The smile came now, but it wasn’t one of humor. “The answer is simple. I took the risk becauseyouare my choice, Ziyka. There is no need of further explanation or consideration.”
How could it be so simple when there was so much to consider? “But?—”
“No.” He shook his head. “Like I said, there is no need of further explanation. I knew what lay ahead for us.”
“Oh, but I’m sure you never expected Thayden to screw you over.”
His gaze hardened. “Do not speak to me about him.”
“But you’re underestimating him. You’ve done that before.”
“Yeah. I won’t deny that.” He cocked his head, gave me a baleful stare, and clenched his jaw. “I underestimated him. That’s not a mistake I’ll be making again.”
“You might not get the chance to make any more mistakes,” I snapped. “Then my family will pay the price.”
“I told you I’ll figure out a way to protect your family.”
“What have you thought of so far?” I just wanted to know what he was thinking, what he was planning. I was still going to leave.
He hit me with a sharp stare. “I’m working on it.”
I stared back at him, too, just as sharply. “So, you have nothing yet?”
“I’ll figure it out soon enough.”
“And while youfigure it out, what exactly do you plan to do with me?” Again, I was just curious.
“You will stay here with me, where it is safe.”
“That’s not an answer. That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Well, that’s my answer,” he hissed, narrowing one eye, as if he was pissed I dared to challenge him. Good. Let him be pissed.
“Do you think you can just keep me here until I feel for you again?” I smirked.
“Something like that.” He looked me up and down, sizing me up.
“We have three days until Thayden returns.”
“I bow to no mortal's timeline.” The declaration rang with dark promise. “And I won't be dictated to by that bastard.”
What an asshole. That’s what he was worried about—his fucking pride.
Rage exploded through me like wildfire. "How noble of you,Your Highness," I snapped, my voice dripping with venom. "While you stand there acting like some untouchable god, real people—people I love—are going to burn because of your stupid pride. How can you be so callous?"
“Like fuck. This isn’t about being fucking callous.”
“But you are.” I could see I was pushing all the wrong buttons. And I intended to keep going. “By keeping me here, you’re being callous andselfish."
“You say that because you don’t remember us.” His voice turned so harsh and cutting that even Pyrion shifted uneasily, as if wounded by the sound.
“I know myself. Whether I remembered us or not, I’d never put my family at risk of death for anyone. I’d do whatever I had to, to protect them.”
Anguish flashed across his features. "So, you'd pick the first bad option and marry Thayden instead of me?" The words erupted from him like a snarl, and something that sounded dangerously close to desperation. His eyes blazed with fury, but underneath the anger, I caught a flash of something vulnerable. As if the question had torn itself from some deep, unguarded part of his soul, and he was looking for a trace of the woman who had once promised him forever.
I stared at him, completely stunned, my mouth falling open in shock.
Marriage? To him?
