Page 118 of Warrior's Reign
Lohail dropped the amused act like trash and curled a lip. “Unless it’s foreplay, get your hand off my fucking neck.”
Vykhan appeared to squeeze harder.
Lohail rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he snapped. “I won’t touch your little human again. Even if she begs me to.”
Vykhan rose slowly.
“I wouldn’t have had to,” Lohail added nastily, “if you hadn’t left her wanting. What is wrong with you? Are you so afraid of yourself that you would throw away your own bonded to cling to the false baby blanket of Silence?”
Vykhan froze.
“Oh, you thought I hadn’t noticed?” Lohail rose gracefully to his feet, flicking stuff off his shoulders, then shaking out his hair. “Your marks spark whenever you touch her. Idobelieve she’s trying to pretend they don’t. You deserve each other.”
He strode towards the door, ignoring the shambles of the room. “I’m going to find something to drink, and have my breakfast in private. Work your issues out now, before Adevega arrives, or she will exploit them, and you will both fail.” And he muttered something else that sounded like, “Fucking followers of Haeemah. Spare me.”
Reign crossed her arms, gave Vykhan a wary look, then uncrossed them and began to move towards the door. “Well. I should go and reconnaissance, sir.”
She made it three steps.
42
Something—haha—slammed her against the corridor wall, pinning her wrists above her head.
She stared up at Vykhan. “There are healthier ways to initiate communication.” Which was likely an understatement, but so far no unforgivable lines crossed. He’d been rougher in the training circle at Yna Ipaluk.
“We need to talk,” he whispered.
“See? You’re improving already.”
“From the moment I stepped in this cursed pit, I knew I was lost.” He closed his eyes, lowering his forehead to rest against hers. She twitched, and his hands around her wrists tightened.
“I’m not feeling very sorry for you. What did Lohail say? Oh, yes. . .if it’s not foreplay, then get your hands the fuck off—”
His eyes snapped open. “Why did you let him touch you?”
Reign cringed a little. “You said you didn’t mind.”
His hands squeezed. “I believe I may have misled myself.”
“I think we’ve established that.” She cleared her throat. “You also said until he got it out of his system he wouldn’t focus on business. I thought if I started to cultivate him—” He looked incredulous.
“You thought you could turnLord Lohailinto an asset?”
“You don’t have to make me sound stupid. And besides, you pissed me off.”
Vykhan studied her face. “Lohail, as usual, knows exactly how to salt the wound. He did it on purpose.”
“I hate to break it to you, but there’s no way else but on purpose. People seem to think you can just trip and accidentally fall on a dick.”
His jaw clenched. She watched his skin pale as his eyes flashed. Reign gave him a nasty smile. Then she moved. He was just a hair faster and avoided her knee but stepped back enough she move around him.
“Decide what you want, Eredan. Really decide. You can’t marry me expecting that I will hide you from yourself. And you can’t be mad at me for wanting Lohail when you want him too.”
“I don’t want him.”
She halted at his quiet statement, but didn’t turn. “Fine. You don’t want him. Neither do I, not really.”
Reign stared down the hall, unseeing. This wasn’t the place to have this conversation, or any conversation. And not the time. Right now she needed space, and time to decompress. Alone.
