“I appreciate the sentiment.”
“My shoulders are sunburnt,” I mumble, my cheek resting against the exposed skin of his neck. “I was only in Summer for a little bit before sunset too.”
He plops me down in the bed and returns a moment later to place a glass of water in my hand. “Drink.”
I take a couple sips before putting it on the bedside table. He collapses onto the couch, so tall his feet hang off the end.
“Are you going to be okay there?”
“I sleep on the floor every other night.”
“But you’re a wolf then.”
“Go to sleep, Rosalina.”
I stretch my arms above my head, relishing the silken sheets against my fevered body. My mind feels sparkly and light. I’m not ready to sleep yet. “I had such an amazing night. The Summer Realm is so warm.”
Keldarion gives a grunt of acknowledgment.
“Dayton was so nice too. He cut off a man’s hands for touching me. That’s why there was blood on his chest.”
“He did what?”
“I’ve never felt like that before.” I can’t help but feather my hands over my body, down between my legs. Thinking of Dayton’s mouth there, and Kel a few feet away… It makes me even wetter. “Will you bring him here?”
“I will absolutely not bring him here,” Keldarion says, cool and fast.
“It’s okay,” I say dreamily. “He’s with Farron.”
“How do you know?”
“I…” My words trail off, and I’m having trouble finding them in my blurry mind. “I can feel it. They’re together. They love each other a lot, but they’re bad at saying it.”
Maybe it’s a hunch, but it’s almost like I can feel them, passion radiating through me. Or maybe I’m only imagining how great their makeup sex would be. But I know Kel needs me more.
I slip my hands beneath the band of my pants, feeling my aching heat, and a little sigh escapes my lips. Shit, why does my body feel like this?
There’s a flurry of movement and Keldarion is above me. He yanks my hands up and locks both my wrists above my head. Holy crap, he’s fast.
“You need to go to sleep, Rosalina.” His voice is raspy, untethered.
A mixture of fear and something else swirls in my body. “Is it true you haven’t had sex in twenty-five years?”
He takes in a long, shuddering breath. “Dayton says a lot of things, as you well know.”
“Well, is it true?” I drag my eyes down his body. Through the thin fabric of his night pants, I see a long outline. “It’s obviously not from—”
“I’m a beast, Rosalina.” The grip on my wrists tightens. “The others might be willing to forget that fact, but I cannot.”
He’s so handsome: the long nose and dark brows, his eyes so full of pain. I should agree with him. He’s the one who imprisoned me here, who’s keeping me from my home. But a swell of different emotions rise when I look at him.
“He also said you were in love before,” I whisper.
A calamity flickers over his face, and he lifts off me to sit at the end of the bed.
“You shouldn’t be ashamed to have loved, Kel,” I say softly. “Love isn’t a bad thing. You know what’s bad? Hating someone, judging someone. Loving someone is actually quite nice in comparison. Love is good.”
His breath shudders in his throat and he runs a hand through his hair. “Not when it comes to me.”