“I’ve risked my life several times for you, Lora. I went along with your mission. I could’ve saved myself a lot of trouble if I never agreed to help you. Yet you still see all fae as less than human. You still put us all in one box. The only exception isyou.”
Did she? No, Eyden, even with all the secrets, defied the picture of the fae she’d painted all her life. “That’s not true,” she whispered.
“Are you sure? Because I’m not convinced. Which is funny, because you know damn well I drew the short end of this deal. You’re going to get exactly what you want becauseIdon’t break my promises. I’ll get you that cure. But me? After every fucking risk I took, I won’t get anything. What is it you said back at Halie’s? I gave you hope and it’s drowning you? How am I supposed to feel now? I might have walked away yesterday, but you’re the one who’s going to disappear in the end.”
His words vibrated through her, making her shudder inwardly. He was not wrong.
Lora couldn’t disagree, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but argue nonetheless. “Then why did you agree if it’s such a risk? You knew Elyssa would be impossible to convince to leave. It was already hopeless. Did it really have nothing to do with your trade business?”
She saw the moment Eyden lost the last of his restraint. His eyes darkened. He ran his fingers through his hair as he let out a curse, then another. “By Caelo, you really think that low of me, don’t you? After all this time. Fuck it, I can never win with you.”
“Why, then? What made you agree to help me?” She couldn’t let up now. She was too far in it to give up on her argument as guilty as she felt for bringing it up.
“If you must know, I owed Marcel a favour.”
Cryptic as usual. It wasn’t enough of an answer. It never was. “Why?”
“It doesn’t matter,” he insisted.
“There it is again! The exact reason why I can never fully trust you,” Lora shot back, raising her voice.
“It doesn’t affect you! It doesn’t change anything,” Eyden yelled back.
It was infuriating. He was infuriating. The flames beneath her skin heightened. “For you! For me, it does. It fuckingmatters.” She took a step closer, not backing down from his riled-up eyes. “Every single goddamn thing does, Eyden. I can never trust you if you can’t trust me, if you shut me out again and again.”
“I guess we’re at a stalemate, then.” Their eyes were locked. Heated anger travelled between them, a stream of emotions.
Lora tilted her head up, taking in his molten eyes. “We are.”
“You’ll leave tomorrow. For good.”
“I definitely will.” She would leave Liraen forever. Never see his face again. Never deal with his insufferable arguments.
“That’s it, then,” he said even as he took a step towards her.
Lora’s feet moved forward without her command. She was close enough to feel the heat of his skin. Tingles ran up her arms.
“It was foolish to think we could ever find common ground,” she said. They had nothing in common. Nothing butlies.
Eyden’s eyes blazed. “Agreed.”
“Brilliant. We finally agree on something.” Lora’s voice didn’t sound like herself. Her throat felt tight. Eyden’s gaze travelled down, lingering on her lips. She could taste him. The last time they’d kissed. Heat blossomed in the pit of her stomach.
He looked her up and down and she knew he was remembering the same thing. “There’s nothing good between us,” he said. His voice had turned husky and Lora’s thoughts emptied as the fire inside her took over.
“Nothing but insanity,” she breathed.
“Nothing but ruin.” He said it like a dare.
Their eyes met again. The furious heat stretching between them had transformed into something else. This time, Lora welcomed the flames dancing on her skin, the lingering fire inside her begging her to get closer to him.
“Burn it all down,” she whispered.
Their lips clashed together.
Chapter54
Lora
