“Since I walked in.”
That was why she’d convinced Emmeric to stay downstairs.Iyana understood herself and knew she needed time alone with Altair to have closure on their relationship.He didn’t scare her anymore.She held the door wide open, and he strode past her, his arm brushing against hers.
Emmeric, she projected down the bond.Iyana felt his surprise; it was the first time she’d actively reached out to him this way.Altair is here.
Now there was pure panic, followed swiftly by rage.
Are you okay?
I’m fine.Don’t come up.I need to talk to him for a minute.I’ll call for you if I need you.
Iyana could feel his hesitation, but Emmeric relented.
Be careful.Something like a caress traveled over her mind, and Iyana shivered.Altair quirked a brow at her reaction, and she hoped he didn’t think it was because they had touched.
The room was small, and most of the space was occupied by the bed, so Iyana was forced to stand in close proximity.She debated sitting on the bed, but she didn’t want Altair to look down on her more than he already did due to their height difference, and she didn’t want to convey the wrong message.Altair reached out a hand like he was going to touch her face, and Iyana flinched back from him.His hand dropped awkwardly to his side, and his eyes flashed.
“Iyana, I’m sorry.”
Iyana crossed her arms.She leveled him with her best healer’s glare—the one that would force the truth out of stubborn men who didn’t want to tell her how they had actually injured themselves or what they’d eaten that had upset their stomach.
“I never wanted to hurt you.Iloveyou.You’re my astalle.I need you to know I never wanted to hurt you.”
“The sad thing, Altair, is that I believe you.That doesn’t change anything, though.You still made your choices and you hurt me.I loved you, and you threw away any chance we might have had.”
Altair winced, probably at her use of past tense.Iyana gazed upon his chiseled face with his striking, golden eyes and his bright blonde hair, and she felt…nothing.
“I can’t believe I ever thought you were beautiful,” she murmured, but of course he still heard her.Iyana was almost sorry because of the hurt on his face—she hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
“Tell me what I need to do to fix this, Iyana.Please.”
She shook her head.
“So, what, you’re just going to run into Sullane’s arms, then?”
Iyana frowned.“I don’t love Emmeric.”
Altair leveled her with his own stare.“Don’t you?”
And because she was too much of a coward to delve into that question any further, she brought it back around to the star who had betrayed her instead.Anger was easier to wield than facing uncertainty.
“Emmeric has nothing to do with us, Altair.I think I was extremely vulnerable after my village had been attacked, after Imo’s death—”
Altair winced.
Understanding bloomed within Iyana, churning her stomach and threatening to lose the bland soup she’d eaten for dinner.Tears flooded her vision.
“You killed her,” she whispered.
“Iyana, you have to understand, that was before—” He took a step towards her and Iyana scrambled backwards until she hit the door.Fresh rage overtook her.
“Beforewhat?”
“Before I knew you were my astalle.”
“And the necklace?”
Altair’s hand drifted towards his pocket, and Iyana was surprised to find that he had kept it.A war broke out between her heart and her mind.She’d loved that necklace because it was made from her grandmother’s ashes; it had brought her significant comfort, but it had been forged by this duplicitous creature standing before her.
