Page 33 of Blood of Dragons

His knees were spread, his chest and feet were bare, and he wore the same dark trousers he’d worn when he visited my bedchambers. His chest was still, and he appeared unnerved by my knee-jerk reaction.

My heart slammed against my chest, and my pulse drummed against my neck. The window was cracked and the cool breeze flowed into the room, but my palms were suddenly slick with sweat.

He hadn’t blinked this whole time. Didn’t speak a word. Didn’t explain his presence.

“Is—is this real?” My voice came out as a raspy whisper, the fear like a rock on my tongue.

He continued his stare, so still he looked more like a statue than a real person. Carved from the stone of his heart, he remained immobile, his eyes not even shifting as he regarded me. Then he spoke, his voice as deep and angry as it’d always been. “Yes.”

“How?” I glanced at the front door, which hadn’t opened or closed. “I don’t understand.” How did he make it into the forest, all the way to Riviana Star, and then locate my tree house—half naked—and all the while not being spotted.

“You don’t need to understand. You just need to accept that I’m here—with you.”

I continued to breathe hard, unsure if I should run or scream.

His eyes hardened on my face. “You can’t run from me.”

I was frozen, locked in place by his relentless stare. “You’re going to kill me.” He was far more powerful than I realized, walking straight into my home without triggering a single alarm. He had no weapon, but all he needed were his hands.

His head tilted slightly, and his eyes narrowed just a fraction. “I let you go.”

“And you said if we crossed paths again, you wouldn’t be so kind.”

His hand lifted to his chin, and his curled fingers lightly brushed against his lips.

I waited for him to say something, but he’d never been one to explain himself. He kept everything inside—and left me in the dark. “Why did you spare me?” His blade had drawn a dribble of blood, but the wound was so insignificant it was barely superficial.

His eyes hadn’t left my face, hadn’t taken a second to blink. Just like our nights spent in my bedchambers, he was thoroughly absorbed with me and nothing else. “You know why.”

I met his angry stare, felt all the rage he didn’t form into words. “I really don’t?—”

“Because I can’t hurt you.” Now his voice was stronger, louder. “I could never hurt you.”

I swallowed, feeling the sincerity leave his lips and melt onto my skin. All the terror I’d felt seconds ago was washed away by his protective river. My heart slowed, but it was still faster than it had been before he’d entered my presence.

“But I’m angry.”

My eyes moved back to his face.

“Fucking angry.” Now he looked at me like I was his enemy, like the sweet confession he’d just made had never happened. We were across from each other on the battlefield once more, the trees burning around us, the dead forming a wall to block all escape.

When his stare became too much, I looked away.

“Look at me.”

I obeyed, my eyes shifting back to his.

“I understand your decision. Even respect it. Doesn’t mean I like it.” He dropped his arm back to the armrest. “We’ve been parted for weeks now, and I’ve given your words great thought. I have no choice but to admit that you’re right. That I did to you exactly what was done to me. You should want me dead.”

My eyes flicked away.

“But you don’t.”

I inhaled a heavy breath, looking at the book on the table.

“I told you to look at me.”

“It’s hard?—”