“Look at you, showing some sass. I happen to like the nickname, especially since you gave it to me,Tek. Tek and Tor. Yes, I like that.”
I groaned and rolled my eyes.
He undid my trousers next and slid them off. Then came my shirt. My coat had been discarded sometime after dinner. I couldn't remember exactly where I'd left it, but I assumed it was in the office. Probably. I arched my back so he could remove my shirt, then flopped down. A few moments later, I was tucked beneath thick covers and the King—I mean Tor—was sliding into his big bed beside me.
My last thought before I gave in to slumber was how perfect it felt to lie beside him. Even if it was in that massive bed. Exhaustion took me, but it didn't hold me for long.
I woke up in a cold sweat. Something wasn't right. Moonlight streamed into my bedroom through the tall windows. Too much of it. The bed was too soft. Too warm. This couldn't be my apartment. A body lay beside me. My skin crawled. I had to get out of there. I didn't spend the night away from home. Not ever. Too risky. Bad things happen to people who trust others enough to sleep beside them. Sometimes, they don't wake up.
With a whimper, I rolled out of bed and fell onto the floor. All-fours. I caught my breath and stood up. Shaky. I had to calm myself. But the room was too big. Everything was too big! I didn't belong there. Among those expensive things. I preferred simplicity. Ease. Worn-in belongings that I knew were mine. None of this was mine. I wasn't safe there. People died in castles too.
“My clothes,” I whispered and spun. “Where are they?”
“On the chaise,” a soft, velvety voice slipped through the darkness.
I shouted. All right, I screamed.
The King chuckled. “What are you doing?”
“I need to go home.” I hurried to my clothes.
“You need to sleep.”
“Yes, at home.”
I heard him moving. I didn't look. Too busy getting dressed.
“Tekhan, it's the middle of the night. Come back to bed. In the morning, you'll see the case with fresh eyes.”
“It's not about the case!” I shrieked and then gaped at him. “I'm sorry for my outburst.”
“What's happening right now?” He took me by my upper arms and steadied me. “Why are you scared? It's not of me, is it?”
I swallowed roughly. “Approximately twenty-six people a year are attacked in their sleep by a lover.”
The King blinked.
“You're only safe at home.” I jerked away from him. “Safe at home. No, not safe. Forty-two people die or are injured by thieves who break into their homes. A smaller home is better. A clear line of sight.” Pulling on my shirt, I cleared my throat. “I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but there's nothing you can do to make me comfortable. I just need to go home. I will be able to rest there.”
Warm, strong hands stilled mine. “Tekhan Shinkai, you have no idea what you need.”
I looked up into his calm, kind face, and my fears unwound. Tension started to drain from my muscles. “I need to go home. I want to go home.”
He cupped my cheek. “Don't you know yet, sweetheart? Hasn't that incredible intellect worked it out? Youarehome.”
“No. No.” I shook my head. “The likelihood that I'm your mate is low. Especially when you factor in our differences. I would not be beneficial to you and your goddess would want a king to have a mate who would benefit him. I make no sense as your mate.”
“We have been nonsense from the start, Tek. And I've never been happier.”
“No, there are too many reasons for us to not work. This won't work. The odds are against us. I've accepted you as a lover, but I can't live here. It's too much. You ask too much.”
“Stop it.” He added another hand to my face and stilled me. “Just breathe, Tekhan. You feel it too. That's why you're so frightened. You know how amazing we will be together.”
“Well, of course it contributes to my fears! I told you as much. But it doesn't change the fact that this place is too big! It's just too big. People can hide in a place like this. It's not secure.”
“It's the safest home in Rushao.”
“No. No, it's not. You would like to think so because of your knights and your army and your walls, but it's not. The very number of people here makes it unsafe. The space! Someone could slip in and out easily. You'd never know.”
