I didn't like the way his gaze made me nervous. It had only been two days, and he was already getting possessive. That not only made me uncomfortable, but it also made me afraid. The King said he wouldn't claim me, but acting possessive was nearly the same thing. I shouldn't have slept with him. Now I knew to stay away from Dragons.
I cleared my throat. “Sharing is a way that Volpers choose a partner.”
“Ah.” He chuckled. “All right. Then you'renotsharing your tea with me?”
“I'm being hospitable.Givingyou a cup of tea.”
“I see.” King Falken pressed his lips together, but they still twitched.
“It just needs a few minutes to steep.” I turned away.
He took my hand and pulled me to him. “Are you angry with me?”
“No, of course not, Your Majesty.”
“Why don't you call me Falken when we're alone?”
“No, thank you.” I pulled away.
His hand dropped. “Sevarin, you seduced me, remember?”
“Yes, I remember. It was my choice, and it was sex, that's all.” I met his gaze.
“It will always be your choice and mine. It's called consent.”
I frowned.
“Have I given you reason to think I'd force you to do anything?”
“We've had one night together, and yet you're behaving as if we're a couple.”
“No, I'm not.”
“You fought your knights because you thought they were keeping you from me.”
The King cleared his throat and looked sheepish. “Yes, I did that. All right, I have an interest in you that extends past the bedroom. But I don't have an interest in anything non-consensual. If you don't want to be with me again, I will leave you be.”
“You told me you expected me to come to you tonight.”
“I assumed you wanted to, and I said it as a conclusion that I left open for you to rebuke.” He stepped back. “Again, you seduced me, Sevarin. You even told me you were seducing me. I don't think it was unfair of me to assume you'd want to have sex again.”
“No, it wasn't. And I would like to have sex with you again. But not if you're going to get possessive. I don't belong to you.” I went to sit at the dining table.
The King joined me, taking the other chair. His brow was pinched and so were his lips. “I don't want to possess you. You're a person, not an object. But I would like to sleep with you—in every sense of the word. I'd like you to come to me tonight, not because I asked but because you want to. And I'd like for you to stay until morning.”
My tail twitched and curled around my leg. The King's gaze tracked it.
“Can I say no without repercussion?” I got up and poured two mugs of tea.
“Of course,” his voice followed me.
I returned to the table with the tea and set a mug before him. After I had a steadying sip, I said, “Then, no.”
The King's face twitched. He sipped his tea. Then he blinked. “This is delicious.”
I nodded and sipped more. “No, to the sleeping part. Yes to the sex.”
He looked up, eyes sharp. “All right.”
