bleiten can get,” he drawled.
“Stop,” I chided with a grin.
“Is that what appeals to you, Shalani?” Everan asked with a sexy look. “Do you want something more barbaric? More primal? Should I take you to Raeventar today and fuck you savagely against a tree?”
My breath caught. My pulse sped up. Sweet sepia, was that what I wanted? Did Braxis's brutality strike a chord in me?
Everan smiled slowly. “It appears that I have a new appointment on my schedule today. Eat your breakfast, my love, you'll need your strength.”
I started to eat.
Chapter Nine
My breath sawed in and out of me. I slapped a branch out of my way. Leaves and twigs crunched beneath my boots. I'd worn a dress, but a short one, so I didn't have to pick up my skirts to run. But it kept snagging on the undergrowth.
“Damn,” I panted as I leaned against a tree and surveyed the tear in my dress.
The soft rustle of leaves behind me had me jolting upright. I caught a glimpse of movement and bolted. I didn't know where I was going; I'd only been to Raeventar Forest a few times. But it didn't matter. Everan would lead me back—once he found me. I put on an extra burst of speed.
I had no idea why I was running so hard. I suppose I was lost to the thrill of being chased. They say that men love to chase, but I think women love to be chased just as much. I certainly did, and this literal version of a romantic hunt made my blood sing. I could hear my husband closing in behind me, and I was looking forward to lying beneath him when he caught me, but at the moment, I wanted nothing more than to evade him. Fear—the exciting kind—urged me on, my heart pumping rapidly.
And then I saw them.
I stumbled to a stop and gawked at the animals in the clearing before me. They were the only two in existence, and I had helped create them. With careless words and wild magic, the unicorns had been born. But now, it looked as if there would be another unicorn birth in Danu.
“You're mine!” Everan declared triumphantly as his arms closed around my waist. But then he saw them and went still. “Oh.”
“She's pregnant,” I whispered.
The stallion nudged his mate, scraping his horn along hers. She neighed and lifted her head, her nostrils widening. Everan and I froze. One large black eye focused on me, but the unicorn mare didn't startle. She lowered her head, as if in acknowledgment of our bond, then stepped away, leading her mate deeper into the forest.
