“It's that monster in your pants,” I said. “You probably broke her. Tore her lady bits right up. You're lucky she didn't cut it off in a rage afterward.”
Nex burst out laughing. It didn't last long, but it was enough to keep a smile on his face even after it ended. “Thanks for that. And you're right.” He sighed dramatically and said, “My dick was too big for her. Sometimes it's a curse.”
“Sometimes?” I huffed. “I'm not interested in you because of it. That alone should have you crying.”
Nex grinned. “You're learning, kid.”
“Aw, fuck, Nex,” Xae huffed. “Please, don't teach Ember to be as conceited as you.”
“I'm just playing,” I said.
“Even in jest, leave that shit to Nex,” Rath said.
“Aw, come on, you don't like sassy Ember?” I wagged my brows at them and grabbed a chicken leg.
“I'm down for a little sass,” Keltyr said. “But maybe we need to take action before you truly get arrogant.”
“What do you have in mind, Dhon?” Xae asked.
“You know exactly what I have in mind, Ladrin.”
Xaedren grinned.
“No!” I said with my mouth full. “Whatever it is, no.” I swallowed. “Wait. Is it sexual?”
“Of course, it's sexual,” Kel said.
Xae grunted.
“All right then.”
My men shared a wicked look.
Even though he wasn't a part of our group, Vardan grinned too. I winked at him. He liked that even more. But then he focused on something behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Taroc.
“Hey,” I said to Taroc in surprise, my heartbeat instantly racing. “Where have you been?”
“Busy,” Taroc grunted, slid his glare from me to Vardan, then walked away.
“What the fuck?” I whispered as I watched him go.
“Guess he changed his mind,” Nex said. “I'm sorry, Ember.”
“It's fine,” I echoed his earlier words. “Better to know now.”
“Not all of us are so fickle,” Vardan said.
I looked up and met his stare, the turquoise so bright against his dark lashes. I wanted to be comforted by him or even excited to see where things might go. But I couldn't get the image of Taroc's glare out of my mind. If he had decided against a relationship with me, that would have been disappointing. But it didn't explain why he had looked at me like that. He was the one walking away, not me.
But I didn't want to take my confusion and disappointment out on Vardan. So, I smiled at him and pretended everything was all right. Just like Nex.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I shouldn't be so upset. I had barely gotten into things with Taroc. But I really liked him. I'd seen parts of him I knew he never showed others. And I had started to think about our future. I'd been so certain about him. Maybe that was my mistake. Never be certain about a lover. I was still learning. But one thing I learned was that I didn't want to play games anymore.
Maybe it was for the best that Taroc had ended things. Even though he never really ended things. But since we hadn't committed to each other, I guess there was nothing to end. Great Goddess, I sounded whiny.
I brought the hammer down with more focus.
