Page 62 of Nightmare's Dance

“You said something had broken the pathways.”

“Arches,” Robby corrected automatically.

Realistically, I knew next to nothing about the Nightmare lands where I’d been created. My only purpose was to keep Ember safe however I could. Unfortunately, she didn’t know that and couldn’t understand why I kept turning down her advances.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want her. It was just that Robby was right. But watching her flirt with mortals, even if she were just looking for a one-night hookup, was twisting me up inside.

Knowing she’d never been with anyone before made it even harder to let her go off with some random guys in a beachside bar. What if they hurt her? What if they didn’t treat her properly? Or what if they actually knew what they were doing? Another voice whispered in my mind, reminding me I’d not been with a woman just as she’d never been with anyone before.

“Something is preventing me from getting home and has been for several years. That doesn’t mean I’m not correct. The princes will come for her, and if they find out you’ve touched their princess, they’ll kill you.”

I gritted my teeth. “It might be worth it.”

“Knight—”

“Jester,” I bit back at him.

“Fine,” Robby said, downing his drink and holding up his hands. “If you want to sign your own death warrant, then by all means, do so. You’ll be breaking her heart one way or the other. Just try not to do it more than once.”

He pushed away from the bar and stomped away, probably off to search out his own hookup.

I finished my whiskey, paid our tab, and went to collect my spark, my reason for living, and the woman I’d die for.

“Ember,” I said sharply.

She glanced up, tilting her head curiously at my tone. She’d made it into one of the men’s laps.

“We have early rehearsal. Let’s go.”

She opened her mouth to object, and I raised my eyebrows and gestured toward the exit.

“Fine.”

“Hey, man, lay off. We were just getting to the good parts,” one man said.

“Sorry, no good parts for you. We’ve got practice, and she’s not a morning person even when she gets a good amount of sleep.” I hoped this didn’t turn into a fight. I’d do it if I had to, but I’d rather just walk her out without trouble.

Ember slid off the guy’s lap. “Knight is right. Sorry guys, maybe later.” She tried to walk away, but the man who’s lap she’d been sitting on grabbed her arm. “What if we’re not done?”

“She said no,” I hissed.

The guy looked at me, caught sight of the sheer amount of muscle I’d built up in my aerial career with Ember, and backed off.

“Sorry, sorry,” he muttered.

Ember walked out next to me, remaining quiet until we were away from the noise of the bar. The warm sand squished between my bare feet and a sea breeze fluttered Ember’s hair around her face. She looked out over the water. “What was that all about? We don’t have practice for two days.”

“I didn’t like the way they looked at you,” I admitted.

She blinked a few times, then shook her head. “Okay.”

“We’re going on a tour in the morning, so I wanted to make sure you got some rest.”

“We are?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, great!” She brightened. “I guess I forgot.”

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