Neither of us blinked. I fixed on those unique golden eyes like I could burrow into his brain and make him see me—really see me—for who I was, not what he assumed. But I didn’t have the ability tomanipulate minds, and his expression remained unchanged. If anything, his eyes narrowed, as if he were even more displeased. Worse, that same pulling sensation stirred, urging me to lose myself in him—again.
Digging my nails into my palms, I broke our little game and shook my head. If I lost this battle of wills, so be it. I didn’t want to admire his irises—or worse, drown in them. My gaze landed on the red roses decorating my walls, and flustered, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“Roses are red, violets are blue, General Ronen needs to get the—” I shut my mouth when I saw the blue hues of dawn reflecting off the snow weighing down the evergreen trees.
Blue was a color I only associated with one person.
Blue was a flame so hot it could melt cuffs to rescue you.
Blue was a flame so fierce it could destroy the chains holding you prisoner.
Blue was Aspen—the one who saved me. Or at least, tried to.
Subdued, I turned to the general. “What do you need?”
If possible, his expression grew colder.Heavenly Hell. What was his damned problem?
“Stand up, go to your closet, and change before I make you run until you puke tomorrow.”
I bit my tongue.Disrespecting ass.
Rune whined at me, shoving her nose into my shoulder like she wanted me to move too.
“Traitor,” I muttered, flinging the covers off and standing. A wispy shadow grazed my leg, pulling my attention to my tight boy shorts and camisole.
“What are you doing?” I didn’t want his shadows anywhere near me.
“That’s what you wear to bed with the Nephilim?”
I couldn’t tell if he was surprised, angry, or curious. His eyes were pitch-black as he cracked his thumbs, the tension in the air practically suffocating.
“I didn’t know what I wore—or who I wore it around—was any of your business,” I replied, trying to sound casual. It took a lot of effort to keep the bite out of my voice, but I had to be careful. Polite. Nice. It was the only way if I wanted him to help me.
“Be ready in ten,” he barked, then turned on his heel and left.
“How do you put up with him?” I asked Rune.
Her cute little tail curled in response. I rolled my eyes and entered my closet.
Never in my life had I owned this many clothes. And while I loved all the different textures and endless color options, I didn’t care about any of it—not when I resented the state of my body.
I refused to look in the mirror, keeping my gaze away from my scars as I pulled on an oversized sweatshirt and pair of sweatpants. With a little more energy than yesterday, I put my hair into a high ponytail.
As I gathered my wild waves, my fingers brushed my ears, and my stomach sank. Memories of Brock resurfaced as I grazed a finger along the healed cartilage. My thick hair usually covered it, so I managed to forget, but the scar permanently marked me—a reminder of that despicable fallen angel and another male’s abuse.
I sighed, pushing the memory aside, and instead made a conscious effort to place my hair in a low ponytail, carefully covering thewound I wasn’t ready to face. I pulled a happier memory to the surface.
A time when I wore my hair like this—a memory that returned to me.
My first kiss.
It didn’t happenin the Drune Forest when my powers consumed us. No, my first kiss occurred long before that.
Did I go too far?He could break an ankle with the trap I set for him. But Aspen had gotten too arrogant with his ability to make me fall on my ass every time he blipped into existence, so I wanted to repay the sentiment.
Knowing he always zoomed in as close as possible to shock me, I used that to my advantage. With my hair pulled up, I waited for his blur of movement to flash in front of my face.
But it never came.
