“Yeah, probably,” I murmured.
We turned toward the castle, and he slid his arm around me, resting his hand on my hip again. Even though it probably wasn’t necessary for him to do so, I didn’t resist. Tomorrow we could go back to being enemies. Right now, I wanted to create a memory to savor.
“No,” he said when we were halfway to the castle. “I am not weak. Cultivating life and health with women does not make a man weak. If anything, it made me stronger, because it made me pliant. It allowed me to see a different perspective. It made me tolerant in the way battle training never could have. But there was no explaining that to my father. He didn’t have a great relationship with women. In truth, he didn’t think much of them as a whole.”
“Sounds like a real treat, this guy. And your mother married him why?”
“Arranged marriage. You must know that nobles don’t have much choice in such things. We consolidate money and power, both socially and magically. Our parents make careful choices in our alliances.”
“Did your parents choose someone for you before all this?”
“Yes. It wasn’t a choice I would’ve made for myself.”
“What happened?”
“In the end? The curse happened.”
He didn’t elaborate as we reached the steps to the patio. Then again, he didn’t really have to. He was the only noble left. Clearly his intended hadn’t made it.
He slowed, looking at the door. Several glass panels were embedded in the wood, and a bare ass was pressed against one of them. As we watched, the back of what looked like a woman pushed against the glass pane above. Just beyond, two legs faced it, the knees bending before the flesh against the window shifted. Two palms flattened against the glass. They were fucking against the back door.
“Let’s go around,” I said quickly, knowing he’d probably want to force that door open and ruin their time. He clearly wasn’t ignoring these shenanigans like he had the furry situation earlier.
His fingers dug into my hip angrily. A nerve jumped in the side of his clenched jaw. He did turn, though, heading around the side of the castle toward another entrance. Nearly there, he halted. His arm constricted around me, smashing me to his side before he swore softly and abruptly turned.
“What’s hap—”
“Say nothing,” he whispered furiously, moving his hand to my shoulder and pushing me toward the trees.
I hit a rock with my toe and tried to correct, but he caught me first, dragging me upright.
Once in the trees, he whispered, “They’re looking for us. It either means they are suspicious or they want to taunt me. We need to ensure it’s the latter.”
“What do they want to taunt you about?”
He ducked behind a tree and dragged me with him, pushing me against the bark. He stood close, caging me in with his body. Showering me with his heat.
“I take my honor very seriously, and I’ve been celibate since the curse came into effect. There are a few reasons why, but one of them is that I will not allow them to twist me sexually like they have twisted everyone else in that castle. Now you’re here, and they will think I am starting to break. That I have seen my true fate—failure and death—and decided to forgo my duty and let go of my honor. They think I have captured you for stealing and intend to use you sexually until I’ve had my fill. I want to propagate that illusion. They will taunt me to play on my supposed guilt. They want to twist the knife and, in so doing, twist my mind. Once they see that they are having an effect, they will go after you to incite my animal.”
“Why would that incite your animal?”
“Because I do not share, Finley. If I lay a claim on my chosen, there will be no other. Not for me, and not for her. My animal will not stand for it, even if I could. Through me, they will aim to ruin you. But I will not let them hurt you, do you understand? I will not let them touch you. You are here under my protection, and I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe and whole. Whatever it takes.”
“But you need them to think you’re defiling me, and I need to play along. Otherwise the cover is blown and you’ll get me killed or worse.”
He lifted his hand slowly and ran his thumb along the edge of my jaw. My heart fluttered at that delicate touch.
“The plan was to keep you to your room at night. But your nulling elixir could save lives, and so the plan has changed. I told you I was not a nice man, princess,” he murmured with a bite of gravel in his voice.