Boyd doesn’t reply. I’m starting to realize how he’s remained Kieran’s best friend for so long—neither of them are keen on conversing if it doesn’t serve a specific purpose.
Peeling one lid back, I peek at him as he slumps down on the bed, pulling the plush throw at the end of the mattress up over his legs. Settling in. My stomach flips, the nerves that were absent moments ago finally surfacing, twisting in my gut.
“What are you doing?”
He sighs, adjusting his head on the pillow beneath him. It takes so long for him to answer; by the time he does, I’m half asleep and only partially processing his words. “Trying to sleep, if you’re done with the questions.”
My eyebrows furrow, confusion taking the place of my nerves, absorbing the arousal throbbing between my legs. “What? Why are you sleeping in my bed? Don’t you have your own, in your house?”
“If I leave here tonight, I’ll end up murdering someone.” His head turns, his warm hazel eyes immediately finding mine in the dark. “You want their blood on your hands, princess?”
Blinking, I just stare back, trying to grapple with what’s happening. I haven’t seen him since last week in my room when he freaked out about kissing me, and frankly, I’ve been avoiding him while he sorted out his issues.
Part of me feels like this isn’t the consequence of a solution, but rather the result of him looking for a distraction.
Maybe Boyd and I aren’t as different as we appear.
Maybe he needs something—someone—to focus on as much as I do. Someone to keep the darkness inside us at bay.
A kingdom we can call home when ours gets too burdensome.
It’s the first time that anyone’s ever so brazenly spoken about the evil inherent in all King’s Trace residents. Over the years, it didn’t take much to figure out what rumors about my brothers and my family were true, nor did it take long to realize I was expected to carry on as if I didn’t understand our reality. As if I’m not a part of it.
And even though I don’t know what the fuck is going on right now, don’t know why Boyd’s here in a practical stranger’s room seeking solace instead of anywhere else, the warmth that seeps from his presence into my skin makes me refrain from questioning it again.
Besides, I don’t have any doubt he’ll be gone by the time I wake up.