Chapter 29
It’s been five days! Carwyn yelled in her head as she kicked the pile of garments she refused to wear. Five days in this forsaken cave!
He could take back all his gifts, and the new ones he’d snuck in while she was asleep, including the huge diamond she had no need for! Not to mention the new shoes, the dresses, and the fucking pearl necklace with matching earrings.
I said no more gifts!
They were his way of asking her to be patient, and Carwyn tired of being quiet and compliant!
She snatched the silver-and-garnet bracelet she found this morning and threw it across the room. I want to go home! Displeased by the general neatness, she grabbed the dresses and started tossing them towards the entrance.
She grabbed her favourite gift, the comb, and went to throw it at the wall. She hesitated. Especially when she saw that she’d, in fact, broken the necklace and pearls had scattered across the stone floor.
She couldn’t throw it. Its meaning felt too tender. Or at least her acceptance of it was.
She slapped her hands over her flushed, overheated face, and the comb’s metal tines poked her in the nose. “I’ll kill him,” she whispered. “Kick him while he’s small.”
She’d make him regret pussyfooting around!
She tipped her head back in frustration as her hands fell to sway at her sides. Truly, Kier. Why am I still here?
He should have been rid of her by now.
At first she was fine with it. Understanding even. But after so many days, Carwyn had truly wound herself up, and that garnet bracelet had sent her over the edge.
The longer I stay here with him so near, the less I want to leave. She fucking missed him, and he was right in front of her! It was giving her a peek of what it’d be like without him and she didn’t like it.
She didn’t like this hurt that was being dredged up.
It was like a slow death, rather than a clean end.
Grieving before the loss.
When did I start falling for him? She lifted the comb to stare at it, and her eyes bowed with anguish. So foolish of me.
It made her even more desperate to leave...
“How did you get that?” Selene asked at the entryway, causing a surprise squeal to belt from Carwyn. Her scaled face pinched tightly before she scratched the side of her head in repulsion. “Blasted! What a horrible sound.”
Carwyn slapped her hands over her mouth. “Sorry. You gave me a fright.”
“Easily frightened then, aren’t you?” She glared, then tipped her snout at Carwyn’s hand. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“This?” Carwyn lifted the comb and licked her lips nervously. “H-he gave it to me.” Seeing how Selene’s red eyes narrowed with suspicion, she quickly added, “It was an apology. You hurt me, and I found this the next morning.”
“I see.” Selene’s shoulders visibly eased before her indifferent stare roamed Carwyn’s room. Her expression twisted. “What a mess of items that I’m guessing were meant to make your stay more comfortable. This is how you treat such generosity from a dragon?”
The heat of chagrin rose in her cheeks and neck, but she swallowed down the urge to shout profanities at the dragoness. Thankfully the destroyed pearl necklace stopped it from being distinguishable for what it once was, and the bracelet was too small to spot beyond the general mess.
“I’ve lost something,” she lied with a conniving smile. “Something precious to me.” Yes, her desire to not wring his meaty neck. “Pardon my carelessness in my panic.”
Selene gave her an empty stare, adept at hiding the truth of her emotions behind cold steeliness. “Fine,” she bit. “No matter. I will return shortly, little witch. The storm has finally eased.”
Carwyn blinked. “You’re leaving?”
Selene turned to walk up the incline. “Temporarily. Best to remember that.”
Carwyn ran to the entryway, leaned her hand upon the wall, and poked her head out to see she’d already walked quite a large distance. She watched her tail disappear with a flick at the last arc of his tunnels.
The more I try to get her to like me so she’s on my side, the less she seems to. Carwyn had done nothing wrong. All their conversations had been amicable and friendly in the beginning, yet after only a few days, she’d gone sour.
It was like she hated Carwyn’s prolonged presence.
Was that a good or bad sign? At least that means she won’t force me to stay here. But the idea of being imprisoned by the Elders or the dragon king seemed far worse.
She sighed and retreated into her room. When she turned around, the idea of cleaning the mess she’d made exhausted her. She crossed her arms, the comb dangling from one hand, as she tapped her foot in thought.
He’ll be upset with me for treating his gifts like this. He’d already warned her of it weeks ago.
Weeks.
She walked deeper inside to lay the comb down. Why am I thinking about all this right now? Selene has left. This is my proper chance to speak to him.
