“Luka, you need a doctor.” I gaped at him as he casually extended his legs out from the chair and leaned back with a pained expression on his face. He was … covered in blood and ash. He looked like he’d just come back from a war.
“I’m fine,” he stated, grabbing at his right side. “I broke away the moment I could because I wanted to explain a few things to you. About Cassara and … everything.” His face was marred with guilt and it kind of blew me away. I hadn’t expected him to address everything—especially not while he was bleeding!
“Okay … but maybe you could like, not die first? We can talk later.” I waved him off, trying to act like I didn’t care about the whole Cassara thing.
His hand snaked out, grasping mine and holding it tenderly. “Aspen Rose, I am a man ofhonor. If I date two women at once, I let them know about it beforehand.”
I chuckled, rolling my eyes. “Is this supposed to be an apology? Because you’re failing.”
A sly grin swept across his face before becoming serious. “What I mean is … I’ve never had a kiss like that before in my life.” He sat up straighter, grimacing at the apparent pain as he leaned closer to me. “And I wouldneverhide a woman from you. I didn’t know Cassara was still alive and that our … arrangement … still stood.”
A lump formed in my throat. “It’s fine,” I said too quickly.
Luka shook his head slowly, side to side. “It’snotfine, and I’m going to find a way to fix it … somehow. Because I want more kisses like that.” He leaned into me and sniffed my neck, dragging his lips against my throat, which caused my heart to pound wildly in my chest.
Fix it? Fix his arranged marriage to Cassara? How? Why? Because of one kiss?
I pulled back from him, swallowing hard. “Maybe it’s for the best.”
His brows drew together to form a knot between his forehead. “That I marry Cassara?”
I nodded, swallowing hard as bile rose in my throat. The thought of seeing him marry another woman made me sick, and that reaction scared the shit out of me. Why did I care? I barely knew this guy…
But was that really true? I’d argue that I’d never known someone more intimately. Our bond was to thank for that. Even now I felt the hurt slice through him at my words.
“You’re a bad liar,” he snarled, standing and swaying on his feet.
I caught him by the elbow and he glared at me.
“Luka, stop being stubborn and see a damn doctor!” I yanked the hem of his shirt up and gasped when I saw two giant slashes across his abdomen. They were weeping clear-ish pink fluid. Healing, but slowly.
“Holy hell, what happened?”
His yellow eyes were burning into me with hunger that I didn’t think had anything to do with blood. “I got in a fight,” he stated plainly.
I crossed my arms, glaring him down. “If being king is going to get you killed, maybe you should rethink your plans. You don’t seem like the type to want to be in charge anyway.”
He sighed, shaking his head. “There is nothing I would like more than to light a match to this shithole and watch it all burn, but too many people are depending on me.” A darkness crossed his features and I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, you care now?” he snapped.
Bastard!
“I’m here, aren’t I? I haven’t let you starve, have I?”
He leveled me with his gaze. “Remember Walsh?”
I nodded. “The werewolf.”
He bobbed his head in confirmation. “He’s the one who killed the vampire king last year, my uncle.”
My mouth popped open. That had been such big news at the Vampire Hunter Society. “Wait, I heard he was jailed.”
“He was. He was jailed so that his best friend Sawyer wouldn’t be alone.”
Wow, that was what I called a good friend.
