Page 78 of A Bond in Blood

My tears fell from my eyes, and I pulled the blanket up to my chin, startling the body beside me.

“Morning,” Olen grunted.

“Evening,” I replied.

The bed shook with his laugh. “Fine, evening. My morning.”

I shifted, watching him hop from the bed, his earrings jingling with the movement.

“Will you help me get home?” I whispered.

His shoulders stiffened and he shook his head. “No, princess. I will not.”

“Why?” I cried.

He crossed the room again and placed himself on the mattress near my feet.

“I’m going to tell you something I should not utter.”

My breath hitched in my lungs, and I nodded my head.

“Ulrich isnotthe monster you’re experiencing.”

I shoved Olen away, scrambling from the bed. My hand went to my hip and my eyes widened, realizing I was completely nude.

Olen grinned at me, his eyes tracking my body.

“Stop!” I yelled, covering myself as best as I could while I rushed back to the bed.

“What in the Gods were you thinking? Where are my clothes?” I demanded.

“Burning in the kitchens. You were dripping wet and covered in sand and rot from the dungeons. None of that was getting in my bed.”

I shook my head. “My undergarments? My chemise? None of it could have been keptonmy body?”

Olen shrugged. “I’ve got a sensitive sense of smell, princess.”

He stood, crossing the room and opening a door, revealing a small wardrobe. His hand reached forward, then a shirt was flying through the air, and I grasped it. He didn’t turn until I stood and slipped it over my head.

“It’s insulting for you to proclaim Ulrich is not a monster.”

His smile was irritating but amusing at the same time as he replied, “I didn’t say he wasn’t a monster. I said he isn’tthemonster you’ve encountered.”

“That makes no sense.”

“It does. Just not to you,” Olen responded as he sat back down on the mattress.

I shifted my gaze, finding the narrow door leading to the hallway to Ulrich’s room.

“What did you say to him?” Olen asked.

“I—” I held my tongue, shaking my head. “It doesn’t matter.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Olen was standing again, his eyes narrowed with determination. “It very much matters. Ulrich has not had power that uncontrollable in millennia.”

Olen stood before me, glaring into my eyes. “What did you say?” he asked slowly.

“I called him a coward.”

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