She smacked his chest. “I didn’t tell you about Roman so you could throw him in my face. Besides, he’s wrong.”
She had to believe that. Because if he wasn’t, then everything she and Augustus were building was a lie.
Selene stroked his cheek, which was coarse with beard growth. “You’re it for me, Augustus. I love you.”
Augustus frowned and shut his eyes. “There’s one more thing you should know.” His chin dipped. “I kissed Blaze.”
Selene’s entire world bottomed out, and she rolled off him and the bed, putting every inch of distance between them that the room allowed. She couldn’t catch her breath. For weeks, she’d thought of nothing but him, of returning to his side, worrying beyond measure. He’d walked out on her after that fight, but she thought?—
She didn’t know what she thought. Was she wrong about their connection? Was she not enough for a man with so much experience?
Augustus sat on the edge of the bed, his breath ragged. “I don’t want to keep anything from you. I swore I’d never do that again.”
“Did you have sex with him?” The idea made her sick. To think of him touching anyone else the way he touched her…
He winced. “No. Nothing else happened. We needed closure, and I’m not proud of it. He knows what you are to me, and he respects my choice.”
A laugh burst from her. “Don’t be naive. He loves you, and why wouldn’t he? Everyone else does.”
Augustus crossed the room and gripped her face. “You can be mad at me. I deserve it. But never doubt that it’syouI want. You’re it for me, too. Where you go, I go. Where you stay, I’ll don the local dress and learn the language and make nice with every single one of your friends. What I won’t do is walk out a single door without you, and I will never betray your faith in me ever again.”
She wanted to believe him; a part of her did. If anything, he believed that he meant every word. It was enough to patch her heart enough to lower the wall she’d just forged. “Forget what I said before. I can barely tolerate you. In fact, I’m pretty certain I hate you right now.”
His mouth lifted to one side. “A temporary affliction. You’ll be back to loving me again before you know it.”
“Don’t be so sure. Apparently, I have options where soul-bonded lovers are concerned.”
His jaw dropped. “Take that back.”
“Don’t worry. He doesn’t have your level of charm. Or arrogance.” As much as she wanted to keep things light, she couldn’t shake the hurt of his admission. “Augustus, in all seriousness, I need some time to work through this. This hurts me.”
Augustus kissed between her brows, then held her close, rocking her gently. “I’m learning,i psychi mou,and I’m going to make mistakes along the way. But I’m going to get this right. I won’t fail you.”
The Okosian docks felt different today. Augustus hadn’t realized how low he’d been only two days ago when he stood there, wanting to burn the entire country to the ground. Now that he had Selene in hand—no one could pay him enough to release it—he appreciated the freedom to walk about, pirate or merchant or overall bastard that he was.
Selene wove in and back to avoid bumping into people, her hand never leaving his. She looked more like herself now: clean hair hanging to her waist, the breeze teasing the shorter strands around her face. Gone were the stiff fabrics of her island tunic and pants. She layered one of her favorite black corset vests over lace and an off-the-shoulder blouse in a blue that matched her left eye.
While she looked like her old self, in many ways, she wasn’t. The scar was the most obvious change, but it was worse than that. Her trust in the world had vanished. Tension lived in her shoulders, and she scanned twice the ground she used to. He hated that, even if it kept her alive.
The rest he could blame on all the truths he’d dumped at her feet. She hadn’t yet forgiven him for the kiss, and he didn’t expect her to. That didn’t mean the fresh walls didn’t sting. Even when they’d made love, she couldn’t look him in the eye. A part of her was gone, and all he could do was stay the course and hope she found her way back to trusting him.
“He really likes you,” Selene said.
Little Gus vibrated from his perch on Augustus’s shoulder. His tongue flopped out as his mouth stretched into a grin.
Gross.
“And you like him,” she added, squeezing his hand.
Augustus laughed. “We tolerate each other.” He couldn’t help using her own words against her, and the amused slant on her lips warmed his chest.
“You named him.”
“I named him a lot of things, and not all of them were nice.” He scratched the dronsian’s chin. “Go on—you may as well tell her the entire list. We’re in this together.”
Selene scanned the blue sky. “I’m glad some of us are.”
“Turos?” he ventured to guess. They hadn’t seen the other dronsian since leaving the island.
