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“Yes, you do.”

She smiled again. “I call it flirting.”

“You said you hadn’t been pleased by a male in too long.” He finally let go of the armrests and stood. One foot slowly stepped in front of the other. “Is that something you want or was thatflirting?”

The room seemed to feel heavier, coated with desire. She looked down and gripped the bedding on either side of her hips. “A little of both. But I do not think your heart is ready.”

“No,” he said, putting his fingers under her chin and lifting her face. “But it doesn’t need to be. What happens in this room tonight can end here. It doesn’t need to have anything to do with our hearts.”

Her breathing quickened. “And tomorrow night?”

“We can worry about tomorrow night, tomorrow.” He’d pushed Layala away when she wanted him because he loved her. He wanted to make certain she knew exactly who she was choosing. This was different. It had nothing to do with love. Anything else would be complicated and he didn’t want that.

“I think we should take some time to mull this… arrangement over first. And if you feel the same way in the morning light, then…”

“You’re the only thing I’ve thought about for days,” he whispered. “It won’t go away in the morning.”

She blew out a breath. “Can I tell you the truth?”

His hands were trembling now. He had to know what her lips tasted like. “I only ever want the truth.”

As she searched his face, her lavender eyes glittered in the candlelight. “You might be able to keep your heart out of it, Thane, but I do not know if I can with mine.”

He smiled both relieved and disappointed. “Then I guess I’ll say goodnight, once again. Sleep well.” He quickly made his way into his own bedroom. Katana deserved someone who could give her more than he could now. She was already fragile, and he wouldn’t break her further.

Thane woke up in a sweat,even his hair was dampened by it. Screaming. Someone was screaming. He threw his blankets aside and sprinted out of the room. Frozen in the hallway, he tried to figure out where the scream came from.

A chill ran down his back.

Katana.

He quickly pushed down the handle, locked. Her screaming stopped and the silence that followed made his stomach drop. He rammed his shoulder into the door, snapping the wood frame and shoved through. The room was dark except for the meager light coming in through the window. It was enough to know the bed was empty.

“Katana?” he panted.

A small whimper made him turn. In the corner of the room, he found her curled into herself, crying. He didn’t smell blood, didn’t see any sign of a struggle. He dropped into a crouch beside her and gently touched her bare shoulder.

“Please do not hurt me.” She kept her face buried into her bent knees with her arms circled around her head. “Please.”

“Katana,” he said softly. “It’s Thane. Was there someone here?”

“I did not do anything wrong.”

He carefully pulled one of her arms away from her face, then the other. She turned her face away, and angry heat floodedhis chest. This wasn’t because of someone hurting her now. She was having another battle with the past. Either it was Synick or Atlanta that had made her this way and he wanted to kill both of them for it.

“Katana, I won’t hurt you.”

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself again. “I did not even look at him, Atlanta. I promise.” She turned to angle her back toward him. Her body shook with sobs, and he was almost sure she wasn’t fully awake. “You are scaring them! Stop!”

Thane gritted his teeth. Oh, he was going to kill him. He swore it. He’d convince Valeen to give him Soulender just for a day.

“No! I do not want to die.”

He gripped her shoulder and turned her. “Katana.” She shielded her face, and he gently pushed her hands down. “Open your eyes. Look at me. It’s me, Thane. Thane, the Elf King, the god of war. I am not Atlanta. You’re safe. No one will hurt you.”

A moment later, she lifted her chin and her eyes fluttered open. Her breathing was still entirely too fast, and she looked bewildered. “Thane?” she reached forward and cupped his cheeks. “Thane,” she breathed. Then she pressed her hand over her stomach. She brought her palm up in front of her as if she expected to find something there. After blinking a few times, she dropped her hands as if reality rushed in. She pushed herself up and leaned back against the wall. “What are you doing in here?”

“You were screaming.”