“Ember, you need to stop running away from things,” Vex growled as he stalked forward. “Especially people.”
“And you never do that.” I grimaced at him.
“I didn't run away from you. I left so that I could finish thinking things through before I spoke to you. I wasn't ready to talk.”
“You were the day before.”
“Things changed.”
“Yes, I saw that.”
“I'm not with Hess,” he huffed.
“Not yet. You're too honorable for that, aren't you? Too romantic. You're waiting until you can properly end things with me before you get in there.”
“For fuck's sake, Ember! Why can't you let me speak without interruption or assumption for once?”
“You're right,” I said. “You can say everything you want to say. But first, how did you find me?”
“I know you.”
“You don't know this place.”
“I knew to come to Fress and then my nose told me the rest.”
“Oh. Right.” I'd forgotten about Ladrin and their heightened senses. Xae had found me that way once. I'd gone to Fress then too, but it had been to the graveyard.
Vex stepped up to me and took my hand. “What changed was that I started to see how wrong I was.”
“Wrong about what?”
“About pressuring you. You can't push someone into loving you. That's not how it works.”
My sadness started to evaporate. He didn't want to end things. It felt like a miracle. But then my guilt was left without company. All alone to manifest completely.
“No.” I grimaced. “No, you can't make someone love you, but I was wrong too. I've been waiting for us to talk so I could apologize. I'm sorry, Vex.”
He lifted his brows. “For what? Calling me out on being a dick?”
“You weren't being a dick. I knew when I made the offer that you wouldn't accept.Iwas being the dick.”
Vex grimaced. “It was more of a challenge than an offer. And it's not that I wouldn't accept. More that I couldn't. I'm not going to allow our first time together to be under those circumstances.”
“Vex, I know this isn't fair. It has to be hard to date someone when they're with four other men. And then I had to train. After training, I went to spend some time with Rath because the training was hard on him, and then it was the same with Keltyr the next day. It must have seemed as if I forgot about you, but I didn't. I thought about you a lot. I want to make thiseasier on you, but I don't know how. What do you need? Is there anything I can do?”
Vexen's smile spread slow and deep, bringing out a dimple in his cheek. “You just did. Thank you. It helps to know that you care about my feelings, not just what my feelings can do to help you save a man you love.”
“Holy fuck,” I whispered. “Is that what you think? Or thought?”
He shrugged.
“Vex, no.” I took his hand. “I started falling for you before I even knew who you were. There was none of this to distract me.” I waved my free hand at his face. “And it is distracting. Distracting in the best way, but still.”
“Thank you.”
“But your handsome face and beautiful body pale in comparison to you. The person inside all that. That's who I want to be with. The timing was just terrible. Before we could get together, things got bad. Ara . . . it fucked with me. Still does. I know you know that. You've been great about it. And yes, of course, I want to get stronger and you're a path to that. I want to save Ara. But Vex, if I really wantedjustthat, there are other men who are easier to claim.”
Vex laughed. “Was that a compliment? I can't tell.”
