Page 7 of Conquering the King of Storms

Everyone seemed to agree about that, except me.

And I supposed if I really considered the situation I’d been in back then verses the one I was in now, they weren’t that different.

Paired with a man I couldn’t leave, who could hurt me terribly if or when he chose to.

Trapped, with no way out.

Hopeless.

I refused to let my eyes sting as the emotions assaulted me, and focused on scrubbing mud off my skin.

I had always wanted a family. An epic love. Someone to be my best friend, and hold my hand when shit got tough, and hug me when I felt like crying, and make love to me in random places when I felt horny.

And instead, I’d gotten Steven.

Fucking Steven.

And now, Storm.

Lucky me.

At least Storm’s sanity would fade soon, and then I wouldn’t feel the pressure to talk to him or anything. That would be better.

Unfortunately,when I was as clean as I could get without soap or an actual shower, Storm’s eyes still weren’t glowing.

And the dude still seemed pissed, even though he was hiding it under his neutral expression.

We caught up to the others, and I kept my arms wrapped around my abdomen just to make sure he didn’t go and grab one of them again.

Dove—Dissiri—was so excited to see him that she screamed, and threw herself at him. He scooped her up and hugged her tightly, giving her a smile that I certainly hadn’t received. She chatteredto him as we walked, and I felt shitty for not making her feel comfortable enough to open up like that.

“What did you do to Storm? This is the longest he’s been sane, inages.” Ivy whispered, looping her arm through mine. Tariq was up in front of us with the other men, though he looked back at his woman every couple of seconds. It was like he was worried she would disappear.

“Pissed him off.” I shrugged a shoulder.

“He’s supposed to be the calm one. What did you say?”

“Told him I was engaged,” I admitted.

“Oh, fuck. No wonder he’s pissed.” She grimaced. “He’ll get over it.”

“I hope not.” The words slipped out of my mouth before I could rethink them, and I fought the urge to slap a palm over the damn thing.

“What? Why not?” She frowned. “It doesn’t sound like you and Steven were that close.”

Ivy had never been in a steady relationship with a guy before. She didn’t know how shitty it could be. I didn’t blame her for jumping all in with Tariq—he was obsessed with her, and honestly, they seemed like a good fit to me. But I didn’t know Storm, and I doubted he was going to make my dreams of an epic love come true.

“I didn’t like the pressure I constantly felt during the relationship,” I said carefully, trying not to actually admit anything.

If I told her I’d been trying to leave Steven for multiple months, or that he had been abusive, there was no telling what she would think or do. Or what Storm would, when he found out. For the moment, he probably thought I was broken-hearted about leaving my almost-mate behind. That was better than the alternative of him thinking I was single and ready to mingle, wasn’t it?

“Pressure?” Ivy frowned. “What pressure? The only pressure I’ve ever felt with my man is my body screaming at me to, you know.” She wagged her eyebrows at me, and I rolled my eyes.

“I’m glad you don’t feel pressure.” I wasn’t touching her insinuation with a ten-foot pole. “Every relationship feels different, I guess.”

“If that’s the case, then a relationship with Storm would be completely different than your last one,” she countered.

I scowled at her. “We’re done talking about this.”

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