transported me back to the castle gates. Then, instead of escorting me to my room, he led me to his.
I hadn’t been back here since that first day, when I’d insisted it was too big. Before I’d spent days and nights in Killian’s even larger suite. Before I’d gotten over my paranoia about being recaptured and shipped off to NP.
Back then, this room had felt too open. Dangerous.
Now, it felt safe, because Ronan felt safe.
Except—
The sight of Anlon’s decapitated body filled my vision, reminding me that safe wasn’t all it seemed. What was here today could be gone tomorrow.
“Killian and Flynn?” I asked, frantically moving my head from one side to the other, searching.
“It’s okay.” Ronan smoothed my hair away from my face. “They’re both okay, and we all passed our trials.”
I slumped against him, too overcome with relief to speak. During most of the day, I’d been able to distract myself—to dwell on moving instead of the danger my men faced. But seeing those Riddle-Makers in action...I shuddered. One wrong answer meant certain death. It was cruel. Barbaric, even.
“Thank the gods. I was so worried.”
“I know,” he said as he continued gliding his fingers through my hair. “Now you know how I felt when I realized you’d wandered out into the thick of it.”
Oh, right. He was probably mad at me, and I couldn’t even blame him. I’d gone directly against his instructions, even though he’d only been trying to protect me.
I craned my neck to peer up at Ronan, immediately seeing the flash of anger in his dark eyes. “I’m sorry. How did you find me?”
“Connection spell, remember?”
Oh, right. I’d forgotten it did more than allow them to speak with me telepathically.
“I just wanted to help,” I insisted.
He shook his head, but the lines around his mouth softened. “I know. Did you overhear anything interesting?”
“Unfortunately, no. I spent most of my time searching for the other competitors. But I did watch the Folk of Mag Mell drop out of the tournament.”
Ronan nodded thoughtfully. “That’s good news. The less contestants, the quicker this will all be over.”
“And there was something else...” Even though I knew none of the princes were a fan of their cousin, the words caught in my throat. “Maybe I should wait and tell you, Flynn, and Killian at the same time.”
Yes, I was merely delaying the inevitable. But I wasn’t ready to share what I’d witnessed.
“They’ll be here shortly. In the meantime, you can use my bathroom to clean up.”
I glanced down at myself, only now remembering the blood splatters over my arms, chest, and dress. Ick.
Moving away from him, I said, “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to share the gore.”
His answering smile was grim. “Don’t worry about it. If there’s anyone who can handle a bit of blood, it’s me. Though I am interested in where it came from. I would have been panicked if I hadn’t immediately sensed that you were unharmed.”
I sighed. “It’s all part of the same story.”
“Okay.” He took my hand. “Come on. You’ll feel better after a shower.”
I followed obediently. Now that he’d reminded me of the blood, I desperately needed to scrub every inch of my body. If only I could do the same to the memories.
Ronan walked to the shower and turned on the spray, checking and adjusting the temperature after a few seconds. Then, he turned to me and reached for the hem of my dress. “May I?”
I sucked in a breath. Maybe it was because of the timing, or maybe because this was Ronan, but I hadn’t been expecting the move. Not at all.
Still, I found myself nodding.
With the utmost of care, he removed my dress and underclothes, not once allowing his gaze to stray from my eyes. Pressing a gentle kiss to my mouth, he whispered, “I’m happy you’re okay.”
“I’m happy you’re okay too.” More than happy.
His mouth tipped into a small smile, and he turned to leave. Surprised, I found myself asking, “You’re not going to join me?”
As soon as the question was out, I wanted to slap a hand over my mouth. But I forced myself to stay still.
In profile, I could see Ronan’s jaw clench and unclench. “I’m not going to rush you, Imogen. When—if—you’re ready for more, I’ll be waiting.”
Then, he walked out the door and shut it behind him. As I stepped into the shower and felt that first rush of cleansing water, I was smiling. If he would have taken me up on my (sort of) offer,