Page 109 of Elven Crown

So he’d just decided on his own to ignore everything she’d told him that wasn’t an order, huh? Some mutually beneficial agreement. It had lasted all of…what? Three days?

“Sounds like someone needs to revisit the definition of agreement,” she snapped, refusing to look at him or slow down on her march toward the common room. “Because I thought we had one.”

“I thought you might—”

“No, Max.” Rebecca stopped short and whirled to face him, her pulse still pounding half an hour after she’d woken from that dream and her fists clenched at her sides as she tried to keep them from trembling. “Youdidn’tthink. That’s the problem here.

“I told you I didn’t need or want any more escorts through headquarters, andyoudidn’t think I meant it. Do I need to make this an official order with paperwork and everything? Or do I need to start looking for a new Head of Security?”

His eyes widened slightly before he took two more steps toward her. Now he loomed over her in the hallway, eyes flashing, the scent of moonlit grass and sandalwood and thetingling rush of his body warmth radiating toward her making her clench her fists even tighter.

“Are you threatening me?” he growled.

Wellthatwasn’t hard to get him all riled up.

“No,” she snapped, “but Idothink you need to re-examine your working definition of threat and question. I’m just trying to be prepared, because the guy who’s supposed to be my right-hand Head of Security still doesn’t think he has to pay attention if it’s not a direct order.”

They stared at each other in a silent battle of wills—or at least that was how it felt.

Maybe she was misreading this whole thing.

She hadn’t meant to snap at him, but she couldn’t help herself.

It was that damn dream bringing her very real, very unpleasant memories back to the forefront. It was messing with her head, putting her in a fouler mood than normal first thing in the morning. And Maxwell was the one catching the brunt of it, because he was the one who still thought he knew best regarding unnecessary bodyguard duty day in and day out.

She didn’t want to be pissed at him. She didn’t want to be affected by these old, long-buried memories resurfacing beyond her control.

She didn’t want to explain herself, least of all to Maxwell. He wouldn’t have understood anyway, and telling him the bare bones of one secret would only lead to him interrogating her about all the rest.

Those memories in her dream had stained her. They’d left behind some kind of residue in her mind and on her body. Some sticky, lingering thing that couldn’t be washed away with a simple shower.

After another moment of silent tension between them, Rebecca seriously considered ordering Maxwell to stay put and count to a hundred so she could get to the common room on herown. But then he inhaled deeply through his nose, as if taking in a scent he particularly enjoyed, and leaned closer.

His silver eyes brimmed with concern again as he studied her face. “What’sreallygoing on?”

Great.

If Rebecca’s dreamscape had left this otherworldly residue on her the way she felt it had, it wouldn’t have surprised her if this shifter picked up on it. Smelling her discomfort and her deeply hidden secrets as easily as he’d claimed he could smell a lie.

And he wanted her to just tell him all about it.

“Nothing’sgoing on,” she muttered and started to turn away from him. “It’s just too early for this. I need space in the morning.”

Before she could walk away, that tingling warmth of his presence surged around her again when Maxwell stepped closer. She didn’t have to face him to feel him still towering over her from behind.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Nothing happened. I told you, it’s too—”

“Something happened between last night and now. You’re going to tell me what’s wrong with you.”

She could have sworn she heard him sniffing the air behind her, which made her that much more certain hecouldsmell whatever residual energy or magic or emotion still lingering in and on and around her after her journey to the past in her sleep.

Damn her dreams.

“The only thing I’m telling you,” she said, fighting to keep her voice even, “is to stop talking until I’ve started my day. Better yet, back up and give me some space to breathe, all right? I can’t do my job if you’re suffocating me.”

She took off down the hallway again, leaving no opportunity for the shifter to respond.

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