“I’m eating it, why would I drug myself?” She pouted, trailing a hand down his chest. He narrowed his eyes. She tossed aside the fruit, not deterred by his warning look. “Come, lover, give over and stop fighting me. I will continue to bring you here until you give me a day of your time, or that,” she tapped the star on his chest, “will just get worse.”
“This game grows tedious. I will never become one of your puppets. You knew that from the start. Release me.”
She arched a brow. With a cat-like smile, she slowly circled him and whispered from behind, close to his ear. “Never.”
***
Eve descended the stairs to the gym later that afternoon, listlessness making her edgy.
God, she hoped Reynner didn’t know she’d cried in his arms when he brought them back. The urge to go look for him grew so strong, she stumbled to a halt and inhaled a harsh breath.
She must be going out of her mind. Since their return from the forest, she felt like he was with her, inside her mind, her heart. She even thought she heard him call her name.
Stop, Eve.He’s given you what you asked for—a moment of his time. It’s over.
She scrubbed a shaky hand over her face. She had to put all this behind her or she’d go crazy.
The sounds of thumping drew her. She found Aerén in the gym, pounding at a sand bag strung from the ceiling. She didn’t understand his obsessive need to train so often. After the incident between him and Reynner this morning, she didn’t know what to say, and Aerén didn’t appear to be in a mood to talk.
Eve sat on a bench and waited. She didn’t have much choice, not like she could go outside for a stroll when she was trapped in this mountain fortress.
“So, you’re a prince?”
“By a misfortune of birth.” He punched harder with bare fists as if to work through whatever nightmare held him in its grip. The muscles in his arms and chest bulged at the power of his strikes. She dreaded to think what those hands could do to a human.
“Are you all right?” Concern filled her at the brutality of his punches. Sweat dripped down his face and ripped torso.
Cool, silver eyes flickered to her. “I’m fine.”
A brush-off. But it didn’t deter her. She regarded him as a friend, or maybe Kataya was finally rubbing off on her when it came to poking her nose into another’s business. “You don’t like being royalty?”
“All it’s done is remind me of what I’ve lost. My sister. My brother. My parents. Now my middle brother, my only surviving family, sends me here to keep me safe because I took on our enemies. Can’t have my royal ass hurt.” Another punishing blow to the bag. Eve felt her own knuckles hurt.
She remembered Aethan and wanted to reassure Aerén that his eldest brother lived, but it wasn’t her business. Lord knew what can of immortal worms she’d open then.
“I’m sorry,” she gave voice to trite words. Glancing around, she searched for something else to talk about. “Aerén? Thank you for earlier…I’m sorry Reynner hit you.”
Though she hadn’t encouraged Aerén, she still felt a little guilty letting him kiss her.
Now a sly smile crept over his features. “Most fun I’ve ever had. You change your mind about him, you know where to find me.”
She laughed, pleased to see the familiar, flirtatious spark in his eyes. “You’re a prince, you can get anyone you want.”
He grabbed the swaying bag, his expression sobering. “Perhaps. Pity you’re into Reynner, but I guess it’s to be expected. All the females back home were, too. As high lord of Ademéras, he was never short of female company—” He broke off and winced, remorse crossing his face. “Hell, Eve, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Why? It’s the truth. I have no hold over him.” She turned away and fixed her attention on the waterfall. Once the Stone was found, he’d leave. But the thought of never seeing him again intensified the pain, like someone had clamped a vise around her heart. She rose and crossed to the window, wrapping her arms around her body, needing to hold herself together.
A high lord, Aerén had said. That was like nobility. She’d wondered about Reynner’s life, his world. But he was about as vocal as a mute when it came to personal stuff.
“Ademéras?” she asked Aerén, who came to stand beside her.
“Yes, it’s er…” He searched for a way to explain it. “It’s like a country with its own ruler.”
“And you?”
“I’m prince over all the dominions,” he said with a slight smile. He stared at his split knuckles, a furrow marring his brow. “Eve, what I said about Reynner? That was a long time ago. He hasn’t been back home in over two thousand years. After he left Empyrea, something happened, and that demoness trapped him in Hell. It changed him in a drastic way, made him hard, unapproachable…”
“I know,” she whispered. She doubted she’d ever forget the horror of the images she’d seen. “I saw when I touched him that night. Why would anyone do that to another being?”
