“I’m not saying I’ll complete the bond,” she quickly added before I had a chance to slip too far into my fantasies. “I’m still not sure what kind of life I want. The power to change the laws for others, like my parents, is something I’ve always wished I had, but it comes at a cost.”
“Giving in to the bond.”
Her chin dipped. “And the danger that comes with it.”
I had a feeling she wasn’t just talking about the danger from the djinn. She fearedmeand the threat I posed to her heart—to everything she had ever known about how her future would turn out. All it would take was one slip. Just a small crack in herwalls and they would crumble. I’d make sure of it. But I’d also be there to protect her from the fallout.
I only needed a chance to show her how good we could be. A plan took shape, one where she could learn to trust me. It involved some touching and a little coaxing on my part, but maybe we had a chance to turn dreams into reality. A man could hope.
Spring break was over. Tomorrow was Sunday, the official last day, but we had a lot of prep still to do before Eryn could comfortably move in. For one thing, all her clothes were still in her dorm. I could buy her whatever the fuck she wanted, but she refused everything but the basics she was forced to accept this week—and she had the audacity to say she’d pay me back for those.
As if I couldn’t take care of my bond. Besides needing to retrieve her personal belongings and supplies for class, she had promised Rani they could have dinner together the last night before classes resumed. Not a care in the world that she could be poisoned again. No. This brave but careless girl thought she could flounce off to the Commons as if everything hadn’t completely changed. Ez and I weren’t even allowed to sit with them.
How the fuck was I supposed to check her food if I didn’t carry her tray, pick her sides, and do everything short of prepare her dinner myself? Thankfully—because I was dangerously close to going full caveman, boinking her on the head, and locking her in our room—a simple topaz around her neck would be enough to warn her of any nearby poisons.
“I can’t accept that.” She shook her head and leaned away into the armrest of the couch. “It’s too expensive, Kaiden.”
“Kai,” I corrected. “As your boyfriend, it would be weird if you didn’t call me Kai.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Fakeboyfriend.”
I shrugged. Our budding bond was certainly real, and that was enough. For now.
“Unless you’ve changed your mind on how we’re playing this, you’re going to have to let go of that specific chip on your shoulder, princess.” I held the necklace up. The fiery crystal contained more orange and red than yellow, a perfect reflection of my bond’s temperament. “It serves a practical purpose,” I told her and scooched close enough to reach out and brush her curls off her shoulder. “And it's non-negotiable if you want to leave this apartment.”
She huffed but finally relented. I hid my smug smile as she turned, giving me her back and lifting her hair enough for me to loop the chain around her neck. The crystal was tiny, small enough to rest comfortably in the hollow of her throat. As such, the chain was just as delicate.
“The stone will change color if any poisons are present in your food or drink.” My fingers grazed the sensitive skin on her neck as I made sure the chain remained untangled before I clasped it.
Eryn’s hands lay restless in her lap as if she struggled with controlling the urge to reach back and secure it herself. I enjoyed the brief contact it allowed us and took my time. Tiny strands of hair tangled at the back of her neck, and I blew a gentle stream of air to clear them. Her skin pebbled under the cool onslaught, and she shifted in her seat.
“How will I know there’s poison if I can’t see the stone?” she asked, her nerves carefully concealed.
“It will warm against your skin. Trust me, it will be obvious.”As an heir, I had a topaz on me at all times and was intimately familiar with its warning.
Once the necklace was secure, I moved back so she’d have space to turn around. I casually grabbed the remote from the coffee table and started a random streaming app. Eryn settled into the seat beside me, easily falling into the routine we established a few nights ago. We took turns choosing a movie, usually a favorite or one the other had yet to see. No genre was off-limits.
Tonight, I’d chosen something simple that didn’t require much focus to follow along: one of the many Fast and Furious installments. It had enough action to be entertaining and worked with my alternate plan for the night. Touch. I was slowly getting her used to mine. Looping my arm behind her, on the back of the couch, I pressed play.
We hadn’t even gotten past the obligatory car chase in the intro before she tried to subtly inch away. My hand came down on her shoulder, stopping her progress.
“We won’t convince the world we’re a couple if you try to escape every time I touch you.”
She was a frozen statue. Caught. “I don’t.”
“Really, princess?” I snorted. “There’s an ocean between us.”
She swallowed, her gaze darting down to the length of couch that could be seen between her leg and mine. Then, with a stubborn glare, she practically threw herself across the seat.
“There.” Pride filtered down the bond, along with some anticipation.
I smiled at the challenge and closed the distance the rest of the way, pressing my leg against her bare thigh. Her breath hitched, but I turned back to the movie as if all the points our bodies touched weren't slowly driving me mad. My hand on her shoulder, her arm tucked into my side, and our legs pressedagainst one another. None of that was even sexual. But fuck, if only I could convince my dick of that.
It was a colossal effort to keep him contained, and still, he swelled. Thirty minutes of tense silence, and a truck going up in flames on the screen, and I decided to increase our torture.
“Hold my hand,” I demanded, offering said appendage on my knee, palm up.
A little crease appeared between her brows as she stared at it. “Isn’t this enough?”
