He chuckles, and the sound is low and delicious and oh, it makes me wet all over again. "I do not know what that means, but I can guess."

"It's unfair," I tell him, and slide my hand between my thighs, a wicked idea occurring to me. "I guess I'll just touch myself to ease the problem—"

"If you do, I will tie your hands to the bedposts," he warns.

I raise my hand out from under the blanket and give him the finger, instead. "You suck."

Aron just laughs again. "Go to sleep, Faith."

Oh sure, like I'm just supposed to turn things on and off like a switch. I fight back my irritation and close my eyes, trying to ignore the throbbing heat between my thighs and the nearness of the man I want so badly. The man that won't touch me, despite the endless sexual tension building between us.

At least it explains why he had such a hard-on at Tadekha's citadel and never touched me. Mortal liaisons are distracting.

He doesn't know the half of it. If he thinks I've been distracting so far, he hasn't seen anything yet. I vow to be the most frustrating, distracting, cock-tease of a mortal that this world has ever seen. Aron has needs like any other man. I'm going to break him down, make him realize he's torturing himself over nothing.

And when he snaps, it's going to be glorious.

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52

Project Tease begins the next morning.

When I wake up, Aron is distant, already distracted with his plans for the day. He glances over me to assess my mood. "Are you angry about last night?" he asks as he dresses.

"Me? Nah." I yawn. "You're the one in charge. I'm just the lowly mortal."

That makes him pause. One eyebrow goes up. "You are the mortal, but I also know you, Faith."

I wave a hand, indicating he should leave. "We'll talk about it some other time. Go do your thing."

Aron studies me for a moment and then puts his belt on, heavily decorated with daggers and the like. "I want you and the other girl to keep up the pretense."

"Yulenna?"

He shrugs. "Whatever her name is."

All right, I shouldn't be such a gleeful bitch that he can't remember her name…but I am. "She's the anchor and I'm the concubine. Got it."

"Stay in these apartments until I return."

"Did we say ‘concubine’ or did we say ‘prisoner’?" I ask lightly.

He just gives a shake of his head. "I knew you were still angry. Faith, do not test me on this. As you saw last night, these people have very set customs. I will be extremely cross if I find you gone and in some other mortal fool's bed all because you did not listen to me."

Well, that would make me pretty cross, too. "Is he a hot fool?" I ask, though, and my toes curl when Aron looks over at me with a vicious frown. "Don't worry. I won't go anywhere. I might be pissy but I'm not an idiot. I have no desire to be shared with half the fucking city like they think I should be. Your concubine is going to take a nap." I fluff my pillow and turn away, forcing another yawn. "And tell them to send up breakfast. Lots of it."

I wait to see if he's going to say anything else, but Aron is quiet. After a long, tense moment, he leaves the room and the door shuts behind him.

I roll onto my back and glare up at the ceiling. So Aron doesn't want to play with his toys…but he doesn't want anyone else to play with them either. I'm not going to let him sit me on some shelf, though, and only acknowledge me when he needs to show off in front of others. We're a team. That won't change if we sleep together. I run a hand down my front, palming my naked breast and thinking of his hand last night. Hot shivers move through me and I remember the heat in his gaze, the way the air crackled so ferociously as if we were about to be struck by lightning where we stood.

God, that thrill of danger should not have been as sexy as it was. But it's arousing because it went with Aron's heated looks, Aron's possessive touches, Aron's big hands all over my body as he declared in front of the world that I was his. That I was his alone.

Project Tease is definitely a go, I decide.

I jump up from bed and throw on a robe that's hanging from a hook. It's of a soft weave and not all that modest, so I'm guessing Lady Gerline dresses like a castle ho on the regular. Maybe women are just showpieces to these men after all. Great. All the more reason to stay in the apartments like Aron suggested. I might be angry at him, but like I said, I'm not stupid. I know this world isn't safe like my own, and I don't know that I'd be all that safe dressed like this in my world, either.

But if I'm not leaving the apartments, anything goes.

So I wrap the robe tightly around me, hiding all my girl bits despite the wispy fabric, and move to the door. I crack it open a hair and I'm not entirely surprised to see Solat and Kerren out there. I peer out and clear my throat to get their attention.

Both turn. Kerren gives a bow but Solat only grins knowingly.

"No bowing," I whisper. "I'm the concubine, remember?"

Kerren blushes. "Of course." He straightens, looking like an overgrown schoolboy in leather armor. "What can we get for you?"

"Where's Aron?"

"Lord Secuban was waiting for him. They are touring the keep."

"Showing off," Solat adds lazily. "Probably still trying to convince Lord Aron that he should be his army."

"Ugh. Aron doesn't want an army." I don't point out that he barely wants them around. "Did he send up breakfast?"

"It will be here shortly," Kerren says, and almost bows again but stops himself. "Can we get you anything else?"

"Yulenna," I say. "And some servants that are good with hair and makeup. Aron doesn't want me going out so I'm going to have a spa day."

"A what day?"

"Never mind. Basically I'm going to do my hair and take hot baths and other girly shit. Are you guys on guard duty all day?"

"We are proud to serve," Kerren says stiffly, even as Solat stifles a yawn. They both look tired.

"Where's Markos?"

"With my Lord Aron."

"And Vitar?"

"He is guarding Yulenna's apartments—"

"Cool, let's condense things then. You guys look tired. Bring her here and you three trade off watching the door. One of you can come in and nap in between shifts. There's an extra cot in here," I tell them, pointing off to the side. I'm guessing that's for bed guests of all kinds. Yeesh, Novoro, turn it down a notch.

They hesitate, glancing at each other.

"You'll all three still be guarding, right? We'll be safer than ever if we're together. And if Aron gives you any shit, you were following my orders."

That convinces them. Kerren heads down the hall to go retrieve Vitar and Yulenna, and Solat gives me a flirty grin. "You're good to us, lady."

"Faith. And I have a soft heart, what can I say?"

"Invitingly soft," he says, his smile growing wider.

I put a hand up. "I'm going to stop you there, Solat, because we both know Aron would neuter you in a heartbeat if he heard you were flirting with me. I'm sure you want to keep your balls."

Even though it's difficult to tell in the shadowy corridor, I'm pretty sure he pales. "An excellent reminder, thank you."