“It was a training exercise.”
“A training exercise.” Not a question. I pick at my fingernails, looking down at my lap. What am I supposed to say?
“Your life is not a training exercise.” Each word is sharp. “Your life is worthmore. Zellie.”
“I know it is!” I raise my voice, exasperated.
“That’s the whole fucking point of this!We are worth more.Our lives are worth more than this. Seems yourAstralhas forgottenwho you are. And who you are, Zellie, is a fucking warrior. A warrior who is going to light up the darkness. He could’ve hurt you or, worse, killed you. Extinguished that light before you even had a chance. You’re not his fucking plaything.” Leo’s voice is guttural. My heart pounds rapidly in my chest, his words cutting down walls and warming the deepest parts of my soul.
“I’m not his anything,” I whisper.
Leo’s voice is equally quiet. “Good.” He stands, running a hand through his disheveled hair, only messing the wild strands further. “Now, what do you want for breakfast?”
I welcome the sudden change in topic, resting my head against the headboard. “What about training?”
“You’re out of your mind if you think I’m leaving you today. I wouldn’t be a decent person if I left you in such rough shape. How do you feel about French toast?”
Who is this human? This is so at odds with the Leo I’ve verbally and physically sparred with. How have we moved from seething hatred to his doting on me? “Careful, Leo, keep it up, and you might just become my favorite person.”
Leo pauses in the doorway before slowly casting a glance my way. “Counting on it.” With a wink, he’s gone.
Twenty-two
“How did you learn to cook like this?” I shove another large bite of the delectable toast into my mouth. A buttery cinnamon flavor explodes, melting on my tongue. Although we indulged little in the unit, anytime we had a “special” breakfast beyond the typical toast or dry pancake… I’ve eaten nothing that has tasted this good. I’m sitting at the island in the apartment on a high-backed stool while Leo stands across from me.
Leo chuckles, stabbing at the food. “I spent a lot of time on Kitchen duty. Learned pretty quickly how to make plain food taste better.”
“You all are eating well over on Noctor. The Kitchen hated to see me coming. I could manage the basics, but nothing like this. I spent way more time in the Gardens, planting and harvesting.”
“Do you miss it?”
I set my fork down, weighing my response. “I miss my friends. But seeing how wecould live? After dealing with the bare minimum? It’s like living in the dark after seeing the color of the world in the light.”
“I know exactly what you mean. Why do they get to thrive? Why are we less deserving? How do they expect us to see all of this and then go back like it had never happened? It doesn’t add up.”
“Do you miss your friends?”
“The environment in my unit wasn’t exactly encouraging of friendships. It’s a hostile atmosphere. Everything felt very surface-level. Relationships had no depth to them, just kind of superficial, you know? I kept to myself mostly and went about my days.”
“Well, that explains your frosty exterior.”
Leo pins me with a look before grabbing my plate and carrying the dishes to the sink. “That’s the thing, sweetheart. You can only care about yourself in these galaxies.” He returns to the island, leaning forward on his forearms.
“Yeah? How well has that worked out for you?”
“Pretty well, I’d say,” he says smugly. Such an ass. “Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to have friendships in my life now, though. Caring for someone… It would be nice.”
“And? Are you looking for some friends? Someone besides yourself to care about?”
Couldwehave a friendship?Stars above, where did that thought come from?I blame the magnetic pull my body experiences any time it’s in close proximity to him.
A sudden knocking disperses the tension, breaking the moment. The effect is immediate. Leo’s body becomes stiff with rigidity. He opens and closes his fist, clenching his hand an additional time. We both know who is at the door.
“You don’t have to talk to him.” Leo’s voice is low and controlled.
“I’ll have to at some point.” Resigned to my fate, I scoot off the stool and walk to the door. I’m no longer freely inviting him in; Orion has lost unrestricted access to my life.
I swing the door fully open, holding the frame in one hand. “Yes?”
