Page 150

Whatever it was, he didn’t like it.

“What are we exactly?” She arched a brow. “This is a peculiar predicament we seem to have caught ourselves in.”

“All I know is I don’t like seeing other males touching you.”

“Hmmm, well I suppose you will just have to learn not to look.” Her tone wasn’t playful, and she didn’t smile and wink. She was serious. His jaw clenched and he gulped down his next comment about seeing if she said that the next time he took her to bed and her hair lit up. But there wouldn’t be a next time. “And how are you feeling tonight about my sister?”

“I’m not feeling anything at all about your sister.”

“Truly?”

“My feelings are somewhere else tonight.”

She searched his face, his eyes, and then slowly smiled. “So, your heart is better.”

“It is.” He wouldn’t admit she might have something to do with that. He cleared his throat. “Are you still having nightmares?” Piercing screams hadn’t woken him in a few days but that didn’t mean anything.

“Last night.” Once more she lifted her gaze to his. “I dreamed that Synick escaped and… came into my room and tied me up. I hate how real the nightmares feel.”

Was this a prophetic dream? In Ryvengaard their rooms were right next to each other, here she was in the same wing of the castle but on the floor below him.

That needed to change.

The possibility of Synick escaping was very real. He hadn’t even checked on him since his return. Had Hel been keeping a close eye?

“Katana.” He paused, waiting for her to meet his gaze again. “Remember when I promised to protect you?”

She smiled. “I do.”

“I intend to keep that promise. If you are ever afraid, you can stay with me. It wouldn’t mean anything, and we don’t even have to sleep in the same bed. It would be to keep you safe.”

Her brows furrowed with hurt or confusion. She pulled away and they stood unmoving on the dance floor. “Did I say something wrong?”

“I just want to live without being afraid and… and the thing I’m even more afraid of than Atlanta or Synick is that… nothing we shared means anything to you.”

His breath seemed to rush out all at once.

His heart stopped.

She pushed a hand through her hair and frowned. “You want to keep me close to keep me safe because I ambroken. And I cansee it’s in your nature to protect and fix broken things but it’s not because you…” She whirled and hurried for the bar top.

“You’re not broken. Katana.” His heart began to pound. His mouth went dry. “Katana, wait.” He dashed after her.

She made a quick turn to hop onto a barstool in front of Evalyn. “I would love a glass of wine, Evalyn. That pink one looks delicious.”

“Coming right up.” She turned and reached for a tall-stemmed glass on the shelf.

Thane plopped down next to her and his leg began to bounce uncontrollably. “You’re not broken.”

“Yes, I am.”

“No. You’ve had terrible things happen to you but that doesn’t make you broken. What else were you going to say?”

“Nothing you want to hear,” she said under her breath.

“‘Not because I’, what? Not because I care? I do care about you.” More than afriendshould.

She turned on her stool, and her knees bumped against his. “We cannot sleep in the same room. I won’t.”