Dark Possession - Aja James Page 0,9
be part of her personal guard, but she also abdicated the throne to you. I trust her judgment. She’s one of the wisest Immortals I know.”
His lips quirked in an infuriatingly gorgeous way.
“Now, you’re trying to appeal to my vanity and use reverse psychology. Do you think me a child to be so readily manipulated?”
She sighed with frustration internally, keeping up the external façade of cool composure.
“Let’s talk this through like reasonable adults then,” she suggested. “What do you want to do with me, King Ramses? Do you want to declare war on the Pure Ones?”
He was silent for an uncomfortable length of time, especially since Eveline literally waited with bated breath for his answer.
Finally, he said, “It seems like a lot of trouble. I’m not sure the outcome would be worth it.”
“Just so,” Eveline immediately agreed, though she wished he was more adamant against war, rather than treating it like a chore to avoid.
“But I don’t want to be seen as supporting the alliance either,” he continued thoughtfully.
“I understand,” she sympathized. “Jade mentioned the civil strife within your hive.”
“And also because I don’t particularly like your Kind,” he added with a sinful smile that didn’t reach his eyes, as if daring her to react to the insult.
“Well, I don’t like the ones who kidnapped me, tied me up and brought me here either, so I guess we’re even,” she said agreeably.
“And you don’t like me,” he pressed.
“I am withholding judgement until I know you better,” she returned.
His bright obsidian eyes glinted at her.
She didn’t know whether it was teasing or predatory.
Probably both.
“Perhaps you like me too much,” he insinuated with a dark, decadent smile.
“Not at all,” she rebuffed immediately.
“Not even a little?”
Those sensuous lips curled slightly higher at one corner.
“You are really not my type,” Eveline explained. “Not that it matters, of course. Nothing personal, you understand. I just don’t generally feel an affinity for males like you. Or females like you. You know. If there were female corollaries to…well…you.”
Bravo, Eveline! That oral exposition was incredibly articulate and sensible.
Not.
“Males like me…?” he prompted.
Why wouldn’t he get off the subject, and why did she continue to run her mouth to answer him?
“Well, yes, males like you. All physically…overwhelming, and…and…”
“Mentally deficient?”
“Well, obviously not,” she huffed with exasperation. “It’s just that your brain is not your most salient attribute upon first encounter.”
Before he could speak again, and especially before he could probe her on what were his more salient attributes, she desperately inserted, “Can we just agree that we are both coldly indifferent to each other and move on? This isn’t about you and me as individuals, it’s about our Kinds and the message you want to send to both.”
For a moment, he looked as if he wanted to argue with one or all parts of her statement. But then he shrugged without actually shifting his body.
She rather envied his ability to do that. Convey so much with so little.
“What do you propose we do, then, Pure One? What would you do if you were in my shoes?” he asked, and surprisingly, he looked at her as if he cared to hear her answer.
Eveline took some time to consider seriously.
While she did so, he startled her by wrapping his arms around her, stepping so close, their torsos touched lightly, but not quite pressed together.
“Wha-what are you doing?” she stuttered, her thoughts scattering like marbles.
He leaned closer still, his much larger body enveloping her all around, his head inclining toward hers so that those full, succulent, sinful lips grazed the top of her head.
“Untying you,” he murmured against her hair.
His closeness, his clean male musk, his low, rough-edged voice—everything about him made her dizzy with sensory overload.
Her body involuntarily leaned into him.
In that moment, she liked him just fine. At least her body did.
In fact, she liked him a little more than a lot.
*** *** *** ***
Nothing personal…This isn’t about you and me as individuals…
He admired her logic and business-like attitude. But he didn’t like it.
With any other female, Ramses would have appreciated this no-nonsense approach a lot more. It certainly would save him extensive headaches and inconvenience.
But for some inexplicable reason, with this female, he wanted things to be personal.
He wanted to understand her as an individual, and perhaps even allow her to understand him in return.
“I shall give you another option,” he murmured against the top of her head, his arms lingering around her body even though he’d already released her bindings.
“Instead of accepting you as my Blood Slave and declaring