Page 48 of The Intergalactic Duke's Inconvenient Engagement

“You remind me of him.”

His jaw tightened. “A dreadnaught captain is no duke,so I suppose I should be honored. Except you seem to be fleeing him.”

Not really him. Fleeing her need for him, her sudden, inexplicable, impractical,impossibledesire to keep the ring, stay with him, forget that he needed to marry and she needed to go home. The only reason they’d even found each other was the black hole that had sucked them both in.

And yeah, that meant fleeing him too. Sheglanced over her shoulder as Nor had. “I want to leave now.”

“Let me escort you.”

“I don’t—” She bit down the rest. What she “didn’t” was have time to waste arguing with another arrogant Thorkon. “Fine.” She marched off with an irate slap of bare feet.

She didn’t hear him following, but shefelthis looming presence, so like Raz.

He cleared his throat. “Out of curiosity…why are you runningaway?”

“I’m not running.”

“Before you tripped.”

She glared at him. “I cracked a heel.”

“Something cracked,” he murmured. His gaze slanted to the ring. “Luckily you still have plenty of shine.”

Fisting her fingers drove the wide band into her palm almost painfully. “It’s nothing.” When he grunted derisively, she amended, “Well, it’s a big damn rock, but it doesn’tmeananything. Raz and Ijust had”—a connection, a night, a passion—“an agreement.”

“If the avatar of the God of Oaths, had an agreement with you, running away won’t get you out of it.”

“I’m not…” she started hotly, but then trailed off, because really, it was pretty obvious she was running away. She slowed her headlong rush back to her rooms. “Are you and Raz close?”

“No. He only recently returned to Azthronos. AndI…ah, only recently joined the noble entourage.”

“I know he’s supposed to get married.” She looked down at the ring, and it seemed to wink back at her accusingly. No wonder it was called the Eye. She put her other hand over it, and the big stone poked at her palm. “And I’ve gotten the sense from a few things he’s said that he has a lot of work ahead of him now that he’s inherited.”

Nor was silentfor a moment. “I’m surprised he said anything. The nobility are usually so smug about their privilege.”

She snorted. “Yeah. Those arrogant alien dukes.”

His chuckle told her she wasn’t the only one who said that in their head. “I confess, I was…jealous before I started the system tour with him. And maybe a little blind. So much responsibility, so many people looking to him for guidance.” Hegave a comical shudder.

Rayna didn’t laugh. It wasn’t funny to have those kinds of obligations hanging overhead. Raz’s sense of duty had benefited her and her friends, but when she thought about the pressure he must be under… She’d only had a little sister to raise and one household to run. Expanding that to a solar system of eleven billion made her flinch too.

With the ring, he’d gifted herone night of pleasure, with both of them free from expectations and the needs of others. She’d seen wonders such as she’d never dreamed of. And then she’d run away from him because deep inside she wanted more. More nights like this one, more of him.

She was staring down at the ring, twisting it restlessly, when Nor cleared his throat. With a startled glance up, she realized they were at her door.

She looked over her shoulder one last time, certain Raz would be striding down the hall, determined to make sure she was home safe.

But there was no one behind her.

Nor triggered the panel and the door slid back quietly. “The duchy comes first with these people,” he said, almost as quietly. “If you become one of them, whatever you need from them, you’ll always be eleven billion plus one.” Hismouth twisted with a bitterness that hinted at some deep personal affront. And while she might not know the exact details, she understood the sentiment.

Not that it mattered. She wasn’t going to be here long enough to let herself be hurt.

She slipped through the doorway with a muttered thank you.

He gave her a short bow, not as graceful as Raz but still painfully similar. “Good night, LadyRayna,” he said. “If it’s any consolation, I think you are wise to run away.”

She narrowed her eyes at the wry note in his voice. “Why don’t you?”