Abel: A Sabine Valley Novel by Robert Katee

Author:Robert, Katee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Trinkets and Tales LLC
Published: 2021-01-05T00:00:00+00:00

18

Eli

I don’t make it to my door before Abel catches me. I turn without opening it. “Am I going to be locked in my room for the entire year?”

“Doesn’t seem to have stopped you.” He halts a little closer than he should. “How is it that you and Harlow managed to have another conversation without you leaving your room or her entering it?”

I work to keep my expression placid. “Passing notes. Perhaps a little scrying.”

“Uh-huh.” He leans his shoulder against the wall, the perfect study of lounging. As if he couldn’t burst into motion at the slightest provocation to remove any threat he identifies. He looks me over, lingering on my hips and chest and mouth. “I’ve considered your request. It’s denied.”

Anger threatens to derail me, but I muscle it down as best I can. “Power going to your head, Abel? You can’t keep her from me if she doesn’t want to be kept.”

“No, probably not.” He doesn’t move. “But the fact remains; she’s not leaving my bed to go to yours.”

“Are you that threatened by me?”

“Nope.” A slow smile. “But I’m territorial as fuck. You want to share a bed? You can share mine. Open invitation until I decide otherwise.”

I stare. Of all the things I expected him to say, that didn’t number among them. “What?”

“You heard me.” He pushes off the wall. “I’m feeling generous, so you can even join in if you’re in the mood. Provided Harlow agrees, of course. I might be a monster, but I’m not going to pave the way for you to harm her more than you already have.”

Not this again. “That’s between her and me.”

“Correction: that was between you and her. I’m here now, and I’ll be doing the one thing you managed to bungle so thoroughly—taking care of her.”

The chains around my anger shift, fighting to control it. They don’t quite manage it. “You’re such a fucking hypocrite. You come in here, take her against her will, and then act like you’re…what? Boyfriend of the year? You’ve known her a few days, Abel. I’ve known her five years.”

“Have you?”

That stops me short. “What are you talking about?”

“Exactly what I said. Have you known her? Does she know you? Because you keep that pretty little mask in place all the fucking time.” He waves an idle hand at my face. “And you look at her and see a princess in need of a knight.”

I clench my jaw. “If you know so much, what the hell do you see when you look at her?”

He grins, a fierce expression that’s part challenge and part amusement. “I see what she is, Eli. She’s not the princess.” He leans forward, dark eyes intent. “She’s just like us. Not the hero. Not the knight or the princess or whatever the fuck other box you can think up to shove her into. She’s the fucking dragon you think to protect her against. Really, someone needs to protect you from her.”

My mouth goes dry. He’s wrong. Maybe I misjudged things with Harlow, but he’s lumping her in with us.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.