“She is. But she won’t harm me.”
Moncho snorted in disbelief. Night and Zi studied me a little too intently. Night cracked his thick neck to either side. Zi’s fingertips grazed the handles of her mordaris at her hips.
“We’re bonded mates. She can’t kill me.”
“How certain are you?” This time it was Félix, the one whom I’d never witnessed questioning his general.
“Completely.”
Félix nodded. Apparently that was confirmation enough for him. But while Félix started toward the door, the rest of the Bazrians didn’t leave Baz’s side.
“Go. You know I hardly sleep anyway. I’m safe.”
Moncho grumbled but followed the rest, including Marina, when they filed out.
And then it was just me and my … not-mate … and my maybe not-enemy…
“Come, my vicious viper. We need the rest. We’ll be grateful later we took this time to replenish our strength. I fear we’ll need every bit of it before we’re through.”
“I’m fine.”
“Then I’m not. What I did with Micaela, it drains me.” An admission of weakness no man should ever make to his enemy—unless he fully believed I wasn’t his enemy, not anymore.
“Your power, it relates to death?”
“No, my dove, my faithum relates to darkness. There’s a great darkness inside me. You’ll soon discover that you may not want me as your mate at all.”
“I already don’t want you as my mate.” Was that fair? “There’s great darkness inside me too,” I offered instead of taking it back.
“I know. I feel it. It beckons to me.”
“It does not.”
“Oh, you have no idea.”
I swallowed.
He took my hand and led me to bed—to his bed.
“Our bed,” he said, as if reading my mind.
I held up our joined hands. “Then you’ll be happy to remove the Rillis rope.”
“No, Vee, I won’t. Until I’m sure you aren’t going to run from me, you won’t be leaving my side.”
“And if I want to bathe?”
“Then I’ll bathe you.”
I swallowed again, the memories of his naked body—and how fucking beautiful it was—achingly vivid.
“So I remain your prisoner?”
“If you want to see it that way: my prisoner.”
“And if I don’t want to be your prisoner?”
“Then you can be my mate. Either way, you’re mine. Mine, Velle.”