Page 63 of A Lick of Flame

“You know why,” I snap back.

“You shouldn’t have—”

“Don’t even start.” I shake my head.

We ride in silence for a while. I can practically feel Orion glowering.

“That was a bit of luck,” I say.

“What was?” His eyes are blazing. Yep, he’s still mad. I ignore it.

“That Bard likes you…or at least, he liked Dante very much. The two of you must have had some relationship.”

“I am Dante.” He sounds angry. “I was still me, even if I didn’t know it. Orion and Dante are technically the same person.”

“I get that. He said that he owed you.” I lift my brows.

Orion nods once. “I saved his life once.”

“That’s not why he helped us, though.”

“Like you said, we have a long history together. We walked a long road. In many ways, Bard was like a father to me. When I was a child, my own father was often too busy to spend much time with me. He was always away on business, and when I grew older, he became hard on me. I was, after all, the future king and only heir to the throne.” He looks over at me and then at my gaping dress. “Do you want to stop to fix that?” His voice is gruff. His jaw is tight. In short, he looks angry.

I look down, and my right breast is covered only by my chemise, leaving little to the imagination.

I mutter a curse. It’s under my breath, so I am sure that Kakara will forgive me my indiscretion. I hoist up my sleeve, knowing that it is just a matter of time before it falls again. I am quite sure that Orion is not innocent at all. That he has seen a woman in a far more undressed state than I am right now. Why is he making such a fuss?

“There is no time,” I tell him in a harsh tone that is filled with irritation. “What’s wrong with you? You should be happy. We escaped. Why are you acting this way? It’s like you’re angry with me. So what if I seduced Hamlin? Nothing happened. Not really.” It shouldn’t matter to Orion. None of it should.

“You’ve had every man lust after you. They’ve undressed you with their eyes and seen you as more of an object than a person. What they don’t seem to see is the incredibly brave, courageous, and intelligent woman you are. I do not wish to add myself to that group of men. I do not wish to look at you in such a manner. We should get going,” he barks the last.

Orion spurs his horse on, and we pick up a comfortable lope. At least, it should be comfortable, but I am anything but comfortable. I am reeling. What did he mean by that? Is he lusting after me?

No! Surely not. I don’t believe it.

And yet, he just about admitted to having improper thoughts. Orion is attracted to me. It’s absolutely fine because Orion wouldn’t act on it. I know he wouldn’t. I would turn him down flat even if he did. But the thought of Orion touching me, kissing me, isn’t off-putting in the least. I feel a heat grow deep in my belly. A need unfurls inside me. I’ve never felt such a thing before.

No!

I refuse to feel this way. Not about him. He lied to me. He showed me his true colors. He is a fae. He is despicable. I know it. He has to be.

I don’t care that his reasons for lying were sound, and I don’t care that Bard let us go based on…respect, love even, for the man that he knew.

I urge Midnight to go a little faster. I’m sure he can take it. “How soon before we reach your kingdom?”

“We’ll ride a little farther. Then we’ll take a short rest. I’m hoping before nightlift, but if not, then soon after that.”

“Good.”

I swallow when I see his eyes dip down. My dress sleeve must have fallen again.

Kakara help me, but that same need unfurls a whole lot more when I see hunger in his eyes. Heat blasts me from the inside out. I’m burning up inside. I want…I…I want… I’m not sure of exactly what I want, only that I don’t want to want it.

The feeling is mutual because his jaw tightens, and he looks straight ahead.

24

Maya

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