good. This had been an attraction, nothing more. Shit happened. People got over it. Simple.
I turned toward the door, but he grabbed my arm again.
“So, why were you avoiding me?” he demanded.
Why did he look pissed off? Why was he in my personal space? Shit, he was too close to ignore. My body, which so far had been dormant, flared to life with awareness. My breath came faster, my skin flushed with heat, and my eyes focused on his mouth.
“Fee …” His voice was a rasp of hunger and longing.
I closed my eyes and exhaled through my nose, blocking out my traitorous body’s response. “I’ve been avoiding you because I was embarrassed, okay. I needed some space and time.” I looked straight ahead at his chest. “You’re too close. I stink. I need a shower.” I tried to pull free, but he held on.
“I like the way you smell,” he said.
My heart flipped, and my stomach did a forward roll. “No. Nope. You can’t say shit like that to me.”
He released me. His mouth parted as if he was shocked at his own words. He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.”
And therein lay the problem. I backed away. “Yeah, so am I.”
“Fee.” He looked at me imploringly. “Mal and Azazel aren’t the only ones who want to keep you safe.”
My smile was forced, a mere action that didn’t reach my heart. “I’m not safe with you, Conah, and you know it.”
There was no being friends with Conah. Not right now, and maybe not ever, because there was no denying the fizzing sexual attraction between us, and until that faded or died or whatever, we’d need to keep a distance from each other.
I closed and locked my bedroom door and then made my way to the bathroom, stripping off as I went.
“Humansss have such ssstrange bodies,” Cyril said from his coiled position on the bed.
I yelped and clutched the shirt I’d just pulled off to my chest. “Fucking hell, Cyril. How did you even get in here?” I tugged the shirt back on quickly.
“Nooksss and cranniesss, Fee. Nooksss and craniesss.”
I took off my comms watch and placed it on the dresser. I doubted the device was waterproof, not that I’d been contacted on it or had the opportunity to use it yet. Conah, Mal, and Azazel’s comms were linked to mine, so I could send them a message or a signal I was in trouble. It was fitted with a locator.
“We talked about privacy, Cyril.”
“That’sss why I’m here. To get some.”
I bit back a smile. “What? You don’t like bunking with Cora?”
“My face may not reflect it, but I’m giving you a flat look right now.”
“She’s not that bad.”
“Then you bunk with her.”
“Nope.” I headed to the bathroom.
“Fine, let me sssleep here.”
“Nope.” I turned on the shower.
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want a snake in my bed.”
“You didn’t sssay that lassst night.”
“My legs were aching, the constriction helped me get to sleep.”
“So, you only want me for my body?” He sounded genuinely hurt.
And if anyone was listening to this conversation, they’d be totally weirded out.
“Besides, your room gets all the sunlight,” he continued.
I shook my head. “Fine, you can hang out here if you want, but I need to shower before I head to the Academy with Mal.”
I’d deliberately picked a day Conah didn’t work at the Academy for my weekly visit.
There was a knock on the door, and then Iza entered carrying fresh towels, but the usual pop to her step was absent.
She carried the towels into the bathroom and reemerged a moment later and headed for the door.
“Iza?”
She stopped and turned to face me. “Yes, Fee?”
“What’s wrong?”
Her eyes widened. “Nothing’s wrong, Fee. Everything is fine.”
She was lying. “Seriously, Iza, you can tell me if something is bothering you.”
“No. No. I love it here. I value my job, and I enjoy serving you.”
She was acting super weird. “But something is wrong, isn’t it?”
She shook her head.
“She’s lying,” Cyril said. “She’s upset, I can sssmell it. She jussst doesn’t want to lose her job.”
He was right. I could sense it too. “Iza, you’ve been a wonderful friend to me since I got here.”
She looked surprised. “Friend?”
“Yes. Friend. And, as a friend, I want to help you with whatever’s bothering you. It’s what friends do.”
Her shoulders sagged. “My brother owes money. A debt he took to ensure me a place in the lottery for noble service.”