Rowena Eric’s hand felt like an electric shock as his fingers grazed across my cheek. I slapped it away. His eyebrows shot up in surprise as I wrenched my wrist out of his other hand and walked across the room. “Enough of that,” I ordered. “I’m tired of your pranks.”

Rowena & Eric RowenaI dried myself by the poolside. In the stone fire pit on the patio, a crackling fire flickered beneath the night sky. It warmed my skin—soothing after nearly half an hour spent in the water. Eric, who was sitting in one of the chairs by the fire with his feet up and his hands clasped behind his head, smirked at me.

Rowena “Ouch!” Eric held his head where I bumped it, rubbing it in an exaggerated manner. “Manager, I think I need to be treated for a concussion now.” As he spoke, I saw the hint of a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. He wasn’t hurt at all. I felt a blush creep into my cheeks, however, and I quickly jumped away from Eric as Adrian stepped into the room. 

Rowena A soft sigh escaped my lips as I kicked off my shoes in the doorway of our mansion. It had been a long, but satisfying, day. I had new patients for my clinic, I was gaining more traction as a combat manager, and I had a date with Adrian planned. Everything finally felt like it was coming together. I couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, I would finally be taken seriously at the warrior camp. Maybe now people would begin to respect me rather than treating me like an

Rowena Adrian and I leaned closely over the candlelit table, our hands clasped together. His thumb stroked back and forth over my knuckles, each small touch sending a shiver through me. “You really do look gorgeous,” he said softly, reaching out to brush a strand of hair behind my ear. “Even prettier than the homecoming dance.”