Sarissa smirked. “Proud of you, V.”
We spent the rest of the night huddled next to each other in her huge bed, whispering like kids. Eventually, I fell into a light, continually broken sleep, and I finally gave up when the room began to lighten as the sun rose.
I reach for a cool cloth and press it against my eyes in an attempt to remove some of the puffiness. I can barely throw a punch, but I’ve managed to master the no-makeup look on a barbaric alien planet.
I snort, disgusted with myself.
I know what people think when they look at me. They see a pretty face but not much between the ears. They see decoration. A ditz. Someone who’s only good at looking good.
I guess that’s why I came to Arix in the first place. I was so sick of being left behind every time. I may not be creating poisons like Zoey or hunting the enemy from on top of a dragon like Charlie, but this is a way I can contribute.
That’s the thing about playing a part. When you pretend to be someone different, it’s easy to lose sight of who you really are. Eventually, you become that new person, and before you know it, there’s nothing left of the person you were.
I don’t know who I am anymore.
I jump at a knock on the door. Sarissa wouldn’t knock, and I glance down at the nightgown and robe I’m wearing. Once, when I was a teenager, I opened the front door while still in my pajamas on a Sunday morning. My mother was so furious she couldn’t look at me for days.
I push the thoughts away. I haven’t spoken to my mother for years. So why am I suddenly being assaulted by thoughts about what she would think of me right now?
I march to the door and throw it open, expecting to see one of the guards.
It’s not.
It’s the king.
He stands there, looking coolly amused as I gape at him. Finally, he must get tired of my fish impression because he raises one eyebrow.
“May I come in?”
“Um. Sure.”
The room instantly feels five times smaller as soon as Arix enters it. The guy is one of the largest Braxians I’ve ever seen, and he holds himself with a kind of languid confidence that falls perilously close to arrogance.
His eyes are the color of a moonlit night sky, the kind of deep, unfathomable blue that makes it difficult to look away. Full black brows frame those eyes, contrasting with the wild blue. His dark hair matches the brows, curling around his shoulders and bringing out the glow of his skin in a way that makes him look like a fallen angel.
The first time I saw him, my breath caught in my throat. The second time, I almost lost the ability to speak a full sentence. Now I feel a blush begin to rise, and I step back, my stomach twisting.
I don’t understand what happens to my body when this guy is around. I’m never affected by men. At least, not in this way.
“How are you settling in?” he asks, and I almost shiver at his low voice.
“Fine, thank you. The rooms are beautiful.”
He glances around the sitting room as if he’s never seen it before but immediately returns his attention to my face.
I squirm under his regard. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Surprise flashes across his face. “You’re beautiful,” he says. “Why wouldn’t I enjoy looking at you?”
Disappointment burns in my belly, even as I attempt a smile. I don’t know what I was expecting. This guy doesn’t know me, doesn’t know anything about me. So why would I hope he was interested in more than just the face I happened to be born with?
“I’ve upset you.”
“No.” Just confirmed my expectations.
“Don’t lie to me.”
I change the subject instead. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Yes,” he says. “I want to tumble you.”
Arix
Vivian’s mouth drops open in a way that makes me imagine her swallowing my cock, and I force my attention elsewhere. I stride toward the window, gazing down at the gardens below as I give her the moment she obviously needs to recover.
“Excuse me?” Her voice is strangled, and I glance over my shoulder, pleased to find her face flushed, even if her eyes are narrowed in a way that suggests she’s thinking about doing me harm.
“I didn’t realize humans were so hard of hearing,” I say, just so I can see her eyes blaze. For some reason, watching this female lose her composure makes me harder than I’ve ever been in my life.
“I heard you,” she snaps. “I just thought maybe you had some kind of brain fart and didn’t actually mean to say that to me.”
I give her my most charming grin. She doesn’t seem impressed. “I never say things I don’t mean. Life is too short.”
“Uh-huh. And what makes you think I’d want to ‘tumble’ you?”
I turn my back to the window and raise one eyebrow. Perhaps she hasn’t properly examined me. I open my arms wide so she can appreciate every inch of my body, sending her a wink as she snorts in disdain.
She curls her lip at me, and it takes every drop of my self-control not to stride across the room and plunder her mouth.
It’s not just her beauty that makes me almost desperate to tumble this female. It’s the fire I can see burning within her. The fire she keeps carefully banked, hidden away where she thinks no one can see it.
But I can.
I have no doubt that beneath her cool exterior is a female who burns with passion.
She pretends indifference. “You’re hot. So what?”
I smile at her, and her lip twitches. Aha! She does find me charming.
“No other warrior has claimed you, lovely.”
Something I can’t place flashes across her face. “What exactly are you implying?”
“Nothing. I’m telling you that
