I felt him before I saw him, the way the air seemed to tighten around his presence.
Footsteps crossed the flagstones. I turned, and there he was.
Thayden stood outside the doorway for a heartbeat, framed by the dim light of the kitchen behind him, and something on his face made my blood run cold.
He wasn’t smiling.
His expression was still, almost blank, but his eyes had gone hard and calculating. Like he’d been watching me like a predator at that table and finally decided what to do with what he’d seen.
My fingers curled around the edge of my shawl.
“Are you really ill?” he sneered, his words twisted just enough to mock the concern they pretended to carry. “Or are you avoiding me?”
My throat tightened. “I just needed air.”
He stepped closer, and the waning sunlight caught in his golden hair, making him look almost harmless.
But the look on his face didn’t match the light.
“You left the table the moment I mentioned children,” he noted with quiet reflection. “Tell me why.”
A flare of panic raced across my skin. “I told you; I wasn’t feeling well.”
Thayden’s gaze slid over me, slow and assessing. “You’re not a child, Elariya. Don’t insult me with shitty excuses.”
My pulse kicked hard against my throat. “I’m not making excuses.”
He stopped a breath away, close enough that I could smell the faint spice of his cologne beneath his jacket. Close enough that I couldn’t pretend he wasn’t too close for comfort.
“You’ve been distant since you woke.” He kept his voice low. “And I’ve been patient.” The last word landed like a warning.
“Thayden, please give me my space. I really do just need air.” I turned to walk away from him, but he grabbed my arm.
His grip was firm enough to stop me cold. “I think we need to have a little talk.”
I sucked in a breath as he drew me closer, his hand sliding up my arm, his body crowding mine until my back brushed the hedge. The roses scratched at my skirts, thorns snagging fabric as he leaned in.
His mask slipped, all softness vanishing as if it had never existed. I realized I was about to meet the real Thayden.
“Talk about what?” My voice shook.
“We’re betrothed,” he murmured, lowering his head. “Affection shouldn’t trouble you.”
His mouth brushed my cheek before drifting toward my lips. I turned my head fast, breaking the contact before his lips could touch mine.
“No.” The word came out small, but it was enough.
Thayden froze, then his eyes darkened as they dropped to my face. “What did you say?” He gripped harder.
“I said no.” My pulse roared in my ears.
His fingers dug into my arm, pressure biting deeply enough to make me gasp. I tried to pull free, but he held fast, his thumb pressing into the tender flesh just above my elbow.
“Let me go. You’re hurting me.” The words came out sharp with panic.
For a moment, he only stared at me, something ugly flickering in his gaze. Not anger. Something darker.
Possession.