Hiking up the skirt of the green dress he’d given her, she went on the hunt. She checked every alcove on her way down into the belly of the mountain, passing organised rooms of his spread-out hoard.
She made it halfway before he strutted out of an area that contained clothing, just as he was slipping a black glove onto his wiggling fingers. He looked rather pleased with himself as his ruby eyes cut to her, and the corners of them crinkled just as a lock of black hair fell across his brow.
“It seems we’re finally alone, little witch.”
She didn’t trust the smirk upon his handsome human face, or the swirl of impishness in his gaze. She folded her arms and gave him one of her best glares.
“I demand that we talk, dragon.”
“Yes, I thought you might.”
She immediately lost her tension. “Really?” Was he really being so easy about it?
“Of course.” That smirk of his grew. “But as you can see, I have other intentions.”
Her eyes skimmed over his clothing. From the light-grey tunic, the brown trousers, his bare feet, and then up to the strange black material looping around his neck. He wiggled all ten gloved fingers at her.
“I could only find the left one at first. They’re such a tiny item to keep track of.”
When understanding dawned, she took a step back. “Don’t even think about it.”
“It really is more fun when you run, Carwyn.”
Spinning on the spot, she made it one step before she ran into an invisible wall. The moment she hit it, a curtain of invisibility was dropped, and he materialised in front of her.
“But we don’t have time for your games today.”
She looked behind her and he was gone. He tricked me. She screamed when he picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and carted her up the incline.
She beat on his back. “Stop manhandling me!”
“We only have an hour or so before Selene returns,” he answered. “Can’t have you wasting a second of it.”
She grunted out a shriek as she fought to get down. She shoved against his back, kneed him in the chest, and punched him in the spine. He seemed to feel none of it.
“So this is your wrath when you’re displeased with me?” he said, obviously staring at the way she’d thrown all his gifts.
“You promised to ask her, Kier. I don’t want apologies.”
He sighed as he walked inside. Her whole world darted past her eyes when he tossed her down onto her bedding. Before she could collect herself, he grabbed her bare hands and pinned them down as he positioned himself above her.
She didn’t know what stopped her from fighting him.
Was it his magnificent face above hers, his mesmerising eyes, or how her body instantly melted when she felt him between her thighs?
“And I will ask,” he stated, his slitted pupils tight, “when she is ready. You don’t know Selene like I do, but she doesn’t usually linger. I’ll speak with her when it doesn’t burden her, or when she is less likely to be rash with her decision.”
Her heaving chest deflated at his logical explanation; she couldn’t argue with that.
“Fine,” she bit, turning her head to the side and refusing to look at him.
In her periphery, his lips curled with triumph. He released one of her hands to hook a finger into the loop of material around his neck and pull it up over his face.
“Now, female. I have been waiting days for this.”
“Absolutely not.” When he came close, she shoved her free hand against his chest, thankful for the material covering his torso. “I’m not going to be intimate with someone who has spent the last five days ignoring me!”
“I haven’t ignored you,” he argued. “Any chance I tried to take, you avoided it.”
“To stop her from catching on to the truth!”
His voice was filled with mirth. “And what truth is that?”
She bit her lips shut and peeked open her eyes to look at the wall. That there’s obviously something between us, her mind whispered.
Admittedly, there were a few times where he’d laughed softly when they were all together, and he’d stared at her specifically, making her belly coil.
Or he’d curl his tail around her legs when Selene was otherwise preoccupied, and Carwyn’s heart went crazy, but it was quick to disappear when the dragoness was about to look their way.
Okay, so Carwyn had been avoiding him.
She didn’t like the way it felt, even if she partook in the facade willingly. Even if it was something they’d silently agreed upon.
But the longer she’d been alone with nothing but her thoughts, the deeper the nasty parasite of disappointment had wormed itself into her very soul.
“I refuse to be your dirty little secret,” she whispered, before bringing her gaze to his.
Only to pause at the tight black material covering the bottom half of his face.
“I beg your pardon?”
“The fact that you feel the need to hide it, like you’re ashamed of whatever this is...” Her lips tightened from the sting of hurt as she looked away once more.
“And what about you?” he argued, releasing her other hand as he pulled back to rest on his knees.
Her brows came together. “Excuse me?”
As he knelt over her, his gaze was intense and cold, and dear heavens, it looked lethal. “You expect me to reveal such a thing when you desire to leave?”
She opened her mouth to argue, only to cram it shut. He was right.