He immediately dropped the pillow and grasped her wrist, halting her escape. “Wait—”
“Let go of me!” She yanked against his hold.
Stung, he released her.
But she didn’t try to leave again. She remained before him, her chest rising and falling with each harsh breath, a sheen of tears in her eyes even as she glared at him. “You want to know why I risked what I did? Why I didn’t hesitate to use the bloodstone? Because I would have doneanythingto save your life. Because I couldn’t bear to lose you.”
He stared at her, taken aback by her fervent words—and the surprising anger in them. “Amryn, I—”
“I know you’re angry,” she cut him off. “And I know you’re afraid.”
Frustration swelled. “Of course I was afraid. I already told you, the risks you took—”
“You were afraid ofme.”
Shock blasted him. “What?”
Her arms crossed over her chest. The move was defensive, but it didn’t mask the hurt in her expression. “I don’t think that statement needs any clarification.”
“I disagree,” he said, his voice clipped. He’d somehow misread this entire argument, and now he felt utterly lost.
She laughed once, the sound brittle. “You want me to explain, whenyou’rethe one who never explains anything?”
His brow furrowed. “I don’t keep things from you.”
“You don’t keep things from me?” She huffed a hard laugh. “Saints, Carver, you never tell meanything. You hide your emotions from me all the time!”
He stiffened. “That’s different.”
“How?”
“I’m trying to protect you.”
“How does shutting me out protect me?”
Irritation flickered. “I’m not trying to shut you out.”
“You shut me out every chance you get.”
“Idon’t even want to feel my emotions half the time. If I can keep you from feeling them, I will.”
“I’m an empath!” she burst out. “I’ve been feeling the emotions of others my entire life. It’s who I am. You can’t protect me from that.”
“You’re my wife! I’m always going to try and protect you. That’s whoIam.”
Her fingers dug into her arms, her breathing accelerated. “You claim me as your wife, yet you don’t confide in me. I never truly know what you’re thinking or feeling—”
“You knowexactlywhat I feel, all the time!”
“And you hate that,” she shot back. “It unnerves you.”
“Can you blame me?”
She jerked, as if he’d struck her.
He knew instantly he’d said the wrong thing. “Amryn, that’s not—I don’t—”
“No, thank you for your honesty.” Her voice was colder than he’d ever heard it. And yet, her hurt was still obvious. It pulled at his heart to see her trying so hard to hide her pain. “I’m glad you’re finally admitting it, since we both know you’re uncomfortable around me. I’ve felt it before—flashes of guilt, or unease. That fear you felt today only confirms how uncomfortable you are around me.”
