Resigned, she made her way down the dim corridor, warily avoiding the spidery cracks on the floor, and opened the door to Dagan’s room. Empty. Cautiously, she stepped into his personalspace.
Dust motes swirled in the light slanting in from the narrow, arched windows. Opposite, against the faded white wall, stood an enormous bed with a dark headboard. A steel and ebony chest took up space near the small, unlit fireplace. And above the mantel, several swords adorned the wall. Yup, this place appeared austere and rigid, just likehim.
Shae got rid of her jacket, kicked off her boots, removed her socks, and flexed her sore feet. The cool stone floor soothed her soles. Fatigue felled her like a tree, and she slumped face-down on thebed.
The open windows let in a brisk breeze, but she was too drained to move and shut them. God, it had been a hellishnight…
A splattering noise disturbed the quiet. Shae jerked awake. A little disorientated, it took her a moment to recall her whereabouts. Then everything that had happened crashed through her like a tidalwave.
Jesus, she shut her eyes, wishing the last six months were a really bad dream. Shifting a little, she snagged her jacket from the foot of the bed and retrieved her cell. Three hours had passed? It felt like mereminutes.
Yawning, she dropped her cell on the nightstand and shut her eyes. Sounds of rustling water seeped into her consciousness. She stirred enough to lift her head and look for the source. Her gaze settled on one of the two doors adjacent to the bed. The shower.Dagan?
Instantly, images of his sexy, naked body filled her mind, chasing away sleep. Warmth stirred low in her belly—ugh! Unable to nap now, she slid off the bed and wandered outside onto the rambling balcony. She passed the wooden table and chairs there and leaned her arms on the granite balustrade. Whoa, they were so freakin’ high, the river snaking far below appeared like a silvery thread in thesunshine.
She couldn’t stand enclosed spaces, but heights? She loved them. Enjoyed the freedom because it took her away from the bleakness of herlife.
Closing her eyes, she lifted her face to the sun’s warm rays. Something scuttled over her bare feet. A scream tore free. Shae jumped back, her hips hitting the table, her gaze fixed on a swarm of beady, black eyes. She scrambled onto a chair, her heart nearly flying over thebalcony.
“Shae!” Dagan shot out through the door, a towel clutched to his man parts, and spun around, searching the place. His long, wet hair whipping around him, water spraying the windows and walls…and her. “What isit?”
“Ra—rats!” She gulped, pointing to several of them on the floor, gawking at her, their noses and whiskers twitching. “Chase them away—chase them away,” shewhimpered.
He straightened, then casually moved the towel to wrap it around his lean hips, the image of ripped abs and a semi-erect sex searing her mind. But her fear of the pestilences trapping her on a chair was too great to even admire his manly bits. Damn annoying vermin, spoiling herfun.
“This is their home,too.”
At his droll words, fear morphed into irritation. “No way am I sharing anything with yourpets!”
“They won’t hurt you. They’re quite er, tame.” With that parting shot, he headed inside and then threw over his shoulder, “Are youcoming?”
“No.” She sulked, lowering to sit cross-legged on the table, and counted the rats. Five ofthem.
With a long, drawn-out sigh, as if she were wearing on his last thread of patience, he walked back, scattering the rodents, and swept her into his arms. She grabbed onto hisneck.
“Make me carry you again, hellcat, and be prepared for the consequences.” His arms banding around her like steel cables, he strodeindoors.
Darn, but he smelled really good. He dumped her on the bed, and she bounced a few times. She stared up into his cool features and clashed with his searingeyes.
Did he really not likeher?
Something inside her constricted at the knowledge. But then, neither did her mother, or even Ash when it came down toit.
Brutally, she squashed those thoughts and sat up. “It’s not my choice to be in this rat-infesteddump—”
“Thisdumpand I are the only things keeping you safe. Let me refresh your cloudy memory, wildcat. Those assholes after you are not human. All they’d need is a hint of your psychic vibration to track you. So get rid of your opinionated thoughts. You are human, fragile, and too damndistracting.”
The apology died in her throat. Is that what hethought?
His jaw rigid, he retrieved a pair of jeans from the closet, tossed the towel aside, and didn’t seem to care that he was naked. He pulled the pants on, buttoned up, and then stalked out of the room barefoot and bare-chested, throwing over his shoulder, “Don’t leave the room atnight.”
“Why not?” At night, she tended to raid the kitchen for food when she couldn’tsleep.
He didn’t look back. “Wait until I introduce you to the others, or they’ll think you’re a gift.” With that delightful warning, hevanished.
Shae scowled. Well, she could take care ofherself.
But Dagan’s words echoed painfully in her head,too fragile, too distracting, and too opinionated.Was there anything about her he couldn’t find faultwith?
