Page 20 of Avaritia

“So ask her,” Theon grumbled, gesturing at me.

“Because I’m sure she’ll feel completely comfortable answering honestly while you’re standing there glowering,” Damen replied cheerfully. “Verity, are you happy to step outside with me for a moment?”

“Of course.”

I wished I’d put shoes on. I felt extra small and out of my depth in my pink sweats, matching high-necked sweater, and polka-dot socks.

Theon grabbed me around the waist as I passed him, hauling me back against his body.

“Don’t forget who you belong to,” he growled, his voice so low I could barely make out the words.

It was like he’d hacked into my brain and found the master key that unlocked all of my deepest, darkest desires.

Theon inhaled deeply and I closed my eyes in embarrassment, realizing my scent had given away just how much I liked those words.

I attempted to hold my head high as he released me and I followed Damen out of the front door, but I wasn’t sure I was pulling cool, calm, and collected off. My brain was a cocktail of emotions, and I hoped I wasn’t about to say something stupider than usual and ruin this whole arrangement.

Damen’s body language was open and friendly as he gestured for me to sit on a stone bench on one side of the long porch, a thick gray hedge growing up behind it keeping the rain at bay. His posture was in stark contrast to the way Theon presented himself, and if I hadn’t heard them refer to each other as brothers, I’d struggle to believe it. They carried themselves like they were from different worlds.

Damen sat on the other end of the bench, both of us angled toward each other. I had no idea what to expect of this conversation since my interactions with the crown prince had been pretty limited. He’d attempted to get to know all of us when we arrived—presumably in the search for a mate of his own—but our chats had been stilted and filled with awkward pauses. Tallulah said she’d gotten nervous and started oversharing, while Meera had sat in almost total silence when it had been her turn. If Damen was looking for love, he’d been pretty unlucky so far.

“Verity,” Damen began, calm as can be. We weren’t friends, but from that one word, he made it sound like we were. “Talk to me. How’s it going? It was a pretty spontaneous decision you made to come here. If I may be blunt, your scent seems to indicate you’re comfortable in Theon’s presence.”

Shit, shit, shit. This felt like a job interview, and I’d never been good at those. If my scent was doing something weird, Damen politely didn’t comment on it. I felt like it was, though—aside from the lingering horniness, I was nervous as hell, and my mating mark itched underneath the fleece sweater like it wanted to announce its presence.

“I’m doing great.” I cleared my throat, aiming for a lower octave. “I’m doing great. I’m very comfortable here. Theon has been the perfect… host.”

I’d briefly entertained the word “gentleman” but I didn’t think I could get that one out with a straight face.

“It’s the very least he can do,” Damen replied dryly. “Considering what you’re doing for him. Verity, it’s important that you understand that you have all the power here—literally and figuratively. You can leave whenever you want.”

“Right.” The mating bite went full Pinocchio’s nose, growing itchier with my lie. “But I can also stay, right?”

“I won’t pretend it’s ideal,” Damen laughed, lounging back on the bench. “But Allerick is thinking long-term. Happy ex-Hunters in the shadow realm is his priority. Otherwise, how can he convince more of you to move here? That’s the question—are you happy, Verity?”

“Sure. I mean, yes.” I laughed, an annoying nervous reflex I’d never managed to get rid of. “It hasn’t even been a full day yet. Can I have a little more time to decide?”

“That seems like a fair request.” Damen stood, his smile as pleasant and unreadable as ever. God knows what he was going to tell the others when he got back. “I’ll be stopping by every couple of days just to check in, and obviously, you’re more than welcome to return to the palace whenever you like. I can accompany you—”

“Theon has already promised he’ll accompany me back. Twice a week,” I added, pushing myself up from the bench.

“Has he now?” Damen murmured. “That’s an interesting development. In any case, I’ll see you in a couple of days.”

“Great.”

Damen gave me another long look. “You should know if you’re staying here that Theon has some ideas about how the realm should be run that Allerick and I don’t agree with.”

I snorted at the understatement. “I gathered that.”

Damen nodded. “He’s not a threat—we’d have never let you come here if we were worried about your safety—but he will… well, he’ll talk a lot of shit. Just remember that he’s a sad, bitter old man, and don’t take any of it seriously. Until next time, Verity.”

Damen walked down the front steps, not bothering with going inside to say goodbye to Theon.

I lingered on the porch, frowning to myself as I watched him leave. Could I have developed Stockholm syndrome when Theon wasn’t really my captor? Because I didn’t like the way Damen had spoken about him at all, and I was feeling really compelled to run after the prince and defend my new mate’s honor.

Theon yanked the door open before I could touch the handle, grabbing my upper arms and dragging me inside. He instantly nosed the fabric of my sweater out of the way, horn brushing the side of my head as his tongue snaked out to trace my mating mark.

I nearly melted into a puddle in the foyer.

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