He drove a good distance, chattering nonstop to distract his princess from her pain. “I bet you’re curious about Adwaeweth. The entire kingdom is made up of six worlds. I won two of them in an All War. On five of those worlds, citizens live under a mystical dome. The sixth one is pitch-black and doesn’t need one. Within each world, there are multiple territories ruled by princesses subject to Aveline. My mother was a breeder, and she chose my father as her mate. They had three boys, including me, and a girl. But, within a twenty-year span, my father offended Aveline, and Aveline...she ate his heart. My mother refused to choose another mate, so Aveline ate her heart a mere two months later. Both of my brothers were killed in an All War, and my sister died in childbirth, along with her baby. Fast-forward another hundred years, and I refused to fight in a third All War, so Aveline killed Meredith.”

Meredith had been his bright light.

“So much tragedy,” Nola muttered from the back seat.

“Tragedy after tragedy, loss after loss.” Not sure how many more I can withstand.

“No wonder you prefer warrior women.” She struggled to an upright position.

“Easy,” he said, worry overshadowing his relief. “What did you mean?”

Shoulders rolling in, tone sad, she said, “You’ve admitted you cannot survive another loss. So, now you choose the people most likely to survive any future hardships.”

Her observation...made sense. The fact that she saw him...that she’d begun to figure him out... “Look at all you have survived. What you will survive.”

A vivid flash of lightning momentarily lit up the entire vehicle, spotlighting her. He examined her through the rearview mirror. Pain etched every inch of her beautiful face, but also wonder.

Wonder? So out of place. What had caused the emotion?

When the storm lightened, he abandoned the car. Human enforcers might already be on the hunt for it. He carried Nola to a nearby RV park. At some point, she fell asleep, the hard patter of rain creating the perfect lullaby.

He worked a T-shirt from a backpack to drape over her face and chest. Then, using the money Nola had gotten by selling the jewels, he purchased an older RV. He must have overpaid, because the owner spotted the stack of cash and squealed.

After laying Nola in bed, he removed her shoes and pants, but left her undergarments in place. Too keyed up to rest, he searched the RV—a home on wheels. Small, but functional. There was a floral-print couch and a large black screen. The tiny kitchen had a stove and sink, counter, and a foldable table and chairs. In back, the world’s smallest bathroom and the only bedroom.