I gasp. “Are you serious right now?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
“Then you’re insane, Reed,” I tell him, raising my chin. “Mia is a wonderful name, okay? Adding a Y makes it even more wonderful.”
He shrugs then. “All right. I’m still not naming her Miya with a fucking Y.”
“You’renot naming her?”
“That’s what I said.”
I purse my lips at him. “First of all,you’renot going to name her anything.We’regoing to do that. And second of all, I really don’t think you should curse, Reed. And third —”
“Why?”
“What?”
He unfolds his arms, straightening up, his eyes flashing. “You keep saying that. That I shouldn’t curse.”
I’m confused. “Yeah…”
“Why shouldn’t I?”
I tuck my loose strands behind my ears. “Because you shouldn’t.”
He takes a step toward me. “Yeah, you said that. Why?”
I automatically take a step back. “Because it’s bad manners.”
“And you’re a good girl.”
“Yes.”
“Yeah, you are.” He smirks slightly, taking me in, my braid, his hoodie, my bare toes.
I realize that I haven’t seen his smirk on him in so long. I haven’t seen him this cocky, this arrogant in so long either.
This predatory.
He’s glorious like this. Gorgeous.
As gorgeous as he is when he’s my protector.
Because he’s both, isn’t he?
He’s my protector, the one who takes care of me and treats me like I’m the most fragile thing ever, his Fae. But he’s also a predator, the one who broke my heart and who’s stalking toward me in all his dark glory.
“And what else?” he continues.
“I don’t like it.”
“Yeah, you do.”
“I don’t.”
“You always did,” he rasps, as he keeps coming toward me and as I keep moving back.
Until I can’t.
