Page 82 of The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating

His tone chilled. “I think Morana does whatever’s best for Morana. She’s allied with me right now because I’ve given her no other choice. The instant something better comes along, she’ll take it.”

“Or,” I ventured, “my father’s behind these raids, using King Auremar to stir up trouble.”

Kazimir nodded, taking a seat on a stone bench and gesturing for me to join him. I hesitated, then sat, leaving a deliberate sliver of space between us. He was way too tempting at close range.

“I’ve sent more patrols along the trade routes, though that might not please Morana.”

“She can cope,” I said, letting some of my frustration mellow my voice. “Isn’t that what you do—force others to cope with your decisions?”

Kazimir ignored my barb. “Tell me, Arabella,” he said, looking at the burned remains of the dummies, “if your father did succeed. If Auremar sent his forces to ‘save’ you, would that make you happy?”

The question rattled me. I stared at the courtyard stones before answering. “No. It wouldn’t.” The words sounded raw, even to my own ears. But I had no illusions about what life would be like if I returned to Solandris.

I looked up to find Kazimir studying me. “What?” I inhaled the faint stench of burnt straw still clinging to the humid night air. Nyx snorted beside me, her smoky breath huffing across my leg. I drew my shoulders back, reminding myself to hold steady. “What?” I repeated under my breath, as if Kazimir’s gaze were an interrogation.

A flicker of something stirred in his expression. “You answered quickly, that’s all.”

“Well, I’m not about to pretend escaping back to my father would be a dream come true.” My voice felt smaller than I intended, but I kept talking anyway. “I know exactly how that story goes. I’ll always be just another pawn in his scramble for power.”

I brushed an ember off my sleeve. Part of me wanted Kazimir to stop looking at me that way, to stop dissecting my every word. Another part found it comforting, being truly seen, even by a villain.

“Besides,” I added self-consciously, “I’m married to you, aren’t I? It’s not like I’m available.”

Kazimir’s gaze was unrelenting, full of a hunger that made my stomach flutter. He reached out, fingers brushing my chin, forcing me to look him straight in the eye. “What’s mine,” he said softly, “stays mine.”

That quiet promise—I should hate it, right? But instead, something in me loosened, like I could exhale after holding my breath for too long. I tried for a scoff, or at least a clever retort, but all I managed was a shallow breath.

“Arrogant warlord,” I murmured at last, voice rasping.

“Always.”

An uneasy silence settled. Eventually, he stood, glancing up at the emerging stars. “I’ll leave you to your training. I have some research to do on our situation at the borders.”

The subtle tingle behind my eyes alerted me to a part-truth, part omission. “Right,” I said softly. “I’ll see you later, then.”

Without another word, he turned and strode back into the fortress, coat tails swaying. My gaze tracked him until he disappeared. Nyx nudged me, a knowing look in her silver gaze.

“Yes, he’s hiding something,” I told her, sighing. She blew a faint bit of smoke. Smug creature. I forced my attention back tothe new dummy. “All right, one more attempt before we call it quits.”

I braced the dummy upright, and Nyx eyed me with that cheeky glint. “You’re on my side,” I reminded her. “Aren’t you?” Any illusions I had of being in complete control vanished under her playful stare.

“It’s the principle of the thing,” I muttered, mostly to myself. “He kidnapped me, put a macabre ring on my finger, and then acted surprised when I didn’t immediately jump into bed. As if I’d fall all over him just because he’s the mighty Dark Lord.” I planted the dummy with unnecessary force. “Yes, he’s attractive, but that’s—” I blew out a breath. “It’s just biology.”

Nyx issued a disdainful snort that almost sounded like laughter. “You hush,” I snapped, rubbing a spot of soot off my leathers. “Sometimes, for three seconds, I almost forget how much I hate him.”

The dragon swished her tail skeptically. She wasn’t fooled by my deflections any more than I was. I still couldn’t figure out Kazimir’s real game—he wanted me for my bloodline, but sometimes he looked at me like he actually wanted… me.

What’s mine stays mine.

I sighed. “All right. Small and controlled, remember?”

Nyx inhaled, then promptly unleashed a massive jet of flame. The force knocked me flat on my back. When the flames died, the dummy had been reduced to a smoldering mound of char.

The dragon ambled over and peered down at me with veil-thin amusement. Her expression practically saidOops.

“Yeah, yeah,” I grumbled, picking myself off the flagstones. “Perhaps we’ll save what’s left of Griffin’s dummies for another day.”

35

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