Page 23 of Daman

Once we were inside the castle, Armen rushed forward and took Warrin’s coat. I shook my head and hugged mine closer to my body when he offered to take it. I was still freezing my nuts off.

“Come with me,” Warrin said, nodding to the staircase. “We’ll warm up by the fire.”

I was the one who needed warming. He seemed perfectly at ease. But I appreciated the gesture nonetheless. As we ascended the stairs, Warrin kept a gap between us. Now that I thought about it, he hadn’t touched me at all since I’d arrived. Not to shake my hand, touch my arm, or even place his hand on the small of my back as he guided me somewhere.

At Castor’s wedding, he had said I was beautiful, but so far, he’d done a piss-poor job of showing he meant it. Any other man would’ve had his hands all over me.

Warrin stopped at a closed door at the end of the second-floor corridor and opened it for me. I passed over the threshold and looked around the room.

It was simply decorated, lacking any kind of personality. A king-sized bed sat centered along the far wall, and a fireplace was across from it. A door to what I assumed was the bathroom was on the left side, and a wardrobe was in the corner. Stacks of books were placed on a single shelf, but it was the only personal touch I could see.

“Is this one of the guest rooms?”

“No. It’s mine.”

“Yours?” I whipped my head around to him. “Where’s all your stuff? It’s so bare.”

“This is all I need.” Warrin knelt by the fire and added a log to it. Orange flames burned brighter a moment before settling again. “Take off your shoes and come sit by the fire.”

I untied the laces on my boots and placed them against the wall before padding over to him. I draped my coat over the back of the armchair and sat on the rug.

“Guess I should learn to get more used to the cold if I’m going to be living here for a while.”

“You only need to learn to dress well,” Warrin said, glancing at me before looking away again. He sat on the rug beside me, resting his arms on his knees. “You need winter boots insulated with fur and a better coat, preferably fur or a down one. A hat and scarf wouldn’t hurt either.”

“For someone who doesn’t get cold, you seem to know a lot about how to stay warm.” I scooted closer to the fire, sighing as the heat tingled along my skin.

“Armen is half-human, so the cold affects him more than the rest of us. I do my best to make sure he’s comfortable.”

Shadows danced across his face as the wood crackled in the fire. At first, his expression appeared impassive, but I caught a glimmer of something more in his eyes.

One of the few books on a nearby shelf caught my attention. “Bram Stoker’sDracula?”

“I enjoy the tale. AlsoFrankenstein.”

“So you like to read. What else do you like to do?” I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my head on them. “If we’re going to be married, we should get to know each other.”

“I thought you didn’t want to talk to me. That’s what you said last night.”

“Yeah, well, I changed my mind.” It had been a lie anyway, spoken from a place of bitterness. “Tell me some of your hobbies.”

“I like to train.”

“Train? That’s not really a hobby.”

Warrin frowned at the fire. “Being a warrior is all I know. I haven’t the time for much else.”

“I can relate. I started training when I was a kid, and now my whole life is dedicated to fighting demons.”

“We have something in common, then.” Warrin’s eyes softened around the edges. “I began my training as a young boy as well.” A short pause followed before he asked, “What are your hobbies?”

He seemed tense and awkward, as if he wasn’t used to conversing with many people.

“I dabble a little in computers. Hacking, to be more specific. Alastair has me do it sometimes for missions. I also love to draw.”

“What do you draw?”

“Monsters and creepy shit, mostly. Supernatural beings too. Wolf shifters, mermen… and dragons.”