Page 516 of Flirting with Darkness

“Apparently I do, because my subjects are useless idiots. I apologize for their behavior.”

My jaw dropped slightly. “You’re sorry those girls were a little rude to me, but you’re not sorry for having Tor kidnap me?”

His lips tilt it up slightly. “Well, would you have come willingly?”

I don’t know… Maybe I would have. Maybe it was true that I’ve always wanted something beyond this world.At the same time, it turned out this world was absolutely terrifying. Both Tor and the prince scared me… But in a confused, excited kind of way.

“That’s not an excuse for kidnapping people, just because you want them!”

He shrugged. He was carrying me through the castle. “It is in my world. It is for me.“

“Well, there’s something very wrong with your world.”

“I’m aware. That’s why I’m trying to make you it’s queen.”

“I can’t be queen. I don’t understand anything here.”

He looks perplexed. “I was under the impression you were quite intelligent.”

“I am!” I said indignantly.

“And why are you convinced that you cannot learn?”

I cleared him indignantly, and his lips curled up in a faint smile.

“If it makes you feel any better, I am not particularly wild to marry you either. I’ve been happy alone all my life. But I don’t want to see your people killed.”

“What?” I demanded. “Is that a threat?”

“Princess, I fear we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. But I would never threaten you. The threat—for us both—is the Wild Hunt.”

“What’s that?”

“Allow me to show you.“

“I can walk, you know.”

He smiled down at me indulgently. “Perhaps. But you were just almost eaten because you are not very good at walking away from danger. So I think you’re safer in my arms.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, but there was a part of me that enjoyed being carried by an incredibly tall, sexy man.

He carried me into a lavish, breathtaking library.

“Do you like to read?”

“Very much so. Do you?”

He nodded. “I did not enjoy it when I was a child, but I grew into it.”

He sent me down on my feet, and I walked around the library curiously, surprised to see that there were so many normal books.

“Why do you have so many mortal books?” I asked, then felt odd about the fact that I just usedmortalin a sentence without thinking twice about it.

“Tor has always been very curious about the mortal world.”

“You and Tor are… Friends?”

“Not exactly. I despise him a little.”

---