Page 83 of A Tempest of Shadows

“None of that matters here,” I interrupted more sharply than intended.

Her eyes widened at the vehemence of my tone, but I hadn’t expected her words to irritate me so much. So many in this realm would consider her to be lesser than me because of my father’s title, but she wasn’t, and I wouldn’t let her think she was.

“I’m the one who wants to stay; I’ll sleep on the floor,” she said.

“That’s not going to happen, and I’m not arguing over this.”

Her gaze darted nervously to the bed again. “It’s big enough that we… ah… we….” Her face turned red, something I rarely saw happen, as she didn’t blush easily. “We… could… ah… share it.”

She blurted out the last two words before looking away again. I bit back a smile; it wasn’t her discomfort that amused me, but how she lifted her chin and put her shoulders back in a haughty manner.

She was so beautiful it made my heart ache. I clenched my hands against the impulse to brush the hair off her face and draw her attention back to me so I could kiss her again.

If I kissed her again, I wouldn’t stop, and I didn’t think she was prepared for that.

CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE

Ryker

“Do you have a man in your life, Ellery?”

Her eyes narrowed on me. “I wouldn’t have kissed you if I did.”

“I didn’t think you would, but you could have met someone more recently.”

“No, I don’t have anyone like that.”

“Have you ever had a boyfriend?”

“What business is that of yours?”

“I’m trying to learn more about you. Have you ever had a partner or someone serious in your life?”

“Have you?” she retorted.

I smiled as I planted my hands behind me. Leaning back, I admired her while leisurely kicking my legs. “I’ve had plenty of partners, but never anything serious.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve never met anyone I liked enough for something more to come of it.”

Until now… and now was the worst possible time for anything more than casual with someone, and even casual could get in the way of fixing everything wrong in Tempest.

She tipped her head to the side. “How old are you?”

“Three hundred and fifty-two.”

“So, you’ve spent a lot of time in Tempest and many other realms, but you’ve never liked anyone enough to stay with them for a while?”

“I didn’t say that. I’ve known a few women I’ve spent more time with, but no one I would stay with for longer. Now, are you going to answer my question?”

She couldn’t hide her irritation as she scowled at me. She thought I’d forgotten how we got to this point in our conversation.

“No, I’ve never had anyone serious in my life.”

I almost asked her about sexual partners but decided against pushing it. I already knew the answer, and I’d upset her enough with this conversation.

We sat for a while, watching the stars and moon shift across the sky. Large creatures prowled the woods. They hunted and killed smaller creatures that screamed when caught and snapped branches as they moved, but nothing came into the clearing.