Page 70 of The Edge of Dawn

He’d left in a hurry, his expression cold and unreadable and his demeanor terribly serious. After all, he had his official business to attend to. That probably involved doing whatever it was that he did for a living, and she suspected that primarily consisted of violence because he was damn good at it.

Too good.

That alone should send off alarm bells in her head.

For a moment, everything was quiet, and she chided herself for her overactive imagination.

“I see you’re getting better at containing your ka’qui,” he said then, his voice near and yet distant, deep and resonant and infuriatingly calm. “I can also see you’re in the middle of something. I’ll wait.”

His voice came from beyond; he must’ve been in the chamber where her bed was.

Ooh. Heat rose into Jade’s cheeks as she felt a sudden surge of irritation—mixed with a flare of arousal. He thinks he can just waltz in here…?

But he was a Kordolian, after all, and they still owned this Universe.

She said nothing for now because she was sharpening her words for when she got in the room with him.

When she finished showering, got dressed, and got in the…

“Ugh,” she groaned, pressing her palm against the wall as a torrent of anticipation coursed through her. Her legs turned to jelly. Suds cascaded down her body, pooling around her feet, disappearing into inky blackness.

What in the Universe am I going to do now?

Somehow, she had to try and remain in control.

It was all she had.

TWENTY-THREE

Somehow, she managed to make her way to the dressing-room area without falling to pieces. Feeling toasty—after the shower turned off, the cubicle had filled with a gentle blast of deliciously warm air, drying her completely, even all the way through her hair—she stood naked before a rack of neatly arranged garments, trying to figure out what to wear.

Beyond was the main chamber. There was nothing separating it—separating them—not even a doorway.

Just the gently curving walls obscuring him from her view, giving her the illusion of privacy.

Privacy? Ha.

She’d been inside his head. She’d seen how he perceived the world with his preternatural senses.

He could probably see her through the walls.

Wasn’t this a bit… much?

She should really ask him to leave, but he wasn’t doing anything terrible right now.

Still…

It felt indecent, somehow. Was nudity not inappropriate in their culture? And didn’t Kordolians have any sense of personal space? Or did they just walk in on each other all the time?

Why is he even here?

Alone?

A feeling of alarm rippled through her.

She knew very well how dangerous he could be. He could easily overpower her. He could do anything to her, and she would be completely helpless.

No. She refused to believe it.

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