THE LUNA THEY’LL NEVER LOVE

37: KISS OF DEATH

PHEEONA.

Nashyn drove the entire way back to the palace without a single word.

Anyssa had gone with Bennedict in the other car, leaving me trapped in the passenger seat beside him, arms folded tight across my chest, stewing in a kind of anger that had nowhere to go.

I finally worked up enough momentum to speak. "I don't appreciate this."

Nothing.

"You have no right interrupting my conversation," I added, "or pulling me out of that pub like I was a child who'd wandered off."

More silence.

"Am I not allowed my own freedom?" My voice climbed, sharper now. "Am I not allowed to move around Ashenbane on my own?"

His silence was tearing at me, worse than anything he could have actually said. I turned in my seat, slamming both hands against my thighs.

"Are you not going to say anything?"

His grip tightened on the steering wheel. That was it. That was the only response I got, the muscles in his forearm shifting beneath his sleeve, the road stretching dark and unbroken ahead of us.

"This wasn't the agreement," I said, my voice gone cold. "I didn't agree to be a slave, or a pawn, or someone who follows your laws without question. I agreed to a marriage. That was it."

I slumped back against the seat and didn't say another word the rest of the drive, watching the streetlights of Ashenbane blur past the window, refusing to let him see how much his silence had actually gotten under my skin.

When we finally pulled up to the palace, I stared straight ahead as he killed the engine and climbed out.

I didn't move.

He rounded the front of the Range Rover, walked to my side, and pulled the door open himself, standing there with an expectant patience that only irritated me further.

I huffed, exasperated, and finally got out.

I walked into the foyer and branched straight into the throne room, unable to sit still, pacing the length of it before I'd even consciously decided to wait there for him. My heels clicked sharply against the marble, the sound echoing off walls that felt entirely too grand for the kind of conversation I was about to have.

My skin prickled moments later as Nashyn walked in behind me.

"I want to go to that banquet tonight," I said immediately, turning to face him. "And I don't want you to stop me."

He crossed to the side bar in the corner without acknowledging me directly, reaching for a decanter, pouring himself a glass of whiskey with the unhurried calm of a man who had all the time in the world. "You can go," he said. "As long as you leave with a dozen guards at your heel."

"No," I said instantly. "That's too much attention. I won't enjoy myself."

He shrugged, glancing at me over the rim of his glass. "Sad reality that is."

He took a swig, downing the whole glass in one go, throat working as he swallowed.

I sputtered. "Are you serious?"

He set the glass down on the table with a soft clink. "Your rebelliousness almost got you killed. Security isn't an option."

"I want just one," I said, crossing the room toward him. "Only one guard."

"What's in it for me?"

I frowned, caught off guard by the question. "What's in it for you?"

He poured himself another glass, unbothered, the amber liquid catching the light. "Putting twelve guards on you guarantees my peace of mind at all times." He turned, leaning back against the table, glass in hand, watching me with that same edge underneath his easy expression. "What do I get if I grant you personal space in exchange for my peace of mind?"

I thought about it, trying to find the angle, the trick, whatever this was building toward. "My safety shouldn't be something that costs your peace of mind in the first place."

He tilted his head, something almost playful crossing his face. "You're my wife, are you not?"

Heat flooded my cheeks, and I shot back before I could think better of it. "Last I checked, I was nothing but a hole and a title."

He looked away from me sharply, jaw tightening like he was fighting off a smirk he didn't want me to see.

"Point in case," he said, voice steady again. "If you want me to give you leeway, you'll need to give me something in return."

My curiosity, against every instinct telling me not to engage with whatever game this was, sharpened immediately despite myself.

I drew closer, reluctant, my pride warring with the part of me that desperately wanted out of this palace tonight. "And what's that?"

He smiled, fully now, setting his glass down and giving me his complete, undivided attention in a way that made the room feel suddenly smaller.

"You'll give me a kiss."