Page 39 of Sinful Curses
“If that thing in the desert had capturedme, he would have let it eat me.”
“That’s not true.”
But as she said it, she pondered if it was true. Orin wasn’t exactly selfless; he was more likely to save himself than lend a hand.
“Yes, it is,” Elsa said. “He probably would have used the thing eating me as a distraction to slip away.”
Sahira laughed humorlessly because it was true. “He’d do the same to me.”
“But he didn’t do the same to you. I was there. You couldn’t see him because that thing was trying to eat you, but I did. He didn’t hesitate before chasing after you; Zeth did.
“I like Zeth, but he has a family to get home to, and I saw that on his face before he went to help. He still went but thought of them first, as he should. Orin only thought ofyou.”
Sahira felt Elsa’s eyes on her, but she couldn’t look at her friend. She had no idea what to say.
“He went to find you when the scarog beetles attacked, too,” Elsa continued. “And he waspissedwhen the brownies pointed their weapons at you.”
He had found her when the scarog beetles attacked. After the beetles invaded the library and she was separated from the others, she’d been desperate to flee those monsters. And then Orin had been there, pulling her against him while he enveloped them in shadows.
She hadn’t expected him to risk himself in such a way, but there he was, and she’d survived because of it. Some of her coldness melted, which was a dangerous thing for her. Orin would destroy her heart and soul if she let her guard down around him. She had no doubt.
“The brownies wouldn’t have done anything,” she said.
“That’s not the point. It upset him, and he made it clear toeveryone. He does care for you in some way.”
“How much can a dark fae really care for anyone?”
Elsa shrugged. “They’ve fallen in love and gotten married before. I have a feeling that creatures who are always so cold, distant, and self-centered might fallharderwhen their heart finally becomes involved.”
“Hmm,” Sahira murmured. “Well, it doesn’t matter because I prefer to hate him.”
“There’s a reason they say there’s a fine line between love and hate.” When Sahira shot her a look, Elsa lifted her hands in a calming gesture. “I’m just saying.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Isn’t it?”
Sahira bit her bottom lip and pondered this. No, it wasn’t love, it couldn’t be, but the damn man had managed to work his way under her skin and become a festering thing she couldn’t get rid of.
However, no one described love as a festeringthing,and that’s what Orin was to her… most of the time.
“You could always try women; we’re a lot easier to deal with,” Elsa suggested.
Sahira laughed, and the sudden release of tension felt good after everything they’d endured since entering this realm. She grinned at Elsa as she nudged her friend’s shoulder with hers.
“There are billions of men who would disagree with that statement,” she said.
Elsa chuckled. “True, but I don’t want to have sex with them.”
Neither do I. There was only one man who interested her anymore, and out of the countless realms with innumerable men in them, he was the worst one for her.
“I’m not hitting on you,” Elsa said. “I much prefer blondes.”
Sahira laughed again. “I didn’t think you were, but I could turn you on to brunettes.”
Elsa chuckled as she hooked her arm through Sahira’s and clasped her hands together. Gently, she turned away from the empty library and led her back across the floor. “I have no doubt, my friend. Come on, let’s get out of here. This place is depressing.”
Sahira couldn’t agree more. Gripping Elsa’s arm, she squeezed it. “Thank you.”
