Page 19 of The Time Of Kings

“Only the one that has managed to render me incapable of acting like a gentleman.”

I couldn’t help but grin in return at the compliment. Unfortunately, my grin didn’t last long.

“I believe this is the part of our conversation where you begin to tell me about yourself…starting with your name, my beauty,”Draven said, whispering this last part against the skin at my neck, making me shiver against him and now giving him cause to grin.

“Why start now? We seem to be getting on just fine without all the formalities,” I answered, not sure why it was that I was so reluctant to give him my name.

Instead of playing along, he pulled back from my neck and frowned down at me. His dark eyes telling me of his displeasure when evading the question.

“The manner in which you speak already tells me of your lower rank in society, so if this is your reasoning for withholding the information I seek…”

“Wow, blunt much?”I muttered, making him frown again as I realised I most likely wasn’t helping myself here. Not when I continued to say things that made me seem like I was from, how did he put it…such a low rank.

“I have offended you?” he asked, seemingly shocked but picking up on the cue well enough, despite looking confused by my words.

I released a deep sigh.

“No, yes… look, can we just skip this part and go back to kissing?” I said, hoping this would steer him back to where I wanted us to be. However, he shocked me when first narrowing his gaze before then shaking his head.

“Let me be certain of this, you are denying me the knowledge of your name, am I correct?” he asked incredulously, pulling back far enough to grant me a stern look of disbelief. A hard look that made me squirm.

“I… erm… I don’t like talking about myself,” I said, thinking this was the safest excuse. Because I knew first would come my name, then where I came from, and so on and so on. And well, considering I didn’t even know what year this was or even where in the country I currently was, I honestly didn’t know how I was going to survive Draven’s interrogation. Just look at what happened with the simple lie I told him about staying at the inn and how that had backfired. Which meant I couldn’t risk it.

This lame excuse pissed him off enough that he removed himself from the bed completely, tugging on his jacket andprompting me to reach for my discarded underwear, slipping them on while his back was to me.

“And what of my own name? For you have not once wished to know of it,” he asked, making me wince before arguing quietly,

“That’s not true.”

“My being Lord here is enough for you then, is that it!?” he asked bitterly, making me jerk back like I had been slapped with his hurtful words.

“That’s not it, I told you that I don’t like talking about myself and…” I started to defend myself, but he was quick to cut me off.

“So,you are a wanted criminal,”he surmised in a dark tone, and I couldn’t say I blamed him for thinking this, despite how much it hurt.

“I told you that I wasn’t,” I disputed as he walked away from the bed with an angry slash of his hand cutting through the air.

“It matters not,” he said firmly, making me frown as I too got off the bed and followed him towards the small table where the tray of food still sat untouched. However, when I watched him pour himself a glass of something from a decanter that sat on the sideboard close to the table, I asked,

“What do you mean, it matters not?” The disbelief was easy to detect in my tone.

“I would protect you no matter what crimes you had committed,” was his reply, and at this my mouth literally dropped open.

“You… you cannot be serious,” I stated, shaking my head as if I was now dealing with a crazy person. But then he slammed the glass of burgundy red liquid down, making me jump before he was suddenly invading my space once more. Then he gripped my chin and forced my head up so I was looking directly into those dark eyes of his. A pair I would so often get lost in.

“Do I look as though I jest to you?” he ground out firmly, making me swallow hard before shaking my head, telling him no. No, he did not look like he was joking at all.

“Now tell me your name, girl,”he practically growled, making me ask softly,

“Why is this so important to you?”

“Because, my dear, I believe it is customary for a husband to know the name of his wife.” I jerked back from his hold and sucked in a quick breath, so close to asking how in god’s name he knew.

Of course I shouldn’t have been shocked by his reply, but after only just meeting me that day, then how could I not be? Which was why I spent the first few seconds utterly shocked that he had discovered my secret.

In the end, all I could mutter was,

“Your wife?”Which was when he bent slightly to put his head more level with my shorter height and said firmly,

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