Jenna tched. "She said that?" she asked with a scowl.
Rhane nodded innocently with a faint smile. "Yes, and she also said she thinks my master secretly likes me."
Jenna chuckled dryly. "Making up things now? How shameless are you?"
Rhane moved his hands up defensively. "But she said that!" he replied.
Jenna turned around and began walking back to the mansion. "So what? Are you going to kiss me right now?" Jenna asked, her tone incredulous.
Rhane sucked in his breath. "Not now, later, when we are in bed together," he replied calmly, following Jenna behind.
Jenna snapped her head around at his words. "Why should we be in bed together?" she asked, her guard now up.
"To sleep, of course," Rhane replied with a smug smile. He noticed the flare of Jenna's nose and added, "We can make love and sleep later, if you want that too."
Jenna closed her eyes and sighed. but it wasn't out of weariness. Not really.
It was the sigh of a woman standing on a ledge, pretending the wind wasn't pushing her forward. Rhane's voice lingered in her ears, and the worst part? Her body listened.
She folded her arms across her chest, a weak attempt to contain the pulse building under her skin.
"Let us sleep in separate rooms," she said, voice tighter than she'd meant. "I'm all healed now."
"You're not sleeping with me because you're wounded," Rhane said matter-of-factly, walking past Jenna, who had now stopped walking.
Running after him, Jenna rubbed her temples tiredly. "Why must I sleep with you? What if you can't control yourself and do something when I can't defend myself?" she asked, panic surging in her veins.
Rhane halted in surprise, causing Jenna to almost crash into him. He turned and stared down at her. "I can control myself enough not to pounce on you after a kiss. Trust me... my lady," Rhane said, narrowing his eyes and pointing at Jenna.
"Does a kiss scare you so much? Where is the tough lady who can defend herself just fine, as long as I don't use my fists, her tongue does its duties very well?"
Jenna blinked, not quite understanding what Rhane meant, then it clicked. Her conversation with him earlier. "You—"
Rhane grinned, licking his lips languidly. "Right. I won't use my hands. Just my tongue, and your skillful one." He turned and continued walking.
Jenna rolled her eyes. She needed to be careful what she said before Rhane now. He never forgets. Following him behind, she tried to think of how to get him to let her have her own room, at least.
Rhane slowed down his steps until Jenna was standing beside him. He could hear her breathing heavily. Her tiny mind was at work again, trying to outplay him and he found it lovable.
Jenna chewed her fingernail plates, deep in thought. She didn't know why she found this entire conversation absurd. She had to sleep right next to Rhane, when she couldn't even control her own emotions at the moment.
"I can't believe only a simple kiss has my master worried," Rhane teased. When she glared at him, he touched his heart and gasped. "Even your vicious glare makes my heart tremble. Can a human be any more beautiful?"
Jenna turned her face away. "No! I am the only one with this face," she said in an annoyed voice.
Rhane chuckled, shaking his head at her ability to match his humor effortlessly. "Well, I know a way to bless the world with this beauty."
"Yes, by trapping me here." Jenna retorted, folding her arms across her chest like a little girl throwing a tantrum.
Rhane rubbed his temples. "You're not trapped, if you look closer," he replied. "But that's not it. I meant another you... your own child."
Jenna slowly stopped walking, her eyes on the ground.
Rhane stopped with her. He tried to read her expression, but it was blank. "Do you ever wish to have a child?" he asked in his softest voice. He realized only too late after he had asked the question.
"No," Jenna replied with a snap. "I don't want to bring in another monster with that bloodline," she replied and continued walking. She didn't say it with anger, but with the hollow finality of someone who's lived through the worst and survived it.
Rhane swallowed hard. He understood if Jenna refused to have children. He followed her closely, listening in case she had more to say.
"At first, I wanted, like every woman but not anymore," Jenna continued. She gave Rhane a quick glance, then looked away. "And you know why."
Jenna sniffled. "I'm guessing you want to be a father. I saw how kind you were to the children. My purpose doesn't align with yours... no point trying." She walked faster as they got close to the mansion.
Rhane fell back. He watched the distance get bigger between him and Jenna. He stretched his hand- and she wasn't close. He kept watching her walk faster, and the more the distance, the bigger the void Rhane felt at the moment. Inhaling deeply, Rhane jogged, and in no time caught up with Jenna before she could reach the mansion.
Jenna turned when she heard Rhane. "Have you realized it now? I hope I can leave, and we can end this madness."
Rhane grinned, with a glint of madness in his eyes. He grabbed Jenna's hand. "Then I'll be the first man to have this beauty for a lifetime. There will never be another you... my biggest gain, but loss to humanity. Shame... one that pleases my heart."
Jenna's mouth opened with no control. If she wasn't sure before, now she was certain- this man had lost his mind. "Wha—"
"I want whatever... whatever, my lady... as long as you are mine. We can grow old and blind together without an offspring, die in our room holding each other. Yes! I'd love that too," Rhane confessed, breathing heavily.
"Not like I have a root so pure that I'd like to prolong. I can bring an end to my stupid bloodline after I kill Gerald. I love the idea, really," he pronounced with a smile that showed he meant every word.
Jenna slowly pulled her hand away from his hold. "You have lost your bloody mind," she said out loud.
Rhane nodded. "And I love it when you curse with those innocent lips of yours. Makes me want to—" he took a step closer, just a breath away from Jenna's face, then pulled back.
"I'll keep the kiss for later."
His breath ghosted over her lips before he pulled away. Then, like the devil himself had been playing innocent all along, he flicked her nose and strolled past, as if he hadn't just pressed his madness against her restraint.
Jenna stood frozen, her mouth parted, heart hammering at a traitorous rhythm. She hated how cold the air felt when he stepped back. Hated that she wanted more. Her fingers twitched at her sides. She should walk away. She should.
But instead...
"You better kiss me now!" The words slipped out before she could stop them. And just like that, she knew she'd lost the upper hand. Now it proved she was even going to let him kiss her.
Rhane turned, his head moving to the side. "Are you asking me to kiss you now, for your own sake, while I can kiss you later while we are in bed?"
"What? No! Who said you can even kiss me?" Jenna asked, trying to retrace.
With a smug smile, Rhane stretched his shoulders. "I'll let you enjoy your afternoon while I go attend to business. Think of me, and our kiss." Flashing her a wink, Rhane entered the mansion.
Jenna stood there, her head tilted toward the sky like the answers might be carved in the clouds. Her blood was already boiling, and it vexed her, deeply. Not because she was angry. No, that would have made more sense.
She was burning with curiosity. About what it would feel like to kiss Rhane. And that, more than anything, made her want to scream.