“Can you lift your hair?” he asks softly.
I do as he asks, realizing my hair is once again long, and he fastens the clasp at the back of my neck. The gems feel heavy and surprisingly warm against my skin, especially given they’ve been in this damp cave. His fingers linger at the nape of my neck, stroking me there for a moment before he stands in front of me again.
“So beautiful,” he says. “Stunning. I knew that necklace would suit you.”
I glance down. I can’t see every part of it from this angle, but I lift my fingers to touch the diamonds encircling my neck, and the massive emerald that rests in the hollow of my throat. Below that, the diamonds and tear drop rubies cascade down, and, over my dress, the lowest ruby kisses the space between my two breasts.
“Zogar—” My voice is hoarse and soft. “I can’t… It’s so beautiful.”
“Its beauty is but a reflection of your own, my queen.”
“Flatterer.” I smile at him, trying to turn the mood playful again, but inside I’m glowing. Tynan and Saxon have both told me they love me, but even though I know Zogar doesn’t love me—and he likely won’t ever—he has his own way of making me believe I am the most important woman in the world, the only woman who matters. His own way of making me feel as if he trulyneedsme.
And Zogar does need me. He needs the sexual bond between us, forged in that chair of consummation. Remembering the practicalities of our union brings matters back into perspective, but the idea of sex only escalates my desire.
I can’t tear my eyes from his mouth, his lips look so full and inviting, and my own lips are humming with anticipation, thirsting for his kiss, while the rest of me is singing with a near desperate need. I could stand. I could take his rod in my hand and move this along, but I don’t want him to think that I’m offering sex because of the gifts. Zogar means more to me than that.
There’s obvious heat in his eyes. He wants what I want. Any moment now, he’ll bend and kiss me. He’ll pull me into his arms. Or better yet, he’ll carry me to that bed, or perhaps take me here on this settee. Excitement builds as I try to guess how he’ll initiate drilling me this time.
Instead, he backs away, turning toward his pile of riches. “I’ll fetch the bags,” he says. “I don’t want to face those sprites again, so I’ll carry as much as I can in one trip. Certainly enough to secure a property for us.” His eyes narrow. “And some extra to fund our entrance into the place below, so I can find this demon.”
The mood has utterly flipped. He crosses the cave to retrieve the saddlebags and the leather satchels he brought. I suck inlong breaths, trying to slow my heart rate and soothe my hurt feelings. I felt certain he was about to kiss me, that he was about to make love to me.
But the desire in his eyes was for his riches.
He starts picking through his hoard, slowly climbing as he chooses which items to put in the sacks.
“Is this clasp secure?” I ask.
He turns toward me. “The necklace clasp?”
I nod.
“Yes,” he says. “It would take great force to remove it.”
“Good.” Standing, I drag my dress up and over my head. “While you forage for coin, I’m going for a swim.”
I hear him shouting for me to stop, but it’s too late, I’m already underwater.
CHAPTER 20
Zogar
Iscramble down the slope of my hoard, my heart thumping like a rabbit shifter’s.
Rosomon is in the water. She’ll drown.
Why would she take such a risk? My chest is so tight I can barely breathe.
Her head breaks the water’s surface. My heart fills with relief, but she makes several confident strokes, propelling her farther and farther away from me.
Gracefully, she turns and glides on her back, and momentum carries her even farther. “Come in for a swim,” she calls out. “It’s lovely.”
I shake my head and stomp forward. “Get out of there at once. It’s not safe.”
“Why? Are there monsters?” Her tone is jovial and teasing, but then her eyes widen. “Arethere monsters? Poisonous eels?”
I should tell her yes. I should tell her whatever it takes to get her back on dry land. But I’m not good at lying, especially not to her. “You might drown.”
