“You could have let him violate me in all sorts of terrible ways, but you didn’t.”
He corners me, hands pressed against the wall.“I SAID ENOUGH!”
Adrenaline pulses through my body.“I’m sorry,” I mutter. His glare fixates on me as he slowly comes out of the rage I put him in.“I didn’t know me talking about it would bother you this much.”
He grimaces.In a swift decision, I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face in his shoulder.“Thank you for protecting me,” I whisper, trapping my warm breath against his neck. He’s tense, built like a castle, complete with walls to keep me out. Several seconds pass, and his arms remain at his sides. He exhales slowly and gently circles them around my waist.
I release a breath, unsure how I feel about this moment we are sharing. Grateful he has impeccable timing with this ability to show up at the final hour to save me. Excited that he is showing more and more signs of actually having feelings and passions. Nervous that aside from these feelings, I have one hiding deeper inside of me that I am trying to keep undetectable.
“Where does Aurick think you are?” Dessin grabs my waist and helps me down the two broken steps.
“Ahhh.” I sigh, wondering if he knows what day it is.“I had a convincing excuse.”
“Hmm, it seems a littlemeof you to use such a dreary day in your past to manipulate your friend.”And there it is. Of course he knows what today is. Why wouldn’t he?
We exit the tower. The sky shows signs of a storm coming our way, lightning cracks across the sky, and the clouds clap with thunder.
“I am not manipulating him.” I gesture, looking around the abandoned field.“I just knew he would never be okay with me coming out here… He would want to come with me and learn whatever you wanted me to learn about yourself, which I might add—I would never violate your trust. So really, I was doingyoua favor.” I begin walking in the direction of where I thought I came from. I turn back around to look at Dessin.“Are you ever going to tell me how you mysteriously know so much about my life?”
“Why would I do a silly thing like that?”
The cool breeze against my cheek becomes moist and heavy. His soft brown hair whooshes away from his face in the gentle wind, leaving one stray lock to rest to the side of his temple. I lose my train of thought for a moment as I imagine myself running my hand through his hair, to feel its thickness between my fingers, to see his change in expression as I step into him.
He blinks at me, snapping his fingers in front of my face.“Focus, Skylenna.” His eyes look intently amused.
“How many people have you killed?” I snap out of my momentary catatonic daze.
He chokes on a surprised laugh.“What?” He half smiles at me expectantly.
“How many? I want to know.”
He brushes me off with a whimsical rise of his brow and a sneer in his smile.
“You certainly aren’t subtle, are you?” He crosses his arms.“I have not kept count.” I follow behind him as he walks in the direction of the oncoming storm.
“That isdefinitelya lie.”
“How do you figure?”
“I think you’ve kept count every single time, even though the other man living in your head wishes you could forget.”
“How are you getting home?” he asks. I can see in the distance the rain falling in a mist of gray. Dessin watches it unconcerned.
“I’m not going home.”I glare.“I’m staying right here until I get some answers!” I stomp back to the tower, hoping he doesn’t see through my bluff and falls into my trap.
The rain reaches us, pouring over my body and staining the abandoned road.
Dessin whips his head back around to see me heading for the stone steps. Rain plummets to the ground, dampening my dress, turning the gray fabric into black. And the wind is harsh, almost aggressive, as it whips my hair across my face.
A striking gash of annoyance appears on his face. He unfolds his arms and stubbornly walks toward me. I can hardly see him as he makes his way through the curtain of fog and falling water.
“Do you have a death wish?” he shouts over the thunder.“This isn’t just a little rain, Skylenna. A hurricane is blowing in. It’s either drown out here or go back inside and get attacked by another lawless rat.”
I look out at the blurred horizon, unrecognizable with a waterfall of rain.“What do you want from me, Dessin?” I whisper, the notes and letters of my desperate question free-falling into the abyss of the storm.
He looks away, pulling me under the shelter of the doorway, watching the white and gray blaze surround us.
“I want you to be cautious, and I want you to get strong.” He looks down at me, his heavy, sultry voice echoing against the walls of our shelter.
