A Kingdom of Blood and Betrayal (Stars and Shadows #2)(12)

I sucked in a sharp breath as I choked on his words, and his gaze snapped to where my chest rose and fell with the rapid beat of my heart.

“I’ll tell you that leaving you here without me doesn’t feel like someone has my heart gripped in their fist squeezing tighter and tighter until I can’t remember how to breathe. So, which is it, princess? Do you want my truths or my lies? I am damned to give you whatever you want despite knowing it’s bad for me.”

An ache deep in my belly was making it hard to cling to anything other than the way he made me want him. My body was tired, I was tired, but still I wanted to reach out for him and beg him to give me everything he had just promised. “Please get out.”

He ran his tongue over his bottom lip before he reached forward again and pressed his thumb against my mouth. His own desire was screaming at me, begging me to challenge him, to make him give me exactly what he promised.

He pressed firmly against my lip, dragging it down as he slowly lowered his hand, and he didn’t stop until his hand pressed gently against my neck. His thumb rubbed against the spot where my pulse was hammering in want and confusion, and he watched the movement wordlessly.

I started to reach for him, to beg him for anything he was willing to give, when a soft knock sounded on the door. I expected Evren to drop his hand, to skirt back from me as quickly and easily as he did in the fae kingdom, but he did neither of those things. His hand tightened slightly, and moisture rushed between my thighs as I watched his want shift into anger at whoever was interrupting us.

“We’re not finished with this,” he leaned in and whispered against my skin, and the promise made me want to bar the door and refuse to let anyone else in.

I let out a slow, shaky breath as my pulse pounded beneath his fingers, but Evren slowly pulled his hand away from my neck and slid his gaze over my body, a measured caress as he took in every part of me.

He let out a huff of frustration before he turned from me and moved to the door. A woman a bit older than my own mother stood there with a tray of food in one arm and what looked to be clothes in the other.

My spine straightened as she stepped inside the room. My body was still thrumming from Evren’s touch, and I wasn’t prepared to see anyone else. It didn’t matter that her face was kind and aged with years of living, I had to treat everyone in this kingdom as a threat.

“I’m sorry, Evren.” She blushed, but she didn’t bow her head. “I didn’t realize you were in here or I would have waited.”

“It’s not an issue.” He looked back toward me and clenched his jaw as he crossed his arms. “Thank you for coming. Adara would like to bathe and sleep, but I’d like for her to have a warm meal first.”

“Of course.” The woman looked at me with a warm smile.

“Adara, this is Mina. Mina, Adara.” Evren looked back and forth between us with his shoulders stiff and his guard up.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mina.”

“Likewise.” She smiled and started to move past Evren, but he bent before she could and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “I’m so glad you’re finally home.” She closed her eyes, and her face softened as she leaned into his touch. “At least for a little bit.”

“It’s nice to be home.” He stood back to his full height. “I missed you.”

“I know, dear boy.” She nodded her head. “I missed you, too.”

They spoke so fondly to one another, and I watched her carefully. This woman was part of his staff, yet she looked at him with more adoration in her eyes than his own mother had. It confused me as the contradiction between what I thought I knew and the truth in front of me collided. She moved past him and headed for the small table in the room, and I tracked her every movement.

“I’ll check on you in a bit,” Evren said as he stood at the door, but I simply nodded as I watched her place the tray down. I swallowed hard and tried not to allow him to see the emotion that was eating me alive as Mina moved toward me. The door closed with a soft click, and we were left alone.

“I brought you some clothes.” She dropped them onto the bed before pressing her hands onto her hips and assessing me from head to toe. “But Evren’s right. You should eat before you do anything else.”

“Have you worked for him long?” The sight of the way they had just embraced, the respect he had shown her, was playing over and over in my mind.

“His whole life.” She smiled softly, like a mother pulling up memories of her child. “That boy has been both a thorn in my side and the light of my days for years.”

She laughed and nodded to the table. “Why don’t you eat?”

“You know he’s leaving again?” I asked the question before I could stop myself. I was desperate to know why I was the only one affected by this news.

She winced, and her aged face turned ashen. “I do.”

I nodded before taking a step away from her and toward the fragrant food that was filling the room and making my stomach ache in hunger.

“I’m not happy about it,” she said softly, and I stopped and turned back to look at her. “Every decision that Evren makes is a choice he’s making for someone else. That boy is selfless in a way that puts himself at harm.”

Her words hit me with a weight that could only be held by the truth, but my anger made everything taste like a lie.