That's where he and Kage differed. Kage protected my innocence, whereas Honor tore it from me.
His breath, cool as mint, curled into my lungs as his words hit harder than any affirmation ever could.Breathe Choyce. Feel the weight. This is power. It's control. This moment is everything you want wrapped in a fucking bow.
I was nervous but hid it out of fear that Honor would think less of me. I wanted to be everything in his eyes. The epitome of a woman worthy enough to stand beside him. That quiet dare coaxed my finger to press down on the trigger. The exhilaration that followed left me dazed for days. Then the fog cleared, and reality slammed into me. That night wasn't about death. It was Honor showing me what I was capable of under his guidance. The synergy between us shifted. I wasn't just the young womanlusting after a broken soul. I was learning to move with him as the omega to his alpha.
Every glance, every clipped word carried a piece of his feelings toward me. We were in the midst of death that night, and I should've run. My heart shouldn't have yearned for him, but it did because, for the first time, I saw Honor for who he truly was. The stench of burnt flesh engulfed us, and still that night became the backdrop for everything that followed because I think that’s when I fell in love with Honor.
"I know you don't believe me, or maybe you do, since you had us move out the fucking blue. But I swear to you, Choyce, Lucian wants me dead. Every time I go out, there's always a blacked-out Impala in the area."
Talon cursing while Cherish was within earshot forced me to give him the attention he so desperately needed.
"Cherish is in the living room. Calm down and find your inside voice."
"She's playing with Legos."
"I don't care. She has sensitive ears, and loud voices upset her, which you should already know." Rolling my eyes, I checked my own temper as my tone begged to rise.
"If you wanna have this conversation, then I need you to stop pacing and talk like an adult."
"This is a joke to you, isn't it?" Talon snarled, sliding onto one of the barstools at the island. "I guess since this has nothing to do with you rising in the ranks, you don't care."
"Feel how you want about my past actions, but don't act as if I'll willingly sit back and allow something to happen to you."
"How can I not?" he shot back, nostrils flaring. "I've been telling you for days that Lucian is up to something, and you've done nothing but go running whenever my father whistles."
"Don't disrespect me because you wouldn't like it if I did the same," I warned, flashing him a look that readdon't temptme."You're a grown man… correction, you are a husband, and you're coming to your wife to fix an issue between you and your father. As a husband, your job is to provide and protect, not cry more than your eight-year-old daughter," I muttered through clenched teeth to keep Cherish from hearing.
"That's not?—"
"I don't want to hear it," I stopped him. "So, just listen."
I leaned forward, letting my presence fill the space between us the way Talon was supposed to. He shifted nervously, probably uncomfortable with how I spoke to him. He should've been appreciative of the fact that I was taking it easy on him. Because every part of me wanted to scream for him to stop acting like the pussy he wished he had between his legs.
"Whatever is going on between you and your father isn't for me to fix. I only have one child, and her name is Cherish. I was brought into this fucked up life to be a wife, a wife to a man who couldn't protect me the way I needed him to. I birthed your child and endured beatings from your father because you couldn't stay faithful. I went through hell and still loved you the best I could."
I paused, letting my words sink in. Talon and I never talked about me or my feelings. It was always about him.
"I loved you as a best friend because, at the very least, that's what I wanted to be for you. It was the one thing I had a choice in when it came to our situation. I held you, Talon. Tears you cried behind the death of your lovers soakedmyshirts. Do you know where my tears landed?"
"Choyce—"
"They fell on my cheeks, on my clothes, even on Cherish. Everywhere but with you. I've always been there for you. Was the rock Navy chose not to be for you. But you were never there for me, Talon, not as a husband or a friend. My father belittled me. Your father beat me, and not once did my husband defend his wife. So don't you dare use what I did to my sister to guilt-tripme into fixing this for you when you've never lifted a finger to wipe my tears."
"I'm sorry I couldn't be the husband you needed, but?—"
"There are no buts." I pressed my lips together so hard to keep from yelling that they went numb.
"What are you not understanding, Talon? I don't want to hear excuses. It's too late. The person I love most after Cherish hates me because of what I did to protect myself and her because you couldn't… because you wouldn't."
"You would really let the father of your child die?" he asked, searching my eyes for the naivety that once coated my gaze when I looked at him.
"Of course not, but I'm not acting on your word alone. I need proof Lucian is plotting against you. Then and only then will I do something about it."
Without a word, Talon shot up from the barstool and stormed out of the kitchen like a big ass kid who didn't get their way. Shaking my head, I finished my bottle of water and grabbed my phone. Two missed calls and a voicemail from Honor were in my notification bar. I clicked the voicemail I'd received an hour ago, listening as my heart thudded against my chest.
I'm pulling up. Be home.
"Shit!" I cursed under my breath and stood up from the stool. Honor coming here while Talon was here wasn't ideal. The only way our plan worked was if no one knew the truth. I didn't trust Talon to act normal if I told him Lucian wanted Honor to kill him, but we planned to kill Lucian instead. Too much was at risk to even chance it.
