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It was a straightforward answer; had it been anyone else, I would’ve accepted it. I didn’t take offense when men weren’t interested. I had plenty wrapped around my finger who were. But it bothered me for some reason. I didn’t want to look too deeply into why.

“Does this bother you?”

The confusing feelings made me lash out, hissing at him. “No. I don’t care. I could have any man I wanted in my town. Why would I care if you don’t want me?”

It was a lie. I cared. And I hated myself for it.

“You are very beautiful, Simon. But I have never been with a man before. I cannot say it is something I would enjoy.”

“You would with me,” I growled defensively. I was the best. Not even Quincy could deny that.

He chuckled and shook his head. “Considering your job, I don’t doubt that. But I am interested in females.”

I rolled my eyes. “Why does it have to be one or the other? Plenty are interested in both.” Not me. I found women tedious. But not all the men I serviced were solely interested in men. There were times when Chanel and I would pair together with a client so they could fuck us both. As long as I wasn’t required to do anything with her, I was okay with it.

His brows furrowed slightly. We were speaking the same language now, and still, he didn’t understand me. I gave up. I wasn’t going to pout and whine to convince someone to want me. If he wasn’t interested, it was his loss.

Since I already spoke thelanguage, which shocked a lot of people, when someone brought up returning to Finn’s lessons, I wasn’t required to go. I was glad for that, since I wasn’t interested in going anywhere near the guy. Instead, I spent my time with Maman or sat out of the way and watched Feigrind train with the other warriors. It was a more relaxed kind of living than I was used to, sort of like a vacation, but after a few days, I grew frustrated with the routine.

“You can’t just keep me here! I’m not your bed warmer!”

“No,” Feigrind agreed. “You’re a pain in my ass.”

Usually, the insult wouldn’t bother me. I didn’t give a shit what people thought of me. But he was the only person I really talked to, and I was sick of him and his little comments. It was rainy and cold, so we were spending the day in his tent. He needed to learn a lesson that it was a bad idea to piss me off when he was stuck in a small space with me.

“If you don’t take me home, I’ll make you regret it!” I threatened.

He stared blankly at me. Still so patient and unbothered by my outbursts. It irritated the hell out of me, and what little control I had on my temper disappeared into nothingness.

“Don’t make me hurt you.”

He smirked. “I’d like to see you try, little brat.”

Well, he asked for it.

I didn’t throw myself at him. He’d expect that. Instead, I feigned storming out of the tent. He didn’t know I wouldn’t force myself into that cold, rainy weather on pain of death and stood to follow me with a resigned sigh. Before he could even fully get to his feet, I swung around and used my elbow in his gut. It hurt—he was basically just a rock wall of muscle—but it did take him by surprise enough to make him stumble. I used the reaction to my advantage, shoving him so that he toppled backwards. What surprised me was when his hand darted out to grab my new tunic, and he dragged me down with him.

With a screech, I lashed out when I landed on top of him, managing to punch him in the jaw. I yelped as my hand throbbed because of it.

“What are you made of? Stone?” I demanded, wriggling free of my tunic to get away from him. He was way too big. If he pinned me, I wouldn’t stand a chance.

He clearly wasn't expecting me to shed my clothes to get away from him because he glanced at my tunic with a frown for a second, giving me back the upper hand. I pounced, landing on his chest, and drew back my hand for another punch. He caught my wrist before I could land it, though, and effortlessly twisted to put me beneath him.

Thankfully, he didn’t immediately drop his weight, and with some quick maneuvering, I managed to wiggle free, but he didn’t let me get away. He scooped one giant arm around me, crushing me against his chest, and no amount of wiggling was helping me get away. He caught my hand when I tried to punch him over my shoulder, too, switching to the other hand so it was trapped against my chest.

“Get off!” I demanded, still fighting even though I was definitely trapped. Maybe I could kick him in the balls. He’d definitely let go if I did that. Except he saw right through me, and before I could even try, he dropped one leg on top of mine, pinning them too.

“Do you forfeit?” he asked, his voice laced with amusement. It pissed me off, and I felt my face flush with anger.

“Never,” I growled, digging my nails into his arm. He didn’t even flinch. Bastard.

“You have not yet been here a week. You cannot know you won’t be happy here already. Give it more time.”

“Oh, fuck you!” I snapped. “You stole me from my home! You don’t get to tell me where I’ll be happy! I was happy where I was!”

“Really?” he asked, somehow sounding completely unaffected. Meanwhile, I was breathing heavily, desperately trying to get free. How he managed to hold me with care while completely immobilizing me was beyond me.

“Given the choice between your life before and living here in a place of honor, would you truly choose there?”