“If you had to listen to your friend and sister fuck like animals for twenty-five years, you would be disillusioned with love, too,” Savine said with a scowl. They needed to change the subject. She also needed to get out of this sleeping bag without looking like a complete idiot. Why was she still holding the bag up?
She let the bag slide down her body, and the rush of cool air hit her bare legs. No! She was standing in her underwear in front of this gorgeous, grumpy fae man. And they’d just been talking about rough soulmate sex.
“Oops. This is horrifying. I forgot I wasn’t wearing pants,” Avery said. This may be the most embarrassing moment of her life. She wrapped her arms around her legs, but that wasn’t helping things as she made a small circle, searching for where her pants could have gone.
Savine took in her bare flesh. His nostrils flared, and his pupils seemed to dilate as he looked her over before turning toward the door.
“Why don’t you take care of that? I can’t have a serious conversation with you in your underwear.”
“Is feral fairy sex a serious conversation?” Avery muttered as she reached for her wool leggings.
Savine let out a strangled cough. She could have sworn she heard laughing from outside the tent, too. Right. Pants. Then to convince this murderous man to let her go home.
“I did not come here to explain to you the nightly activities of mated fae pairs. I wanted to check in on you. Are you homesick, Avery?”
“Of course I am. I may never see my family or friends again. My sister is probably dead. My parents may think I’m dead now,” Avery said. Her voice quivered as she spoke her concerns.
“Tell me about your world.”
“Why do you want to know about my world?” Avery asked, nerves coursing through her body as he looked at her with that intense stare. She didn’t want to get to know this guy. He was a dangerous man, and she didn’t owe him anything.
“You will most likely be here for a very long time. I saved your life. The Goddess entrusted me with your care. I want to know more about the woman I saved and what you want to return to so badly.”
Hell no! He did not still think his alleged Goddess gifted her to him. What a load of nonsense. “I have more of a right to know about you, considering I am your captive and all. You have no right to information about my life before I came here.”
“Hmm… How about a story for a story? I will go first, and then I want to hear you tell me something honest,” Savine said as he sat down in the small wooden chair. He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His frame seemed to dominate the small chair, and the wood strained under his weight. She wondered why they even had such a small chair when everyone here seemed to be huge.
“Can I prompt you?”
“Sure. What secrets do I need to keep from my gift?”
Avery’s jaw tensed as he once again laid claim to her like some sort of object that was his for the taking. What an asshole!
“Okay then. Tell me how you became a rebel warlord leader, or whatever your title is. I saw you slice a man’s head right off and stab someone with magical thorns. I think I deserve to know how you became so dangerous, since I’m stuck with you as company.”
“And you assume that I wasn’t dangerous all my life?” A sly smile smirked across his face. He was enjoying this! It was a little game for him.
“Just answer the question, asshole,” Avery said, crossing her arms.
“I rebelled against the crown twenty-five years ago.”
He didn’t look older than thirty, tops. Apparently, he considered himself dangerous for his whole life. That timeline wasn’t adding up!
“Hold up! Twenty-five years ago? Were you some sort of murderous, rebel toddler?”
Savine laughed deeply, entertainment in his voice as he spoke. “You know so little about us. I am over one hundred and fifty years old, little flower.”
Avery’s eyes went wide. “So you’re immortal?”
“Not exactly. We have long lives. Most of us live for a millennium or so, depending on the amount of essence coursing through ourveins. You are asking an excessive amount of questions for someone who does not want to share her own story. I may need to pry more information from you when it’s my turn.”
“Okay. No more interrupting then.” Avery held up her hands in protest. He was intriguing, she had to admit. But she’d have to quell that intrigue. This guy thought he had a right to her in some way, plus she’d seen him kill two people without skipping a beat. Sure, there was a war going on here, but Savine was ruthless.
“As I was saying, I rebelled twenty-five years ago. I did it because the King of Latiah is evil. He murders his own people. He does not take care of the less fortunate, and he has at least another three hundred years of rule left in him. His heir did nothing to stop his crimes against his own people. I grew up in the capital, in the heart of the court, and when pressed, I rebelled.”
“This hasneverbeen my answer to a problem. Ever. But why don’t you just kill the king? I saw how easily you can skewer a person with thorns. Plus, you seem pretty good with a sword.”
“As a Latian citizen, I will forfeit my life to the Abyss if I try to assassinate the king. All Latians are blood-bound to the king and the royal family. I hate his rule, but I am not willing to sacrifice myself to take him out, and I will not ask that of my own people. So I choose to gain a stronghold year by year through battle, of course, but also through helping the least fortunate. Gaining support.”
