Page 52 of A Kingdom of Destruction

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Their eyes found each other in the darkness, and Aven noted an edge in his—a bit of loathing mingled with something she couldn’t quite piece together with his mask in place.

“You were there? Watching me?”

Roran barely reacted. Still, she swore she saw his jaw clench tight.

“Does it amuse you to sneak around and watch me?” she asked from the fake safety of her pillows. “You’ve made yourself at home in my room.” And she hadn’t heard him unlock the door.How?

“Whatever you have here, little princess, it’s because Cillian wills it. Just like he willed your outing today. Now tell me.” Roran slid a hand into his pocket and gestured toward her with his nose. “What did you think of the kiss? You appeared to have enjoyed yourself. Oh, the noises you made in the back of your throat… I could listen to them for hours.”

He was all cool grace and sharp edges.

What was he even saying? Was he overprotective? Jealous? Did Roran want her to make those noises forhim? She hadn’tnoticed him in the clearing, either. Where had he been hiding, and why the hell did he care?

Too many questions circled each other like vultures in her mind, and the longer he stood there, unmoving and staring through her, the more the area between her legs liquefied, and her heart raced.

The thought that he watched her thrilled her somehow, but still.

“I cannot believe you broke into my room to taunt me about a meaningless kiss,” Aven snapped. Her nostrils flared. “Talk about needing a hobby. Go get a life, Roran, and stop sulking. It’s unbecoming.”

His scent reached her and tickled her lungs. It made her furious.

“Meaningless? You’re a cruel and wicked woman. I think you just enjoy pitting the two of us against each other.”

Pitting them… he couldn’t be serious! She stared at him open-mouthed and clutched the sheets tighter against her lower abdomen. “I did absolutely nothing! Besides, you’ve made it clear what you think about me, and I’ve done the same with you. There’s nothing going on between us.”

It was a waste of breath to argue when Roran fixed his full attention on her. Neither one of them smiled. Aven made sure to maintain a neutral and vaguely peeved expression, especially when his attention drifted to her chest the way it often did. It remained there, and she resisted the urge to draw the sheets higher.

The silk nightgown showed the skin above her breasts.

“Ormaybeyou’re here, upset, because you weren’t the one who made the first move?” she supplied.

Surprise lit his eyes, and Aven swallowed her own down. Oh God. Why would she say that?

Roran huffed out a laugh, and Aven swore she felt it stinging through her. Mercifully, he said nothing about that. Moonlight danced on the sheets between them, both of them still and assessing.

“Maybe the memory of the kiss will give you sweet dreams,” he muttered at last.

“Why were you there watching us?” Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything. “Do you get off on being sneaky?”

Roran took his time answering, lowering himself to sit next to her and draping his long legs over the side of the mattress. Aven ground her teeth together as she watched him.

“I wanted to see for myself how you flirted with him.”

Her hand fisted in the sheets. “I wasn’t flirting.”

“No? Are you so out of practice you aren’t even aware of it?” His smile grew. “I find it interesting to watch you. Do you know how badly Cillian wants you to trust him? How badly he wants you to be on even ground? It’s hilarious watching him try so hard.”

Trust? Yeah, it checked out. He’d spoken about it a few times. “Then maybe he shouldn’t have killed my family and brought me to your palace.”

Roran scooted closer and reached for her, sucking in a breath when she reared back.

“I didn’t realize you were so jealous,” Aven murmured.

“Jealous of Cillian?” he snapped. “Sorry, no. Curious but never jealous.”

“You’re the type who would bed someone for information. He’s the type who apologizes for moving out of turn.” She said it to try and unnerve him the way he kept her slightly off-kilter.

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