Lord Red chuckled self-depreciatingly. He hadn’t expected to see Deneve so soon, and honestly, she looked amazing. The outfit Deneve wore was made to cover the least amount of skin possible.

It had a top that just covered her breasts and a skirt with a short front that showed off the fronts of her thighs. The sides and back of the dress were linen and billowed away from her slim athletic frame falling to her calf.

He could see bits of the golden star tattoos placed strategically on her body over smooth, rich cinnamon skin. She wore an ornate headscarf with gold and gemstones that made her look even more exotic than usual. She was a vision, to be sure, but that isn’t what bothered him.

She saved him. Why would she do that after he threatened to attack her?
Back at the Canyon, she was occupied with healing that weakling Prince.
He could overlook the fact it wasn’t her top priority at the moment. Then there was that situation with the King and Neruda Shen. She was preoccupied then as well. But today was different no one else was around. Why was it she had only cared to fight for other people but not with him?

He sighed as he pulled some fig wine out of his new pack. Deneve had changed somewhat. This made him smirk as he thought about it. She got snarky with him as if she didn’t care how mean he was.

He exhaled before he took another swallow from the bottle. He had found the black dragon bead was with the other Princess. Why hadn’t Deneve take control of it yet? Was the girl that daft to think he wouldn’t take advantage of the situation? Shaking his head, he realized that using force was probably going to get him nowhere. She wouldn’t tell him a thing about how she was able to work with so many summonses.

Her explanation back in Mediah was silly. Obviously, you would never understand until something melts that thing you call a heart.

He had actually taken that as a compliment. He feared becoming soft and sentimental because it made you weak. It wasn’t about being nice. It was about showing that you had the knowledge and power to control your summons. He snorted at the thought of it. She had to be lying or toying with him.

Ugh, and that took him right back to why did he save her in the first place? Why did he even care if she had gotten caught up in that distorted space with him? He had to be honest with himself. She didn’t deserve that fate. No one did, perhaps except for him. He had toyed with powers beyond what he could control and paid a heavy price. Years of research were gone, wasted time because of pride and the need for control.

Lord Red gulped down half the bottle.

The reflection was an unsettling one. The very idea that he had done something wrong. Perhaps he wasn’t as wise as he thought.