Page 91 of I Dream of Dragons

He tilts his head to the side, his expression quizzical. “Sometimes I swear you are making fun of me and sometimes… I’m not sure. To answer your question, yes, I’ve learned this word from Jai.”

“Figures.”

“Does it? He’s been no more than a monk in the time I’ve been with him. Although females, both fae and human, keep tripping over themselves to throw themselves at him, his only lover seems to be his right hand.”

There goes the heat, spreading over my face again. “I see.”

“It seemed to be satisfactory, until you showed up.”

“And has fucking me beensatisfactoryto you?”

To my amusement and deeper pleasure, he flushes again—a barely-there tint on his marked cheekbones. His eyes are serious. “It has.”

“Excellent,” I snark. “I aim to please.”

“Speaking of…” He grabs my wrist, hauls me against him. “I see more and more why Jai is so besotted with you.”

“Besotted? I wouldn’t say that.”

His eyes flick down where I’m still holding his jacket closed with one hand. “He can’t stop thinking about you.”

“When you are in his head.”

“Yes.”

“So probably not all the time.”

“There are more signs.”

I’m dying to know the signs but he slides a powerful hand around me, pressing it to the small of my back, splaying his fingers, and I swear a zap goes through me, rattling me.

Yanking me against him where I can feel…oh Gods, he’s hard. So hard. “We could fuck again.”

“So it seems.”

“You are also getting aroused. I can smell you.”

“Gods, what is it with you and smelling my arousal?” I push away from him. “Is something wrong with me, why do I smell?—?”

“You smell delicious. But…” A muscle leaps in his jaw. “You don’t want to fuck. You are tired. You were hurt during the trial.”

“Phaethon—”

“I tend to forget how breakable human and even finnfolk bodies can be. Jai wouldn’t forget something like that.”

Speaking of Jai… How do I tell Phaethon I have this strange sensation that I’m cheating on Jai with him? This is insane. I look into his eyes and they are Jai’s eyes, his face, his body… his scent. And yet his gaze is different somehow.

“I saw the bruises and wounds when I disrobed you,” he goes on. “I wasn’t thinking. Couldn’t think clearly.”

“Welcome to humanity.”

He shoots me a weird look. “If you say so.” He takes my hand and tugs me toward the bed. “Sleep. I will stay here.”

“But you?—”

“I know Jai sleeps by your side to watch over you. I will watch over you, Little Human, have no fear.”

“Should I have fear? Would anyone attack me?”