“Serena,” he growled, giving her a squeeze of his arms. “Talk to me.”

She turned to face him.

“Do you wish to marry?”

His head jerked.

She understood that with no words.

And she suddenly needed to get away.

His arms kept her where she was.

“If you do not wish it, I would understand,” she said quickly, again facing the beyond.

“You would understand?”

She did not understand the emphasis.

She also didn’t ask him to explain.

“Yes,” she forced out.

“Rena—”

“I am…we could just—”

“Be quiet, warrior, and look at me.”

Slowly, she turned her head to look at him.

“Do you wish to get married?” he asked.

Absolutely not.

But…

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Gods, you do,” he whispered, staring at her mouth.

“It is not very Nadi—”

His eyes jumped to hers. “My sweet mouse, you are Nadirii, but that is not all you are.”

She stared at him.

“You are so much more.”

She continued to stare at him.

“Your sister is Nadirii, and she married.”

“Yes, I know. It was yesterday, Chu, and we sat side by side watching it. But that marriage was arranged.”

“And you wish me to believe Elena, Queen of the Nadirii, wouldn’t ride to the under-realm battling demons all the way to wed Cassius Laird?”

Her sister would do just that and more.

Chu didn’t make her confirm that.

He asked, “Is she the only Nadirii ever wed?”

“No.”

“Then?”

She watched him closely while she stated, “So, you do wish to get married.”

He grinned wickedly. “Are you asking?”

She made a much greater attempt to launch herself from his lap.

But she found herself on her back atop a bed of pine needles with her Trusted atop her, his face close to hers, his expression very serious, his maneuver deft, for she had not unscabbarded her sword and neither of them had been impaled upon it.

“I want only to be free to do whatever makes us happy,” he said. “Without the strictures of the Nadirii or what you feel is your duty as a Nadirii princess standing in our way.”

“I have something to tell you that is important to me that I fear you will not like.”

His face closed down.

Damn it.

She knew it.

“You feel your duty is to your queen and thus you must stay at her side,” he said tonelessly.

She did not know what he was on about.

“What?” she asked.

“And my duty is to my king and I have vowed to remain at his side to see him and his family safe.”

She now knew what he was on about and in the knowing, she grew solid beneath him.

“And thus, we reach a stalemate after this is all done,” he concluded. “For you will not leave your queen and I cannot leave my king.”

This was not the issue.

Or it hadn’t been the issue.