Page 104 of Red King

“They can go to hell.” His eyes darken. “Do you know what it’s like to be followed everywhere you go? To have someone monitor everything you do? It’s a pain in the ass.”

“I can well imagine, but they are still a factor.” I pull some hair behind my ear.

“Let me worry about Steel and my security detail. We’ll have to be quick, and you’ll have to be very quiet.”

I gasp, my mouth falling open for a second or two. “What do you mean,I’llhave to be quiet?” I laugh. “You’re the one who likes to roar at the top of your lungs every time—”

He laughs. “You’re right. Webothhave to be quiet.”

“Okay, then. I guess you only live once.” I sigh and then smile. “I’m looking forward to seeing the show. The Tributes are excited about it, too.”

“You’ll do it, though?” His eyes are bright; his smile is so naughty, it makes my blood heat.

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

He groans, and the sound is so sexy it tightens my belly.

I feel sad that this is about to come to an end. But it has to.

Every minute I spend with this man tells me that we’re too much. Since the night Arctic lost it so badly and broke down in front of me, things have changed between us. We’ve progressed to being more than just a hook-up but pretending that we’re not. I’m right to end it. I should be sticking to my guns, but a few more days can’t hurt.

29

Paisley

All of the dragons take to the sky at once. I gasp because the display is already incredible, and it has only just begun. Their majestic wings spread wide as they shoot up in formation.

Scales glint against the afternoon sun as they climb up and up and up. Then they’re plummeting back down in freefall.

Some of the Tributes scream, but it’s in sheer excitement, not fear.

The dragons pull up at the last second, breaking up into five groups. All of us clap. They twirl and swoop.

My eyes, as ever, are drawn to a certain dragon. To him. To Arctic. To his pearl-like scales. To his size, his power. His dragon is quite something, just like the man.

“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” I say to Maggie, who is altogether too quiet. Normally, she would be jumping up and down. She’s barely spoken since we got here earlier. She hardly looked at the guys when they took their clothes off.

“It’s great. Beautiful.” She tries to sound upbeat but fails.

“You should get back together with him,” I tell her. Maggie broke up with Hazard a few days ago and has been miserable since. I’ve been waiting for some of her sparkle to return, but it hasn’t.

She looks at me like I’ve lost it. “No, I shouldn’t.”

We’re standing right at the back of the group, only about forty or fifty yards from the tree line of the forest.

“I’m just going to say it, Mags: you’re miserable. You miss Hazard. From all the flowers and gifts he has sent you…and the sheer number of texts…” Her phone pings non-stop. “I would say he feels the same way.”

“It’s exactly why I made the right decision. I can’t get into a relationship with the first guy I date after the divorce.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to be in a relationship, full stop.” She shakes her head. “No, just no. I won’t go through that again.”

“Hazard isn’t your ex.”

“I know that.” She gives me a dirty look and then sighs. “I miss the sex, but I’ll be fine. I’m going to start dating someone else soon. Hazard will be a distant memory in the near future.”

I chuckle. “A distant memory…right? Two guys asked you out just yesterday, and you turned them both down. Do you think maybe that you miss Hazard more than you’re willing to admit, even to yourself?”

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