Page 94 of Between Despair and Hope

“Didn’t seem relevant.” She dropped to the sofa. She wore a dark green blouse with a leather corset over it, and I averted my eyes before I got lost in her body. She was larger than other women I’d been with. Shorter than me with a wide frame, I found her mesmerizing. Her sturdiness was alluring as I thought about her thick thighs squeezing at my head when I’d been between her legs. The swell of her stomach where I kissed it. The dips and valleys of plump soft skin were a place I could call home. I hadn’t been with her since before Dewalt ended the bond, and I was angry I hadn’t realized the last time was the last time.

“Alright, Mairin. Whatever you say.” I shook my head, irritated, as I turned toward the door.

“I wanted to give us a chance to discuss things before we were stuck on a ship together.”

It hit me like a slap.

Stuck.

She didn’t want to be on the ship with me. I felt foolish for how often I’d thought about her.

“Well, go ahead then.” I crossed my arms. “Say what you need to say so you can go back to giving me space.”

Patting the spot next to her on the sofa, her voice grew soft. “Sit next to me.”

“I’d rather stand.”

“Fine. If you’re going to be difficult…Ven, look at me.”

As stupid as I thought my brother was, I exceeded it when I obeyed her.

“Sit next to me,“ she said again, secondary lids lowering down over her eyes as the compulsion in her voice forced me to move.

“That’s not fair. I wouldn’t do that to you. I hate using it.”

“That’s just one of the many differences between us. I will not feel guilty over using my gift.” She’d proven her point by forcing me to sit beside her, though I sat as far from her on the sofa as I could manage.

“I don’t like you very much right now.”

“Liar.” Her smile looked extra toothy at that moment, and it made me realize how little I knew her. Not only was she a merrow, but she’d lived for centuries before I was even a thought.

“You’re not my favorite person right now, that’s for sure.”

“Because I’ve been giving you space?”

“Space I didn’t ask for,” I replied.

“That’s what I wanted to explain.”

“Considering you didn’t tell me you were over four hundred years old, I’m thinking it was a good idea you gave me space.”

“I don’t make it a habit of telling people things about myself when I haven’t decided whether or not to invest in them. It’s kept me safe.”

“Then why are you telling me now?”

“It is relevant to what we will be doing. I want to make sure you know the important things.”

“Alright. Anything else?” I didn’t know what I had wanted her to say. That she had decided she wanted to invest in me?

“Rainier arranged a meeting with me and Brenna a few weeks ago.”

Divine hell.

“And?”

“And she asked about our relationship.”

“Of course she did.” I rolled my eyes. “And you felt the need to answer her, I presume.”

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