Thinking about it raised my ire at my second-in-command all over again. I understood why he’d asked her to do it, but I disapproved. He put herand mein an untenable position.
Leda had no idea she had committed to me. Her words increased my possessiveness, stirring my mating instincts even more. The way she yielded to me only made my yearning for her worse.
She gave in when a daemon female would fight. She melted for me when a daemoness would expect me to work harder.
Her submission fueled the fire of my obsession.
After three bowls of winterberry porridge, I was focused. It helped that Leda sat across the kitchen table from me and sipped a cup ofszite. Seeing her relaxed and smiling as she chatted with Masu also calmed me. My female was happy and safe. It soothed my mating instincts a bit more.
Fighting my urge to possess her was beginning to wear me down. The whispers in my mind, insisting I hunt her, bite her, and brand her, grew louder with each passing day. I needed to get away from her, but I was unsure if I could force myself to leave.
My female solved my problem.
When I finished my final bowl of porridge, she rose from her chair. “I’m going to read for a while.” I started to rise as well, but she held out a hand, palm toward me. “Alone. I’ve been attached to your hip for days now. I need a little space to breathe.”
Those words pierced my chest like a needle—thin, sharp, and left behind a deep burn. Even though it hurt, I understood her desire for solitude.
“I want to sit in the sun,” she said, distracting me from my thoughts. “Will your men be a problem?”
“Not if you stay close to the house.”
Masu interrupted our conversation. “There is a nice, sunny spot by the kitchen door in my herb garden. I will get you a blanket or a chair, and you can sit there. I will also be close enough to help or call for the master if I need to.”
Leda smiled at Masu. “A blanket sounds great. I want to read, but I might decide to take a nap in the sun.”
My housekeeper left the kitchen in search of the blanket, leaving us alone.
I stepped closer to Leda. “If you need me, just call for me.” I glanced at the dagger strapped to her thigh. “If one of my men touches you, feel free to stab him.”
“You’re telling me to cut one of your men for touching me?”
“If you feel threatened, yes.”
She smirked up at me. “I would have done it with or without permission.”
“I know, but I wanted to make my position clear.”
At her nod, I leaned down and pressed my lips to her forehead. I could not walk away from her without touching her one more time.
“I need to meet with Guldan and handle other business. I will see you for the midday meal.”
Her eyes were troubled when they met mine, but she nodded.
“Rest and find some peace this morning.” I released her chin and left the kitchen, fighting the urge to turn around and go right back to her side.
I grit my teeth and walked toward the barracks, half-hoping my commander gave me an excuse to punch him. I needed some way to release this frustration.
Guldan was already working with three of the newest recruits to the training program. I chose not to join in, instead going for a run around the edges of the estate, pushing my body as fast and hard as I could manage.
When I returned to the training area, Guldan stood next to the fence that surrounded the fighting ring, his arms crossed on top of one of the posts.
“We need a private conversation,” I said.
He called out to Talus, gesturing for the male to take over leading the sparring session. The soldier gave me a wide berth as he walked up to Guldan. I crossed my arms over my chest, not taking my eyes off him, still fighting the desire to decapitate him.
Since the moment I had saw Leda fighting him, I wanted his blood. His insistence that she owed him for the dagger had only made it worse.
I tuned out their short conversation, but the claws on my left hand dug into my bicep.
