Page 24

“Let me see.”

I stared at him, knowing he was not prepared for this, and yet I obeyed, sliding the dress down my body. It puddled at my feet, and I stood naked before him. The wound on my arm throbbed painfully. Ana’s medicine had long worn off.

Adrian’s eyes narrowed on it quickly, and then I turned so he could see my back.

“I told you to rest,” he said, his voice rising.

“And how noble that would have been—sleeping while our people die?”

“Who did you save?” he demanded, bitter. “No one! But I almost lost a wife.”

Hot shame washed over me, and I knelt to retrieve my dress, clutching it to my chest.

“Are you angrier that I was hurt or that if I had died, you would have too?”

He took a step toward me, bending over me, a towering god radiating with anger.

“How dare you.”

The words slipped between his teeth, but they shuddered through him, a wound unhealed, and right now, I wanted to stab it.

“Did that hurt?” I asked, tilting my head back to meet his gaze.

“I did not spend two hundred years yearning for you, killing for you, conquering for you, to watch you make stupid decisions. You aremortal.”

“Then maybe I shouldn’t be.”

Adrian was still, then he canted his head to the side, a strange spark in his eyes that was no longer angry but hungry.

“Is that what you want?” he asked. “To be like me?”

I had thought I would say yes, but when faced with the question, I truly could not say.

Becoming a vampire would mean no longer being Adrian’s weakness, but more than that, it would mean I would no longer be vulnerable, and that was something Ididwant. And yet with the news from Lara about my people and their hope in Asha’s salvation, I knew they would never follow me as queen if I became like Adrian.

Likely, he would say it did not matter, but I did not wish to force my rule on them. I did not wish to rule through fear—not completely, anyway. I wanted loyalty, adoration, and love from my people.

Becoming a vampire would be a betrayal.

Adrian’s brows slammed down over his eyes, and I knew he had been listening to my thoughts.

“Do I not give you loyalty, adoration, love?”

I glared. “Am I only allowed to receive such affection from you?”

“I should be enough,” he said, gripping my shoulders.

“Don’t sound so insecure, my king.”

Adrian gripped my chin and kissed me hard before pulling away.

“I should turn you,” he said, his hand falling to my neck. “I want to because I know you, and you will do something like this again.”

I held my breath, waiting as his lips brushed my skin, his teeth and tongue teasing. It wasn’t until he pulled away that I realized how hard I had been holding him. He studied me, my eyes and my lips, and then released me.

“Lie on your stomach,” he said, stepping away.

I stood for a moment, dizzy, uncertain if it was from my injuries or the anticipation of his bite that never came.