Page 80 of Caged By Dance and Desire

“I’ll leave you.”

He chuckled. “You can’t leave me, you know that’s an empty threat. What do you really fear will happen?”

I extricated myself from his arms and leaned back on the headboard. “You want to have this conversation, we’ll have this conversation. What happens the day I can’t have or don’t want sex? Can’t climax? Because it’s coming.”

Andrei lifted a skeptical brow, lips quirking, but he managed to behave his age. It was probably hard.

I waited until he sobered, then said, “Especially since you claim you won’t let me return to Earth realm. How am I supposed to get my medication? Without it I’ll suffer.”

All traces of juvenile humor vanquished. The High Lord watched me now. “If our healers can’t help you, then we’ll make arrangements for you to return to Earth for treatment as needed. Accompanied.”

I stared at his chin and crossed my arms over my chest. “Be that as it may, I’ll tell you how this will go. You’ll take my low libido, my pain, personally. Especially—” I waved a hand up and down his body “—being you. And when I can have sex if my body just doesn’t respond even after you spend plenty of time stimulating me, then I’ll have to tiptoe around your bad mood. Be extra affectionate and pretend like nothing is wrong and I’m normal—or not normal, depending on the best way to spin it—and you’re the manliest man in the world. . .when I should be thinking about my job, and my health, not worrying about your sense of inadequacy.”

“Are you done?”

I nodded, blinking back tears.

“I will never,” he said gently, “blame you for either my failings, or for the particular care your body requires. I’m not a boy who needs to be cosseted. If your lovers abused you, it was their failing, not yours. We will define what mutual pleasure and intimacy means for us.”

I still refused to look at him. “You say all the pretty words now.” I sighed, and gave up. I had to pick a side. Trust him, or don’t. Middle ground only led to drama. “I believe you.”

Andrei leaned forward and kissed my nose. “No, you don’t. That’s fine, darling. It will take time, and I’m up to the challenge of proving myself.” His mouth drifted across my cheek. “Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me your concerns. Now rest.”

Chapter

Twenty-Two

Rest eluded my immediate future.

I woke and rolled to my side, noting Andrei's absence. Not wanting to be needy and chase after him as if I couldn't sleep on my own anymore, I forced myself to settle back down. And then stopped.

It might have been the developing bond, but I sensed a kernel of unease that wasn't entirely mine.

Crawling out of the bed, I stumbled into his closet, grabbed the first white dress shirt of whatever kind I saw and slipped it on. It went to my knees. Good enough.

He wasn't in the living room. I followed a murmur of voices to the wing of the house set aside for receiving callers, both invited and unexpected. It was well designed, a show of discreet wealth.

I halted as several gazes turned towards me, and suppressed a sigh. Andrei, Constin, and Theland stood conversing with a Fae I didn't recog?—

Wait a minute. My eyes widened. I did recognize the Cassanian.

The long, fiery red hair, white lashed green-gold eyes and sun-gold skin. The typical narrow, sculpted Fae bone structure but combined with slender, exquisitely shaped lips pursed in a tight line.

They weren't wearing makeup or dressed extravagantly. I almost didn't recognize them at all except for that hair and those eyes and the way they held their chin at a slight angle.

Iliweh.

“Is this her?” they demanded in their cultured high tenor. “Is this your mortal?”

“This is Lady Hasannah,” Andrei said in his High Lord voice.

He was dressed in a long brocade duster and narrow pants, jewels at his ears and fingers, his shoulder-length hair brushed into silky emerald dark waves around his shoulders. Constin and Theland were likewise attired, though Theland wore House Casakraine armor.

And I was hovering in the threshold with sleep hair, wearing my boyfriend's tunic.

Well, I could play it off. Play the part of the eccentric mortal diva.

I met Iliweh’s eyes and sank into a curtsy.

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