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The King and the Nine

Page 29

by Loren Fawn

I glared right back at him. “I don’t want to be here.” I fanned my arms out over my head, referencing the Earth beyond the room. “But according to your commander, I can’t go home for another month.”

Adrian rolled out his shoulders before striding toward me. “Do you think this is a fucking joke?” he growled. “The guards are looking for you, the same guards that are sticking their necks out to protect you from being seen. If you get caught, you risk their lives, along with the life of my king.”

There it was. King.

I tilted my head back to look Adrian in the eyes as he towered over me. Threatening as he might be, I wasn’t going to let him steamroll me.

He yelled in my face, “Answer me when I talk to you!”

“What the hell is your problem?”

“I’m looking at it.”

I rolled my eyes.

Where Leo showed compassion, Adrian clearly lacked it. The two of them complete opposites in the personality department, but near twins when it came to their good looks.

They shared the same tanned skin and dark brown hair—Adrian’s waved and slightly longer, but the coloring and thickness the same. And Adrian’s brown eyes were nearly as beautiful as Leo’s hazel, the chocolate coloring softening the lines of his face from years of frowning.

If Leo was cool and calm, Adrian was warm and brash.

I was betting they shared the same tallness trait, too, but I’d been too busted up before to notice Leo’s height. Maybe it was a One thing, all men had to be good-looking and tall to live here. Sarah would be giggling if she were here right now.

Adrian snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Are you listening?” He shook his head. “Let’s go,” he said, beginning to walk away from me.

“Go where?”

He stopped. “So, you weren’t listening.” He ran his hand through his hair, slightly pulling at the roots. It looked like he wanted to throttle me. “I said, I bet you were looking for a way to the portal. I’d personally take you there and push you through, but they’re closed. I’m sure Leo already told you that.”

I rolled my eyes a second time, unable to help myself. He was starting to annoy me.

“Careful,” he dropped his voice to a dangerous whisper, clicking his tongue as he walked back to me. “Wouldn’t want your eyes to get stuck in the back of that hard head of yours.”

I gulped.

I’m sure he’d love nothing more than to pop my hard head off my neck like a dandelion.

“So, what do I do?” I threw my arms in the air. “Do you expect me to just stay in my room for an entire month?”

He brought his face down close to mine, his nose grazing the top of my hair, a few strands shifting slightly from his touch.

He breathed in deep before stepping away. “First, you could use a bath.”

A rush of heat shot across my face as he laughed like a childhood bully.

“Let’s go.” He moved toward the door. “I’ve had enough of you for today.”

“Likewise, asshole,” I muttered.

He stopped, and I braced myself for our next standoff, his shoulders rising and falling like he was trying to calm himself. But instead of spewing more words, he threw the door open with so much force it slammed against the wall and came back at him.

He growled, pushing the door away, and left the room.

In his impatience to leave, he had dropped what he’d been twirling onto the floor.

I bent down and picked it up to find it was a sprig of lavender. Still warm from his touch.

Tickling it below my nose, I replayed my conversation with the neanderthal man, groaning at the awkwardness of it all.