INA
The guards took up positions beside me when I left the room and headed for the main hall.
“Princess.”
I tried not to swear, knowing anyone who overheard would only use it as gossip about my current mental state.
But a slew of choice words presented themselves.
This wasn’t fair, I told the universe silently. Not even a little bit.
I glanced back to see Egan swimming down the hall toward me. With his silver scales, dark eyes, and hair so light it seemed like snow even though he was only a year older than me, he looked like a sculptor’s dream, and just as incredible as ever.
It only made me hate him a little bit more. Killing that damn flutter in my stomach would’ve been so much easier if he was ugly.
Of course, it also meant I wouldn’t have ended up in this situation in the first place.
“Not right now, Egan,” I said tightly.
“I just wanted to see if you were alright.”
A breath left me. If there was a spot on the other side of the galaxy from alright, I was probably there right now.
“I’m fine,” I replied.
I started down the hall again, hoping to escape before he said another word.
“If you need anything,” he called.
“Guys?” I snapped to the guards.
One of them turned to stop Egan from following. I didn’t know if he would, but I also didn’t want to hear his voice – with all its compassion and concern – right now.
I just needed to get through this.
And possibly ask Ren to order Egan to return home. He was only here because his father, the Duke of the Yvarian province of Teariad, was trying to settle a border issue with their neighbors in Ryaira. Egan and his father had been around for the past six months, since his dad wanted this to be a learning experience for Egan, and they showed no signs of intending to leave until the decades’ old dispute was finally settled.
But maybe I could come up with something… something non-personal… that Ren could use to make him go away.
The thought was tempting. So tempting. I’d spent longer with Egan than I had with anyone else – a mistake I wouldn’t make again. But he’d been so kind, and smart, and funny, and just amazing in bed, and everything had seemed like it was wonderful…
Until he said he loved me.
