“He advanced, close enough that I could smell yesterday’s old wine on his breath. “Then tell me, Tilly, what would change your mind? What is your deepest wish?”
“To be back home with my family.”
His lips curved, amused.
“You may ask for far more than that.”
“I already told you what I want. If that’s not enough, then my wish is to leave. I want nothing else you can offer.”
“Perhaps I have something else to offer.”
The implication in his eyes turned my stomach. I felt like an insect beneath a telescope.
“You’re the most arrogant man I’ve ever known,” I said. “You swagger around like a drunk at dawn. If you think this is charming, think again.”
Torin’s rapt expression made my heart sink. My defiance only seemed to fuel him.
Torin’s eyes gleamed. “Your spirits like a flame,” he said. Moving closer “And the more I stroke the fire, the more I see how unique you are.”
If he moves another inch… I’ll crack the bedside lamp over his head, I thought, pulse hammering.
“Keep talking, if you must. I’m not remotely interested in you and never will be.”
“How many times have I heard those words?” he asked. “And how many times have they died on the lips of women who couldn’t resist me?”
I almost laughed.
“You don’t believe me?” he asked, sitting at the edge of the bed.
I pressed myself against the pillows, I refused to give him a show.
“Why should I? For all I know, you could be impersonating one of your brothers. Trusting you is the last thing I’d do.”
Torin smiled. “What’s that expression you humans like? You can run, but you can’t hide? Women always surrender to me in the end. But the chase—that’s the most exciting part.”
He tilted his head, smugness gleaming in his eyes. “Even the deities of the sky have a weakness for me.” His smile taunting. “And I do enjoy an audience.”
“Even if you were meant for me, I wouldn’t choose you, curse or no curse,” I said calmly.
“If I am the one you bind to, then it has been ordained by the stars. I expect you to stay by my side forever.”
He believes that our destinies are intertwined and because I am human, I won’t fight back. He is mistaken.
With my back pressed against the headboard, I inched closer to the lamp. I evaluated its weight, calculated my swing, and waited for the exact moment he overcommitted.
“I’m not the one for you,” I said, voice steady. “And no starry curse will change that.”
Torin’s smirk deepened, a challenge flaring in his eyes. “You say that now, but in time, I’ll be everything to you. Your resistance will fade. It’s inevitable.”
I shook my head and tried to slip out of bed, planting my foot on the mattress edge.
Before it could touch the floor, Torin lunged—swift as a predator.
“Let me go!” I cried, wriggling to free myself from his grip.
He pushed me back, pressing my shoulders into the pillows. I tasted copper on my tongue as his chest crushed against mine and his lips brushed my cheek.
He’s too sure of himself. That’s his weakness.Came the whispers
