Page 5 of Kingdom of Spirits

“Is the mead good?” she asked Marius.

He tapped his empty cup. “Very.”

“I’ll take one, please,” she said to the server.

The male nodded, his gaze sliding from her full lips to her breasts. “Anything else?”

“Just the drink,” Marius snapped viciously, a snarl following his words.

Tahlia and the server both stared at Marius, then the server inhaled, blinked, and scurried away like the rat he was.

“You didn’t have to scare the poor thing to death just for eyeing me up.”

“It’s not appropriate,” Marius said.

Tilting her head, she lifted her pert nose. She seemed to be peering down at him even though he was a few heads taller. “Because I’m a knight or because of some other reason?”

He fought a growl that tried to crawl up his throat. “I, well, both.”

“Both what?”

“Damn it, Tahlia.”

“Whoa.” She spread her hands. “What is happening?”

He shook himself. “I’m sorry. I’m just…”

“You’re nervous, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Stop looking like that pleases you so much.”

She acted at wiping the smile from her rosy mouth. “Sorry. I’ll try.”

He swallowed and looked at the grain of the table. “Let’s start over.”

“All right. Are you Marius now or High Captain?”

“Marius.”

She touched his hand briefly, then tucked her hands into her lap. Her smile was back and the beauty of it made his heart ache.

“You weren’t nervous about flirting with me in the arena,” she said.

Her cheeks flushed, but she didn’t seem concerned. His mind, however, was a storm. His thoughts whirled, thequestions he’d planned and his plans to murder the server with the roving gaze tangled into a grand mess.

“What do you want?” he spat out, immediately irritated with himself for acting like a troll.

“Umm. You’ll have to give me some details about what you mean.”

Gods, she was laughing at him. Silently, but still. Her eyes said it all. “If you could change one thing about your past, what would you alter?”

Her bottom lip stuck out a fraction, and her eyes focused on the space above his head. “Oh, good question.” Her face cleared and she met his eyes. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Every rough experience I’ve been through has worked to make me the dragon rider I am today. I don’t regret the challenges. I would be a marshmallow without them. I know I would. I adore the pleasant things in life a little too much.”

Had he heard her correctly? “What is a marshmallow?”

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