Page 55 of Daman

Daman came down the stairs, dagger clutched in his fist. “Who’s here?”

“Armen and Dimitri,” I answered, a bit taken aback by him. He seemed so lethal in that moment. Didn’t he know he had nothing to fear in my kingdom? My people were no threat to him. Then again, trust wasn’t something he gave lightly.

“Oh.” He tucked the dagger into his boot and joined me at the front door. After he grabbed his coat, we walked outside.

“Surprise.” Armen motioned to the snowmobiles. “Another gift from the king. They’re the newest models. Supposed to be perfect for rougher terrain too. So you don’t have to walk around everywhere, since the path to your cottage is too narrow for a car.”

“I don’t mind walking,” I said, staring at the machines. I preferred the quiet walks through the forest instead of zipping through it all too fast to fully appreciate the beauty of everything.

“Yeah, well, I like them.” Daman stepped up beside me. “I take it the green one’s mine?”

“Yes, sir.” Dimitri shut off the ignition and gave him the keys.

Armen did the same to me. “The king wished for me to tell you that dinner will be in an hour.”

“Do you want to drive one of these back to the castle?” I asked once the two of them began heading toward the path through the woods on foot.

“No, thank you, Your Highness.” Armen bowed his head. “It will be nice to stretch my legs. I’ve been resting for most of the day, as per your orders to take today off.”

“Good.”

“They’re totally boning,” Daman said once they walked too far to hear us.

“Really? How can you tell?”

“Dimitri is envious of you because Armen finds you handsome. He wondered if Armen ever thinks of you while they’re fucking.”

Too shocked to speak, I could only stare after them. I’d had no idea.

“You’re so oblivious sometimes,” he said with an amused snort.

“In some things, yes. I suppose I am.” I faced him, and his smirk fell. “Yet, there are some things I see with clear eyes. Like you avoiding me all afternoon.”

“I wasn’t avoiding you.”

“Say that again without looking away. You can try lying to me all you want, but I see the truth.” I stepped closer, our chests touching. Bumps formed on his skin. “Something changed between us during that kiss. Something that scared you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Daman tried to step away, but I pulled him right back. “Let go of me, Warrin.”

I obeyed and withdrew my hand, letting my arm fall to my side. As much as I wanted answers, I’d never hold him against his will.

“Such a good little soldier, following orders.” He glared at me. Instead of letting himself be vulnerable and admit his true feelings, he covered it with an angry façade. “Here’s another order for you to follow. Don’t touch me again.”

“You don’t mean that.”

Daman’s chin quivered. “How do you know what I want? You don’t even know me.”

Gods. He looked so fragile as he stared up at me, like he’d shatter any moment. I didn’t want to shatter him. I didn’t want to fix him either. I just wanted him to feel comfortable enough around me to be honest, at least with himself.

“I know you’re afraid of getting close to anyone,” I said, stepping toward him. His back hit the front door as he tried to back away. If he really wanted to get away from me, he could have, which told me he’d wanted to be caught. I rested a hand on the door beside his head, and his lips parted as his eyes darkened a shade. “You think people will only leave you, hurt you, so you leave them first. Or you avoid getting attached in the first place. When you felt something between us earlier, you got scared and ran.”

“Fuck you.” He pushed against my chest. “I’m not scared. You’re my freaking husband. Why would I be afraid of you leaving me? Why would I even care if you did?”

“Because you never expected to fall for me.”

“Fall for you?” Daman clenched his jaw. “That’s a bit conceited, don’t you think? Presumptuous too. We’ve only known each other for, like, two minutes.”

“Then tell me I’m wrong.” I ghosted my lips over his. “Tell me you feel nothing for me.”