“It’s not charity if it’s agift.”
“I’m not allowed to take money. Not yours. Not anyone’s.” When he didn’t respond, didn’t even spare me a glance, I segued toward the matter that had brought me back here. “I didn’t know you had acousin.”
The letter openerstilled.
“Is he from your mother’s side or yourfather’s?”
He kept his gaze on the object balanced between hishands.
“Jarod?”
“Has anyone ever told you that you ask a lot ofquestions?”
“Has anyone ever told you that answering with a question is called deflecting?” I crossed my arms. “Tell me how you and Asher are related, and I’llleave.”
“You use the threat of leaving a lot. You shouldn’t threaten someone with something you are incapable ofdoing.”
My arms fell out of their knot. “Iamcapable ofleaving.”
“Then walk out my door and never come back.” His lips barely parted, yet I heard each word loud and clear. Too loud, and tooclear.
“Jarod, please, I only want tohelp—”
“So you can marry fucking PrinceCharming?”
I recoiled. My first instinct was always to recoil when someone lashed out at me. My second instinct, though, was to fight back. I fisted my fingers until my nails bit into my palms. “What do you care who Imarry?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to add that I didn’t want to get married anymore, because one, the husband I’d wanted had shown me a face I hadn’t particularly liked tonight, and because two, there was no way in Abaddon I’d collect my missing feathers before the month wasout.
“You’re right,” Jarod finally said. “I don’t care who youmarry.”
My breaths were coming in spurts as though I’d run from Layla’s all the way toLa Cour desDémons.
“Why don’t you tell me howyouknow him,Leigh?”
The sound of my mutilated name falling from his lips was a punch to the gut. “I askedfirst.”
“We aren’t ten. You’re inmyhome.Mybedroom.” Each sentence was a new jab, but the finishing blow came when he said, “And I’ve been indulging your petty whims since you’ve inserted yourself into my life, so I’ll ask again, how doyouknowhim?”
My temples throbbed. I was tired. Tired and hurt he’d felt the need to raise his voice and be so insulting. I wasn’t his enemy. “Asher’s the man I wanted to marry.” As silence stretched between us, I worked hard on soothing the ache in my chest caused by my shattered hopes and squanderedfeelings.
“Why am I not surprised?” The sneer in his voice made my heart ratchetanew.
“Wanted,” I repeated, stressing the past tense. “He left me behind on the sidewalk, because I asked too many questions.” I snorted even though it wasn’t funny. “I guess I infuriate all the men in your family. Next thing you know, Tristan will complain about my inane curiosity and have me tossed out ofhere.”
Even though I couldn’t see Jarod’s pupils from where I stood, they seemed to bleed into his irises and then into the whites around them. It was an impression—no one’s eyes could go dark from lid to lid, yet that was the way Jarod’s eyes looked in that moment. “He left you stranded on asidewalk?”
“Don’t act like youcare.”
He lowered the letter opener, curling the fingers of one hand over the blade. I expected to see blood trickle down his wrist and into his rolled shirtsleeve, but the blade must not have been verysharp.
“Besides, you abandoned me first, so you have no right to judge him.” My voice wasn’t loud, yet the hurt inside of it seemed to ring across the largeroom.
Elysium only knew why Jarod’s desertion stung. He’d entrusted me to Asher. He hadn’t left me alone in unfamiliarterritory.
He sat up and swung his long legs over the edge of the seat, planting his feet wide and pressing up. “I apologize for leavingyou.”
“I didn’t say it to receive anapology.”
