Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
A hard telepathic shove made him suck in a breath as a headache split his head.
“Stop thinking about him that way.”
Warrehn glared at Rohan, who glared right back, his eyes burning holes in him.
“That’s priceless,” Warrehn thought at him. “No offense, but if I owe anyone explanation for ogling the man, I owe it to his husband.”
A muscle started ticking in Rohan’s cheek, his black eyes narrowing dangerously. It took all of Warrehn’s considerable willpower not to look away like a coward. Rohan didn’t get angry easily, but when he did, anyone with common sense knew to avoid him.
Warrehn would be the first to admit he’d never been known for his common sense. He acted, and then he thought about what he’d done.
“He’s not yours, Rohan,” he told him, as gently as he could. He wasn’t very good at this emotional stuff, but even he knew that he must tread carefully. “The sooner you accept it, the better, or you’re going to come to blows with his husband when you see him.”
Before Rohan could reply, his attention was snatched by Prince Jamil’s pleasant, cultured voice.
“Given the recent scandals our House was involved in, this isn’t the best time for our clan to be involved in a political scandal, Mother.”
Warrehn glowered at him. He’d kind of expected that Prince Jamil would be on their side, considering his involvement with Rohan, but apparently it was one thing to suck a rebel’s cock, and completely another to actually support his cause.
He glanced at Rohan and found his friend watching Prince Jamil with a face that betrayed nothing. Only his dark eyes burned with fire that Warrehn hoped was anger and not something else.
“So you think we should stay out of it,” the Queen said, frowning at her son.
Prince Jamil’s gaze wasn’t on his mother. It was fixed on his own fingers, which he was stroking mindlessly, chewing on his bottom lip.
In his peripheral vision, Warrehn could see Rohan looking between Jamil’s fingers and lips, his intense gaze not exactly hateful despite the fact that the object of his fascination was pretty much screwing everything up for them. Warrehn would have rolled his eyes if it weren’t pissing him off so much. Love was such a stupid thing. It turned even the smartest men into besotted, blind fools.
“I think Tai’Lehrians should petition for full independence from Calluvia,” Prince Jamil said, still not looking up. “And that you shouldn’t resist it, Mother. Let them separate from us. Let them live their lives the way they want.”
That finally made Rohan react: at last, he seemed pissed off, his aura darkening with anger and something that felt like betrayal.
“May I have a word with you, Your Highness?” Rohan said, his voice cold. “In private.”
The Crown Prince seemed to stop breathing.
Slowly, he lifted his gaze and looked straight at Rohan, his green eyes full of something like trepidation.
His throat moved as he swallowed. “Is that necessary?”
“Yes,” Rohan said sharply.
“Very well,” Prince Jamil said, dropping his gaze again. “We can use the conference room.”
They went into the adjoining room.
Warrehn didn’t think either of them noticed the thoughtful, confused look on the Queen’s face.
Chapter 32
Rohan closed the door and looked at Jamil, who somehow managed to retreat into the far corner of the room.
“You shouldn’t have done it,” Jamil said, looking down. “My mother—”
“I don’t care,” Rohan said, closing the distance between them.
He stopped right in front of Jamil, so close that he could feel Jamil’s breathing on his face. It was ragged, unsteady, just like last night.
Jamil tried to step back, but there was nowhere for him to go. “Step away from me, Lord Tai’Lehr.”
Rohan laughed. It made his chest hurt. “Seriously, sweetheart? First you convince your mother not to support us, now this?”
“Don’t call me that,” Jamil said, still refusing to look at him. “And I did tell my mother to support you.”
Suppressing the urge to grab Jamil and shake him, Rohan said, “No, you told her not to support us. You know as well as I do that the Council would never grant us full independence from Calluvia. Tai’Lehr is too valuable of a colony for that. So that would mean war, a war with a very predictable outcome. We don’t have Calluvia’s resources.” Rohan’s lips twisted. “But as long as you never have to see me again, it’s all good, right? I know it’s awkward to keep seeing your dirty little secret when you’re reunited with the love of your life, but I didn’t think you were that selfish.”
Jamil’s gaze snapped up to him.
It was like a blow to his gut, those eyes, Rohan’s anger and bitterness shifting into a familiar hunger like no other. Rohan wanted to punch himself, to shake it off, to stop wanting a man who clearly wanted to move on from him and forget that they’d ever been anything to each other.