Page 69 of Sinful Curses
“I own you,” he said as he stepped away from the door, “and don’t forget it.”
But as she opened the door, for the first time, Orin questioned if he was wrong and it wasshewho ownedhim.
That possibility infuriated him more.
CHAPTERFIFTY-NINE
They spentanother night on the pub floor before gathering their supplies and heading out as the sun rose. Sahira had gone to sleep ten feet away from Orin and woke to find them in the same places.
He hadn’t tried to come to her once she fell asleep, something she was grateful for… or at least that’s what she told herself.
After their ridiculous fight in the bathroom, she didn’t want to be anywhere near him. But she couldn’t deny she missed waking to find herself nestled in his arms.
She longed for a connection to him while also hating him, and it madeeverythingso much more difficult. And when she was honest with herself, she could admit she didn’t hate him anymore.
She wanted to but couldn’t.
Yes, he was an asshole.Noonecould deny that, but even with what he’d said to Elsa, and she knew he meant it, she didn’t hate him.
He was more callous than anyone she’d ever met, but there was some good inside his black heart. Every time she looked at Pip with her battered tail, it confirmed this.
He could have let her die; it would have been easy enough for him to do nothing while she died. He said all they did was irritate him, but he still saved her life.
Not only that, but he hadn’t kicked Pip off his shoulder, and she’d slept beside him again last night. The man was such a contradiction, an oddity she couldn’t quite put her finger on, but it all came together to createhim.
And as much as she’d like to choke him most of the time, she wouldn’t change him. She’d come to care for him far more than she should have allowed herself to, and it was too late to change that now.
She also had to admit he had a point. Theyweren’ttogether, he’d never made her any promises before or during their first time together, and she hadn’t expected him only to be with her. That wasn’t how the dark fae worked.
She’d prepared herself to see him with other women, but it hurt so much to watch him with them. Thinking about it caused her to rub her chest as her heart constricted.
It washerproblem, and she either got over it or didn’t. But if she got over it, she’d be opening herself up to him more, and he’d already hurt her. It would only be worse next time.
No, it was best if they kept their distance now because he’d move on once they were free of here and never look back. And she’d be left with only her sorrow for company.
She couldn’t allow that. She also wouldn’t allow him toownher; what a barbaric, asshole thing to say. It didn’t matter whether her body reacted to his every touch like he was the puppet master and she was the puppet;no oneowned her.
Focusing on the wrath those words conjured, she stalked forward, completely ignoring him. Fath shifted on her shoulder but said nothing about her speed walk.
Thankfully, once they were out of town, they no longer had to climb. Instead, they descended through a mountain passage with black walls so steep and high they were impossible to climb.
She almost wished for the mountains again; at least then she could see around her. With the black walls pressing against them and becoming so close in some places they had to turn sideways to squeeze through them, she saw only rock.
Feeling like a rat in a maze, the air warmed as they descended, but the respite from the cold didn’t ease her growing anxiety. The passageway twisted and turned so many times she often lost sight of Orin a few feet ahead of her.
Every time he vanished from view, her heart leapt, and she hurried forward so she could see him again. At one point, the path became so winding she couldn’t see him for at least ten minutes, as every time she turned a corner, he’d already gone around a different one.
When she glanced back, she couldn’t see Elsa behind her. On her shoulder, Fath sometimes made a small sound of displeasure, but like usual, he didn’t speak.
When the sunset came, and they were too tired to continue, they settled into the most wide-open section they could find. From her position, she saw Orin and Elsa, but only one of Zeth’s horns.
They were crammed into the passage with barely enough room to stretch their legs across as they leaned against the wall and ate their meager rations. They’d have difficulty fighting it off if something came after them now.
And if something comes from above….
She tipped her head back to stare at the walls well over a hundred feet above. Lifting her spear, she propped it up and held it as she leaned back against the wall, and Fath climbed off her shoulder to join the other brownies in a circle where they slept head to tail.
She could turn sideways to stretch completely out on the pathway, but then she’d be on top of Orin and Elsa. She preferred being cramped between the two walls.
