I pinned my elbows down on my sides, digging them into my love handles to stop him from lifting my shirt any higher. Unfortunately, I severely overestimated how much I could do.
My arms were easily lifted with a simple tug of my wrists that he held securely.
"Rowan!"
Goosebumps rose to pebble across my skin as cool air hit it. I shivered, more so from shock and fear than the cold. It was clear I wasn't going to be able to stop him. It was clear before I had even tried, now it only made it clear how foolish I was to have had hopes of succeeding.
It was stupid to think that I could best anyone let alone Rowan, especially in this world that shouldn't exist. His intimidating size didn't come naturally to most fae. It must have taken him years to hone his carefully sculpted physique which consisted of muscles that left his tensed body feeling like stone. Neglect had left mine soft and weak.
Liquor warmed my blood and fueled my struggle, keeping it strong in the face of defeat that was inevitable. Unexpectedly, it was also what allowed me to sift through the chaos in my head and have the moment of clarity I needed to be moving with a new motive, one I knew I was capable of achieving.
Giving up on trying to stop him, I turned to allow him to lift my shirt and pin his focus exactly where he wanted to, on my side that had been scratched raw by my nails. My angry skin nearly hid the silver lines marking it, but Rowan found them immediately, using the explosion of color to guide his eyes right to them. That, and the way I pushed it out towards him while turning and curling my shoulders around the warmth that hummed in my chest, shielding the golden mark at its center from his sight while allowing him access to the silver lines that cut through my irritated skin.
Moving my arm to press the upper half down against my chest to keep Rowan from lifting my shirt any further now that he had gotten what he wanted, I was only able to release the breath I held in my chest when he let me go and took a step back, a frown pulling at his lips.
In an uncharacteristic move, he jerked his fingers through his hair as he turned to pace in a small circle, rigidly pushing back the dark locks that shone wine red when they hit the light. Anger he tried to contain, yet failed to, leaked into his form and the tight pull of his features.
Lowering his hand, he rubbed it hard over his mouth as his feet stilled so abruptly that I found myself taking a step back. It took a conscious effort not to flinch his when gaze snapped back to me, his jaw set.
"Fuck."
I felt his growled curse down to my bones, carried by the weight of the revelation that I had yet to fully understand. What I did understand though, was that it was enough to have Rowan reacting.
That was enough to have me paling and wondering if I was about to see the Queen again.
The fear that swarmed me, stealing my ability to breathe, felt thick with betrayal.
For some stupid reason, I had begun to think that Rowan wasn't the bad guy.
It had the guilt I had felt regarding the warmth that was pooled in my stomach diminish to nothing. Unfortunately, that didn't mean I got to enjoy the remained of my buzz.
Rowan abruptly reached out for me, clamping his hand around my upper arm before I even had the chance to react to his movement. When I did, my hard tug did nothing to free my arm.
"Where are you taking me?" I demanded, already picturing the Queen's office as he dragged me out of the glass room and through the living space while Artemis cried fading protests with me.
With the beats of silence that followed, filled with the sound of my scrambled steps as they attempted to keep up with his, I was beginning to suspect I was going to get an answer once we arrived and I saw it for myself when he chose to open his mouth.
