Page 42 of Shadow Mark

Lighting gave a soft, cozy feel to the space. A throw blanket over the arm of one plush chair invited Lenore to curl up with a book. In fact, the tablet and mug on a nearby table suggested that Baris had been doing just that. It was a far cry from the basic cabin she’d called home on Prince Vekele’s ship, which was just wide enough for her to touch either wall with her arms outstretched. Not to say the prince’s ship wasn’t nice. It was. Just not kingly nice.

Baris faced the large window, his hands folded behind his back. The view was nothing remarkable, only the interior of the station’s dock. In deep space, it had to have been breathtaking.

“Is your shoulder worse?” Lenore asked, starting with the obvious. “Have you lost use of your arms? Tingling in your hands? You should be evaluated for nerve damage.”

“Please sit. No, that is not why I summoned you. The royal medic examined me. No torn tendons or other damage. You did an excellent job adjusting my shoulder. My thanks,” Baris said, still facing the window. “Have you considered your future in my kingdom, now that you are unlikely to return to Earth?”

“I have, actually.” Lenore sat on the nearest chair, and it was just as plush and comfy as advertised. “I’d like to get qualified to practice medicine here. I haven’t had a chance to research it, so I don’t know if that means going to med school or doing a residency, but yeah. That feels right.”

He made no reply.

She waited, unsure if she should continue.

And waited.

Did he want to talk about their night together? What was the protocol? Shit, there was protocol. Of course there was. When she was leaving, there was no pressure. It was a one-time thing. Fun. No strings. Now? All the strings and potentially a scandal.

Baris guarded his private life carefully. If the media caught wind of their night…well, Lenore had a hard time seeing how a single adult man spending the night with a single adult woman was scandalous, but the tongues would wag. The last thing he’d want was undue attention, for any reason.

“I don’t kiss and tell, so you don’t have to worry about that,” she said, breaking the silence.

“No, but that is reassuring,” he replied.

Well, now she was puzzled. Not summoned for a medical issue. Not worried about gossip.

Baris drew his shoulders back, as if coming to a decision, and turned to face her. Circles hung under his eyes, testifying that if he had slept at all, it was not nearly enough.

He walked away without speaking.

He paced between the door and the window and back again. He perched on the edge of the chair opposite her, drummed his fingers on the arms, and was on his feet again. Lenore watched, curious and concerned.

Baris sat back down and finally spoke. “I’ve struggled with a decision. Try as I might, I cannot ignore my emotions. I must tell you how much I love you and desire you to be my mate.”

Her mind went to a blue screen. All higher functions ceased.

Baris took her hand, as if her silence encouraged him. “Such a union flies against the will of the council and even my own best judgment. You have no contacts. No influence. No wealth. I cannot even claim I am dazzled by your beauty, though you are pleasing enough. Do not think otherwise.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” she muttered.

“There is no benefit to having you as a mate except that you please me in a way that no one else can.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

LENORE

Wow. She didn’t even know where to begin. Just wow.

“I imagine in situations like this, I should be flattered,” she said, but Baris had to be tripping if he believed she should be flattered.

“You are welcome.” His thumb swept over the back of her hand, and he smiled with affection.

Tripping hard.

The thing was, she was one hundred percent positive that he was being a great guy and meant every word he said. He loved her, allegedly, which was preposterous because they barely knew each other, biblically notwithstanding.

She snatched her hand away. “Is that all?”

“That is enough,” Baris said.

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