Page 48 of Defiance
The breeze that had been so calm before now felt sinister by myself. Was that a brush of a shoe on stone, or the gentle hiss of sand? I scanned the eaves of the central courtyard,anticipating shadowy hands that would grab me and silence my screams for help.
“Novak?” I called out timidly. I glanced inside of my room and the unease grew. I cleared my throat, stopping with the toes of my slippers over the lip of the first step. The room was dark save little pinpricks of the sky in the window’s stone lattice. “Novak, are you in here?”
“Sleep in my suite,” his voice came in a rough growl from the far corner. “Other side of the courtyard. It’s secure.”
“What?”
“Sweeping your room.”
“Oh.” I hugged myself, feeling a little lighter. “Actually, can I stay while you sweep? Talking to Guei—” I bit my tongue. I was still in the hallway, not within the comfort of a privacy puck.
I stepped into the room and the door closed behind me, taking the warm lampglow with it. I squinted into the dark.
“Talking to Guei turned my stomach. I don’t think I’ll be able to stay until I’ve gotten some of this paranoia out of my system.”
I found Novak’s shadow in the room thanks to the way his scales shifted like knives, cutting up the shoulders of his tactical shirt. He curled over the bedding with one hand over his muzzle, tail strangling my pillow. His lungs pumped like great bellows, in and out, in and out.
Novak squeezed his eyes shut, baring his teeth.
“I can’t,” he snarled. “The morning. Maybe.”
What a cheeky liar. He wasn’t sweeping shite! I blinked at him, how he drooled venom onto my pillow, his white fangs catching the pallid glow of moonlight. If I’d seen it the first night we met, I might’ve been cowed, but now all I felt was exasperation.
“For feck’s sake!” I huffed, putting my hands on my hips. “I couldn’t take Sath up on the offer if I wanted to!” He glaredat me. “I don’t, by the way. I’ve had enough of the trials of baby-making and don’t really care to try again.”
“You like him.”
“For the record, I like you too.”
“Charlie,” he warned. “I’m not safe.”
“Oh get tossed.” I rolled my eyes and walked around the bed. Novak reeled back, pressing against the wall. “It’s the scent burn, right?”
“Back up,” he panted, pronged tongue practically rolling out of his mouth. He winced, abdomen clenching.
“Room, give us a warm glow.” The recessed lighting glowed just enough to feel like candles in the corner of the room, bringing out the raven iridescence of his scales. I met Novak’s stare with equal ferocity and his glare moved north to the powder pressed into my forehead.
“Feeling possessive?” I challenged. His eyes snapped back to mine, pupils blowing wide open even as he stood deathly still. I piqued one brow. “Isn’t that the opposite of tucking your tail and running like you’re supposedly hard-wired to?”
He bared his fangs, licking their shocking white glow against his black scales as a wrinkle formed atop his snout. He actively pressed himself into the wall, trying to stem the venom leaking from his glands.
“Charlie!” he snapped. “My room. Go. Lock it.”
“Fine! I’ll go rub meself all over your things if that’s what you want. But I could also—”
He met my stare with suchfearthat my breath caught in my throat.
The chamber in my heart hiding all my wants spilled open like a notebook full of glitter gel pen confessions. I wanted Novak to walk next to me instead of trailing far behind. I wanted him to sit beside me during all these fancy dinners and include him in conversations because hedeserved to be there.Leadinga guild and housing orphans? The first advenan covert elite free agent?
And he was pretending to be my bodyguard?! He should have been my bloodydate.
More than anything, though, I wanted to hug him with a burning ache in my chest. But if I tried, his scales would cut me to ribbons. He needed something different. Something primal and desperate.
He needed tofeel loved.Even if he didn’t know it.
“What?” he rasped, watching me raise my hand. I brushed my palm against his hip and he bucked. I bit my cheek.
“I could help.”
