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“Ignore it,” Skye said tightly.

It took every ounce of will he possessed to hold himself above her, to give her the time she needed to work up to another attempt. He loved and loathed these moments in equal measure—watching as curiosity slowly won out over hesitation.

She didn’t go quite so bold this time. Instead, she skimmed her palm over the front of his pants. He groaned, hips jerking into the touch before he could stop himself. A flush crept up her cheeks, but she kept going, her fingers mapping the shape of him through the fabric. There was hesitation in it. A tremble. Like she was afraid of doing it wrong—and he had to bite back a groan, because there was no wrong. Not with her.

Then she stilled. Just for a second. He felt her fingers at his waistband, attempting another timid slide underneath—

There it was again. Someone knocking.

Then it was someone pounding.

“Who do you think it is?” Taly asked.

Someone with a death wish.

With a snarl, Skye pulled himself off the mate he’d been moments away from losing himself in and rose from the bed. He turned back to give a delightfully half-naked Taly a brief kiss.

“Don’t move,” he commanded. “Not a muscle. Understand?”

He didn’t wait for her to nod before stalking out of the room, grabbing a pillow from the couch in the common room, and holding it over the tent in his pants as he flung open the door.

Kato was on the other side, both fists still raised. His brother’s eyes immediately dropped to the pillow, widening in wicked delight. “Am I interrupting something?” He sniffed the air, no doubt smelling sweat and arousal. “Yes, I am.”

Skye’s teeth flashed, but he reined in his temper. “What do you want?”

The asshole just laughed and shrugged. “You know… I don’t even remember. To stop you from getting laid, apparently.”

Skye pounded a fist on the doorframe to keep from punching his brother’s face.

“This is delightful,” Kato said, always glad to insert himself where he wasn’t wanted. “And—oh.” He held a hand up to his ear, listening. “I believe the damsel you were about to ravish has now fallen asleep.”

From the other room, Skye heard her breath steady. Her heartbeat slowed. Indeed, she was… asleep.

It wasn’t surprising. Taly had already been exhausted, and if dragging her over that edge was what it finally took, he was glad to be of service.

Still… damn it.

Damn. It.

“I could give you some tips to keep her awake next time,” Kato said, laughing.

“Get out of here,” Skye snapped.

Kato pressed his hands together and bowed. “Thank you for this.” He turned to go. “Wait, I just remembered. Can I borrow a—”

Skye slammed the door in his face.

Chapter 17

After Orin, Skye changed his approach to friendship.

He was a prince. His family’s enemies were legion, and they would never stop coming for him. The people around him would never be safe. It was a problem he needed to solve before allowing himself to get close to anyone again.

He needed a way to protect them first. So, he got to work.

His education started early, a rigorous curriculum of spell crafting, magi-mechanics, and arcane engineering—the foundations of his family’s weapons manufacturing empire. He mastered the work quickly. His teachers called it brilliance, but it wasn’t genius driving him. The ache of loneliness sharpened with each passing day.

It took two years from the time that Orin died to work out the design. Then another to build the prototype from scraps scavenged during factory inspections with his grandfathers. But the result was a small guardian automaton namedWhirr,because that was the sound she made floating along behind you.