Page 71 of Vicious Princess
Daegel looks haunted for a heartbeat. It only fuels my curiosity. What is he hiding under that handsome exterior?
The tiny pang of hurt pushes at my chest. Whatever sexual tension there is between us…that’s all there is. Daegel doesn’t trust me with anything more.
Why am I so disappointed merely thinking about it? I shouldn’t be.
It’s only fair. When he tried to get me to open up to him earlier, I shut him down. Of course he would return the favor when I’m the one asking questions I have no business asking.
To my surprise, Daegel notices the shift in my mood. “Phoenix?—”
I lift my palm in the air between us. “No. Don’t worry about it. You don’t want to reveal personal information to your mentee and student. I get it. We have a very professional relationship.”
Yes. A professional mentor-and-student relationship. No emotional attachments. Just hot, passionate sex.Which is in the past.
That is what I want.
That is what will keep me on track with my goals. And keep my heart safe.
“I think we’re way past the professional relationship at this point. Don’t you think, princess?”
“Well, if you would stop calling me that, maybe we wouldn’t be,” I snap.
Daegel’s amused. I cross my arms and glower at him.
“I want to answer all your questions truthfully. Whatever you want to know about me and my life. But when I say things are complicated, I mean it. You’ll learn about it all in time. If you so desire, that is,” he says. “I have a number of questions I want to ask you myself. Why are you here in Ekios? What was your life like back in Wetra? Did you leave a boyfriend or a lover waiting for you to get back home? But I’m not sure now is the right time to get those answers. First, you must graduate. Besides, I can see the way you tense the moment I mention anything about your background or your past.”
“I know,” I say with a sigh. In that moment, my heart aches with desire to open up to him. To let my guard down and let him in. But it terrifies me just as much. After a pause, I add, “I don’t have a boyfriend or a lover waiting for me back home. There is no…home left in Wetra.”
Daegel gently brushes his knuckles on the side of my thigh. A soothing gesture meant to offer some comfort. “I’m sorry to hear that. I can only imagine how hard and lonely that must feel,” he says.
I purse my lips and nod, gaze unfocused in front of me. I try really hard to keep the memories of my family at bay.
“Most of the time, I don’t see eye to eye with my father or my mother. Often in my youth, I wished I weren’t part of my family. But if I lost them… I can’t even fathom it.”
“Yeah,” I say, voice cracking at the end. “It’s an odd feeling, knowing that the comfort of family isn’t there. That it’s only me.” I turn to face him, and our gazes lock. “If I fall, nobody’s there to catch me.”
The sadness in his gaze is like looking into a mirror. I can’t stand it.
So I clear my throat and rise to my feet. I clap once and flash him a smile. “Come on now. How about we see who can get back to the castle first? I need to stretch my legs.”
Daegel barks a laugh. “You’re just asking to have your ass handed to you.”
Before he can even get to his feet, I graciously jump off the roof and land gently on my feet. “We’ll see about that. If I win, you stop calling me a princess.”
“And ifIwin?”
I shrug. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
Before he’s even on his feet, I run without turning back.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
When I get back to the barracks, it’s way past midnight. Everyone’s asleep, snores coming from a few different bunk beds.
Quietly, I approach the bunk Roman and I share, then start stripping out of my leathers.
“Where for the love of the spirits of the gods have you been?”
My heart almost lurches out of my throat at Roman’s question. “Training,” I whisper back at him.
