Page 41 of Rauf: Minotaur Mates

His eyes narrowed, and I resisted the urge to put the cup down so I could pull my collar up.

“I don’t think it’s safe for you to stay in the dorms. I’d like you to come stay at my house, just until we apprehend Jason and figure out what is going on. I don’t like that there are strangers on my planet.”

God, no.

It wasn’t even the thought of sharing his bed that made me recoil. It was breakfast. Sitting across from him every morning and knowing he was waiting for me to start feeling something.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Korfas glanced toward the front of the clinic, impatient to get back out there. “You need to be safe.”

“Are you saying you can’t keep the other brides safe?”

His attention came back to me. “You and I are⁠—”

“I don’t think things are going to work out between us, Korfas.”

Korfas huffed and stepped closer. I raised my chin, ready for the argument. “Why not? I thought we were getting along.”

He sounded hurt. That was harder to face than anger, and I nearly softened what I was about to say.

“I just don’t feel a spark with you. I’m sorry. I really wish that things were different, but my feelings aren’t going to change.”

His gaze moved over my face. I wanted him to nod and step aside so I could go before I made this worse. Instead, his expression hardened. “Is this because of the Butcher? Do you really think Rauf is going to marry you?”

For a moment I couldn’t breathe.

Did he know? Could he tell what Rauf and I had done? I was wearing my own clothes. I’d washed. Though that had been before, and I had no idea what a minotaur could tell just by standing close to someone.

No. He didn’t know. He’d seen us arrive together, and he’d found the one thing he could say that would hurt.

“The fact that you’re being a dick about who I’m friends with is another reason we won’t make it. Now, excuse me, I need to take this to Julia.” I shifted the cup away from him and tried to shoulder past. He turned with me.

“Wait, I’m sorry. That was out of line.”

His hand settled carefully on my shoulder. I looked down at it. He took it away. “You don’t want me, fine. But I really do think you may be in danger. We have no idea if that guy has friends or how he got here. He saw your face. If you won’t stay with me, I think you need to consider staying with someone who can protect you.”

I wanted to dismiss the whole thing. It would have been easier if he’d kept being an ass, but he looked tired now, and worried. He’d moved out of my way.

The trouble was that I believed him about the danger. I just didn’t know how much of his offer had been about that and how much had been about getting me into his house.

“I’ll take that under advisement.”

Korfas let me go. I walked down the hall with the tea held away from my shirt, trying to stop my hands from shaking. Anger, mostly.

I opened the door.

Julia had my bag on her lap. The rag sat beside her on the table, and both her hands were inside the bag, pushing things aside as she bent to look into it.

“What are you doing?”

Julia’s head snapped up, her eyes wide. “I was looking to see if you had something I could use to cover this up.” She gestured to the red spot on her face.

I looked from her cheek to the bag. The redness had already faded a little. I wasn’t sure what she expected to find among my supplies that she couldn’t get from one of the cupboards right beside her.

Then I realized she meant makeup.

“So you looked in my bag without asking?”