Lorien POV
“Isn’t that reason enough?”
“No.” The word slipped out more petulantly than I intended, and I bit my lip, realizing I sounded like a sulking child. Auren shifted, lifting his arm and angling his head back to look at me.
I immediately fell onto my back to avoid meeting his gaze, but the low rumble of his chuckle still reached me.
“If it wasn’t enough,” he murmured, “I wouldn’t be sleeping on the floor, would I?”
He didn’t sound like the ruthless man who had dragged me here under threat of death. This version of Auren calm, teasing, almost warm was unnerving. I had braced myself for chains, for locked doors, for a cold bed where he’d keep me pinned like a captive. I had never imagined he’d willingly take the floor while I lay in his bed.
“Stubborn,” I muttered, unable to smo
