“You knew how important this meeting was, and you were late.”
There was no reason for him to be upset with me about it. I’d done my job successfully. I folded my arms over my chest, refusing to cowto his imperious tone. “Are you just stating facts? Because I can give you one. The sky is gray. Again.”
“Etarla…”
I ignored the rumble of warning, taking a step forward. “Or how about this one. Late or not, I just helped you secure Aric as an ally. I think that deserves a thank you, does it not?”
He ate the distance between us in two deliberate strides until we were toe to toe. “You’reluckywe were able to weave your story together so well without preparation. What if you’d stuttered? What if I said something about you before you came in that conflicted with your words? We would have given him a weapon to use against us.”
He had a point. It was a wise time to tell Harthon that I’d been late because I’d sensed something within me. Knowing the value he placed on finding that route, he’d understand. But in the time between Aric’s exit and now, Harthon’s anger had sparked mine and sent it into a roiling frenzy.
Forget logic.
I shrugged. “None of that happened.”
“But itcouldhave, and the stakes are too high,” he all but growled, leaning in.
He was doing his best to intimidate me with his size and voice.Thatwas horseshit.
Grinding my teeth together, I snapped, “Is that why you’re so angry, or is it because you didn’t like the attention Aric gave me?”
His eyes flashed. “Why would I care about how Aric treats you?”
“Why else would you be snarling at him like an angry dog after he kissed my hand?”
“Maybe it had to do with his blatant invitation for you to leave my Territory and join him instead.”
“And what about before that, when you tried to bend the armrest in two after he complimented me?”
Harthon leaned even closer, his chest brushing mine. I was forced to arch my back. “I was angry because he wasn’t taking our meeting seriously.”
I may not have experience in romance or attraction, but I could very well recognize cause and effect, and Aric’s advances had caused clear reactions in Harthon, the same man who’d kept calm and collected during Ellan’s cringeworthy adoration speech. The same man known for his strategy and cunning.
He was lying.
“So you throw tantrums when people don’t take you seriously?”
His nostrils flared, and I had a feeling that he wished to strangle me. He was reaching his limit. “Etarla,” he warned again.
“Here I thought you’dlikethat Aric was flirting with me. His interest probably influenced his decision to align with us.”
“You know what else would have made him more likely to align with us? Being on time.”
So we were back to where we started. He’d dodged my interrogation perfectly, refusing to admit that Aric’s flirtation upset him.
Not that I cared. I didn’t want the man to kiss or desire me. I’d made that decision the day we arrived back, and it hadn’t changed. His jealousy didn’t really matter. I only wanted to one-up him.
And yet, as I stood there, trembling with frustration, all I could feel was his chest grazing mine. We hadn’t been this close together since our trip, and my body relished in it.
“I was late because I’d finally sensed some indication of where that path might be. Next time there’s a meeting, I’ll be sure to ignore it.” I jabbed a finger into his solid stomach. “And don’t you even think about punishing Stefano for it. I didn’t give him a choice but to follow me.”
Anger melted away as his lips parted. One of Harthon’s hands landed on my shoulder, the other skating to the back of my neck. Ishould have despised the weight, considering the venom we’d just thrown, but my senseless muscles relaxed under his touch.
“What did you sense?” he asked.
“It was like a tug within me. I followed it up a lookout tower and to a window. It stopped when I took in the view.”
Okay, so when I said it out loud, it sounded rather pathetic. Like it was nothing.
