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“Take Lord Darling with you,” Rogue called over his shoulder, still staring at me with that intimidating look, “and inform everyone that we should not be disturbed. Indefinitely.”
With a murmur of agreement, she left, the door clicking shut behind her.
Chapter 4
In Which I Offer Two Things I Never Thought I Would
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The social mores of Faerie are not easily sorted. On the one hand, there’s a level of licentiousness and openly sexual behavior that’s widely accepted. On the other, a strict code of proper behavior and an almost Victorian sense ofpropriety.
~Big Book of Fairyland, “SocialStructure”
It took abit of finagling, but I managed to straighten my fingers enough to use my hands to lever myself up without slicing my palms to ribbons, and scooted over to the edge of the bed.
“What are you doing?” Rogue asked, still in that ominous tone.
“If we’re going to have a big fight, I don’t want to be lying in bed.”
He blew out an exasperated breath and sat next to me, putting a hand on my shoulder to stay me. “We’re not going to have a big fight. We only need to talk.”
“Ah ah ah!” I wagged a finger at him, the effect rather spoiled by the long, razor-sharp claw. “Anti-flirtation, remember? The ‘death of romance,’ you called it.”
“We are no longer flirting,” he ground out, looking ever more annoyed. I was pretty sure this counted as fighting, but decided not to point that out. “You carry our child. That part is over with, along with all of the associated,limitingagreements.” Even though he was mad, his eyes gleamed with sensual intent, reminding me that nothing now stopped him from using every trick at his disposal to seduce me completely. Though he didn’t really need to, the seed having been sown and all.
“So, all that remains is for you to seal the deal? A wedding and I belong to you forever, bought and paid for?”
“You always look at things in the worst possible light. We would belong to each other.”
“But you would pay for everything.”
“What is so terrible about that?” He seemed genuinely bewildered. “Healer serves me and I pay her accordingly already.”
“I had to pay her before.”
“You weren’t mine then.”
I decided repeating that I wasn’t his now either would be a waste of breath. Instead I searched for the right way to explain. “Take this for example. When you gave me the magic chamber pot, I gave you something in exchange, so I wouldn’t owe you anything.”
“A kiss,” he reminded me, tongue darting out to lick his lower lip. “An excellent one.”
Don’t get distracted.“So what happens if you, say, give me another magic chamber pot?” Far less expensive than healing, I felt sure.
He shrugged. “As my wife, you would owe me nothing.”
“But I would. That’s the rub. I’d feel like I owed you, for example, more kisses.”
“Is that a problem?” His tone had gone icy. Dark emotions churned in him, coming closer to the surface.
“Rogue…” I started to scrub my scalp and had to stop myself. “We barely know each other and you want to commit us together for a lifetime?”At least for mine, right?Though we’d never discussed the implications of my mortal aging on our relationship. Something that came of not being sure you’d survive into the next week, most likely. “It seems beyond the pale to commit to being bound together by an irrevocable vow for all eternity. With the rules you people have on vows and bargains, you can’t tell me there’s a fae version of divorce. What if we grow to hate each other? Then we’re trapped.”
“I highly doubt that will happen.”
“It happens all the time. People do that. And you have to admit that our relationship hasn’t exactly been a smooth and trouble-free one.”
He leaned in, the dare blazing in his eyes. “You wouldn’t enjoy one that was. You love the challenge. The fencing and the sparks that fly.”
I had to take it back. The man did know me pretty damn well. “But that’s not what works for a marriage. I don’t want to be married to you!”
