‘You only care because you can’t fail Gianna.’
And though it made her a hypocrite, the words hit exactly where she wanted. The air between them tightened as he stepped back, his arms falling to his sides. He was silent for a moment, the waves crashing into the cliffs the only sound.
‘This has nothing to do with her,’ he finally bit out. ‘But perhaps youshouldshare your anger with our queen.’
Aya’s laugh was cold. ‘That’s your excuse? You’re going to use the woman you love—’
‘Ido notlove her!’ He flung the words with enough venom that Aya paused, so caught off-guard by his vehemence that the retort on her tongue disappeared entirely. All she could focus on was the brightness in his eyes and the way his chest rose and fell rapidly, as if he couldn’t catch his breath. A vicious twisting started in her gut and spread to her lungs, her throat constricting as she gazed at Will.
Pain.
She was feeling his pain.
‘I feel you,’ she rasped.
He was everywhere. From the bitterness that clenched her heart, to the sorrow that pooled in her stomach, to the anger that stole her breath, to theburningthat coursed through her blood as she stared and stared at him.
Will’s eyes went wide, and in the span it took him to blink, the feeling of him vanished, leaving Aya empty and cold as she doubled over, gasping for air.
Pain. So much pain.
And beneath it … him. His essence had been everywhere; perhaps even inside her very soul. Will was panting, his breath as unsteady as her own as he said, ‘You tapped into your Sensainos affinity.’
He had done it again. He had provoked her enough that she had lost control and acted without thought. But she was still reeling herself back in, still collecting her pieces and sorting through what was his and what was hers, so much so that she couldn’t find words as she panted.
This wasn’t the pain of her power. This was the pain ofhim. His agony. His frustration. And beneath it all, something deep and burning and so completely full that its absence made her heart cleave.
Will took a deep breath, his face slipping into a cold mask of indifference as he met her gaze. ‘Not fun, is it?’
No, it wasn’t. She felt raw, and shaken, and so unmoored that the ground seemed to tilt beneath her. She pieced herself back together as much as she could, forced herself upright, and took another shaky breath.
‘I’m sorry.’
His brows shot up, disappearing beneath his hair.
‘I didn’t mean to … I shouldn’t have …’ She could still feel the bitter ache of sadness that had settled in her like a weight. It had been the worst sort of intrusion. What she had felt … she hadn’t known what was raging beneath his skin.
It was agony.
That cold mask gave way to wariness as he watched her for a few moments.
‘I understand that I have given you little reason to trust me, Aya,’ he finally said. ‘But believe me on this: that perfect ideal of Gianna you cling to? It’s a lie.’
She blinked at him, her eyes stinging in the sea breeze.
‘It’s late. You should go.’
She hesitated.
‘Please.’ And the word was so soft, so broken, that she left without another word.
44
Will’s hands shook as he peeled off his shirt and grabbed a washcloth, the faucet set to the coldest setting. They didn’t stop trembling, not as he washed his face and neck, the icy water that dripped down his chest and back not enough to calm him. He chucked the cloth into the sink and gripped the edges of the porcelain basin, his knuckles white, as he tried to steady his breathing.
I feel you.
If the thought of it didn’t make him sick, he would’ve been impressed. Emotions were complex things; layered, intricate. Newer Sensainos often had trouble accessing just one. But he knew by the way she’d been left gasping for air, Aya hadn’t just sensed his anger. She’d gone deeper.
