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I lunged at him, bellowing as I did, all the rage and fear and panic welling up in me. Rook sprang aside, deflecting my wild swing and knocking my sword to the ground. I heard his own sword drop, and suddenly his arms were around me, and he was pressed against my back. I writhed in his grasp, his calloused hands gripping my arms against my body.

“Let me go!” I screamed.

“I’m not doing that until you calm down.” His voice was low, just as it was in all those fucking sweaty dreams I kept having about him.

“Fuck you!” I kicked my legs in the air, trying to get out of his grasp. “Let me go!”

“Elara. I need you to calm down.”

Tears bit at my eyes. I shook my head, thrashing again, weaker this time, the fight leaving my body. “Fuck you, Rook.”

“I’m not fighting you while you’re like this.” His mouth was right by my ear. “Anger and fear are deadly. You need to calm down.”

I sagged in his arms, and I didn’t even care that my hair was sticking to the sweat on his chest. I merely stayed there, trying to steady my breathing, trying not to think about how nice it was to just be fucking held by someone.

“Did something happen?” He asked me quietly.

I bit my lip, willing myself not to cry. “I’m afraid.”

Rook gently turned me around in his arms, and tipped my head back. His eyes searched my face, and I was shocked at the tenderness I saw there. “I know you are. And I wish I could say you didn’t have reason to be.”

My head fell against him, and I wasn’t sure if I could keep breathing. “Rook-“ I gasped. “Please… I can’t… I can’t…” My shoulders heaved, my throat suddenly dry and raw.

His arms went around me then, pulling me in to his chest. He stroked my hair, and tears bit at my eyes. This was my first tender interaction in weeks, and it was with the Night Demon who’d tried to kill me when I first arrived. WhoI’dtried to kill when I first arrived. And now he cradled my head against his chest, waiting patiently until I could breathe again.

“This is a change from calling me an evil witch,” I said after a while, and Rook laughed. He notched two fingers under my chin and looked into my eyes, smiling, and I saw for the first time the dimples set in his cheeks.

“A pleasant change, I hope.”

I sniffled. “Careful, you might find yourself giving a shit about a Fae.”

“You’re unlike any Fae I’ve ever met before, princess, and, I’m sure, I shall ever meet again.”

“How so?”

He shrugged. “You just are. A fierce little Fae.”

“Sorry I nearly decapitated you.”

“I was well ready for you, don’t worry.” He traced the tip of his index finger along my scar. His eyes moved along it, his smile melting into something soft and tender, before his gaze met mine again.

I tried not to cringe. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

He shook his head. “Not at all. Reminds me just how tough you really are, princess.”

Our eyes were locked on each other, and my heart was suddenly caught in a warm glow that was so strange it was almost painful.

“The guards will be reporting back on this,” he murmured, his finger continuing to caress my jawline.

“Let them, Theron can’t possibly do any worse than he already has.”

“Oh well now, looks like you two are getting on famously!”

The voice sent a cascade of ice down my back, and Rook stepped away from me instantly. I hurriedly wiped my face, hoping my cheeks weren’t too flushed.

Theron sidled down the steps into the training arena, his hands behind his back. “Things going well, Rook?” He walked around us slowly.

Rook cleared his throat. “The princess was upset, Sire.”