Page 53 of Aine
I can hear the sarcasm loud and clear in his tone. My shoulders roll back before I take a sip of my wine. His abrupt switch from hating me to setting up a date is suspicious, and I won’t be led to believe otherwise.
If I had to guess, I’d assume his people are angry with him for allowing Freya to stay in his house, let alone the village, and this is an attempt to prove he and I are in a good place.
“So,” Damien starts, pausing to clear his throat, “how was your day?”
“It was fine.” I shrug.
Considering he watched me from the training fields all afternoon, it’s not as if anything happened he isn’t already aware of.
“Well, mine could have been better. I had a hard time waking up this morning, and when I did, it was only to discover that my mate left me all alone, unprotected.”
I snort. Like this man needs any sort of protection. I’m sure even in his drugged state, he could have fought off anybody who came in trying to attack him. Damien smirks at my disbelief, and my face warms as I realize this was the reaction he wanted from me.
“I don’t know why you’re laughing,” Damien jokes. “I could have been hurt.”
I clear my throat in an attempt to hold back a chuckle. I refuse to be tricked by his fake affection. He called me pathetic the last time I tried to be friendly and open up to him, and I’ll be damned if I fall prey to it again.
“I’m sure you were fine,” I respond, taking another sip of my wine.
Although it’s clear Damien wants to chat before eating, I reach forward and pop off the metal lid keeping the food warm. I watch out of the corner of my eye as he frowns, but he doesn’t try to stop me as I start serving myself. The sooner this pseudo date ends, the sooner I can leave.
“I didn’t realize you were so hungry,” he says.
The silence between us is tense as he grabs his plate and serves himself once I’m finished. I’m unsure what kind of meat I’m eating, but I do recognize the carrots and rice mixed within. We don’t harvest rice here, and it’s rare Damien has a shipment of it delivered.
My head bobs in confirmation as I begin shoveling the food in my mouth. Damien watches silently, his throat bobbing, before he takes hold of my hand that rests on the table.
I freeze, staring down at where we connect.
He sighs and retreats as he takes in my panic-stricken face.
“Aine, I’m really trying here,” he claims.
I want to snap back and remind him thathe’sthe one who called me pathetic for wanting to have a relationship with him in the first place, but I don’t in fear of making him angry. It’s unfair of him to treat me like shit and then expect me to turn around and plead for his attention.
“Do you miss your husband?”
My blood runs cold as he brings up Henry, fear permeating every inch of my body. Has he found out what I did? I haven’t told anybody about Henry’s death, but I wouldn’t put it past him to go to my village and find out.
Although I briefly remember his beast running toward my village after my execution, I don’t actually know what came of that. A part of me is terrified of finding out that everybody I’ve ever known and loved is dead, so I haven’t brought it up.
I’m not ready to hear the answer.
“Why?” I ask, trying and failing to keep my suspicion out of my voice.
Damien shrugs as he takes a bite of food. He’s watching me too closely, his eyes zeroed in on my every reaction.
“Jenna told me you were married,” he cautiously answers, no doubt sensing my panic. “I imagine it must have been hard to leave your husband after your execution.”
The wording he uses makes it sound like he doesn’t know about my crime and it fills me with the hope that my secret remains unknown. I’m willing to bet they don’t take kindly to murderers here, and the last thing I need is that information getting out.
Damien tilts his head to the side as he waits for my answer, and I fumble to come up with something truthful and non-concerning.
“Not really,” I respond honestly. “We didn’t have the best relationship.”
“Why?”
I shrug before mindlessly repeating the words I’ve heard thousands of times before. “I was an unworthy wife.”