“About what?”
“My past dalliances.”
His dark-blond eyebrows lifted. “Dalliances? Is that what we are having?”
I glanced at him but didn't answer.
“Is it?” he demanded.
“Do not raise your voice to me.” I leaned in close so no one else could hear our argument. “And no, it is not what we have. We have a contract.”
His breath warmed my cheek. “And what does that mean, exactly?”
“It means we are in a relationship.” I sighed and sat back. “I don't find jealousy attractive.”
“I'm not jealous. He isn't with you. I am.”
“Then why are you so upset?”
“Because you say we are in a relationship, but it doesn't feel like it to me.”
I gaped at him, and then anger rose inside me. I leaned in again. “I have given you more than I've given anyone else I've taken to bed. I made a contract with you so that there would be no questions about who we are to each other. Yet you are not satisfied. It doesn't feel like a relationship to you? Well, it's the most intimate I've been with anyone. Didn't you see Arril's shock when I mentioned our contract? This is not common for me. Arril and I had an incredible affair. It was enough to leave an impression on both of us. But I left him when the time came, and I haven't regretted it . Barely even thought of him until today.” I huffed and shook my head. “Reason tells me we've contracted too soon, and maybe I should have listened to it instead of—” I cut myself off.
“Instead of what?” Falken whispered.
“My emotions.” I leaned back. “I never make decisions based on what I feel. That's foolish. But for you, I've playedthe fool. Now, you throw it all in my face, acting as if it's nothing! If you think that, you don't know me at all.” I stood up. “Goodnight, Your Majesty.”
I left the dais and strode down the center of the hall, ignoring the curious looks of the courtiers, especially Arril's. I didn't care what they thought. My goal was to get away from Falken before I revealed too much. Or wept. That would have been humiliating. I was not an emotional man, but the Dragon King was changing that. If I were smart, I'd pack up and leave immediately. My job was done. I'd found the problem and instructed the King on how to fix it. Nothing was keeping me there, not even our contract. We hadn't stipulated the length of our relationship. I could leave whenever I wished. He hadn't mated me.
“He hasn't mated me,” I whispered, pausing in the corridor.
We'd been physically intimate for a week, but the Dragon King hadn't mated me. Granted, I didn't know how long it took before the mating magic activated. But with all the sex we'd been having, it seemed to me that it would have happened if it were going to happen. Did quantity matter over quality?
“Yet another reason to leave.”
I went to my guest room instead of the Royal Apartments for a couple of reasons. First, I didn't want to sleep next to Falken while I was so angry at him. Second, I didn't want to see Falken. Third, I didn't want to talk to Falken.
Being upset only made me more anxious. I couldn't remember the last time I'd gotten mad at a lover. No one had ever gotten to me like Falken. No one had challenged me,demanded more of me, or aroused me as he did. Getting upset meant that I cared, and caring for a man with whom I had no future was a mistake I refused to make.
I closed the door behind me and went to the dressing room. There, I opened a trunk and began packing. It needed to be done quickly, before my ridiculous emotions could lodge a protest. Realizing that I wasn't Falken's mate had made me feel a shocking sadness, and that terrified me. Analyzing my emotions made me uncomfortable, but I knew myself, and I wouldn't shy away from the truth. I didn't want to be bound to anyone with magic. That felt unfair and foolish to me. And yet the thought that I wouldn't be bound to Falken brought an ache to my chest. It was nonsensical. I had to leave before the Dragon King pulled me deeper under his spell. He was changing me, and not for the better. If this continued, I'd fall in love with him, and when he found his mate and left me to bind himself magically to another for eternity, it would destroy me.
“No, that is not acceptable.” I placed a folded shirt in my trunk.
“What the fuck are you doing?!”
I spun around to find the Dragon King in the dressing room doorway, his entire body tight with fury. It took all of my courage to remain where I was and not cringe away from him. But with that courage came reason.
I lifted my chin. “I don't like the way you make me feel. I'm ending our contract.”
“What?” His eyes began to glow.
“I am within my rights to end this. My job is complete. I've given you the answers you need to move forward. So, there is nothing keeping me here. It's time I moved on.”
Falken stormed into the room, stopping just an inch from me, and lowered his head to lock our gazes. “There's nothing keeping you here? Is that truly what you think?”
“I think we've had enough sex to determine that I'm not your mate.” I turned away and pulled another shirt off its hanger. “You should be relieved that I'm leaving now. If I stay longer, things could get complicated.”
“Had enough sex?” He made a huffing sound. “You don't know what you're talking about, Sevarin. We've barely been together a week, and you think that means you're not my mate?”
