There.
His sudden input startled me, my gaze snapping up to where Elodie sat hunched on my front step.
Her eyes were red and puffy, her usually sleek mane of thick, dark hair rumpled, as if she’d been running her hands through it to work out some of her stress.
“Hey, beautiful,” I murmured, trying not to startle her.
She sat up, tugging at her rumpled uniform as if embarrassed to be caught less than perfectly put together. I didn’t give a damn. I still wanted to kiss her. She was beautiful to me, no matter what situation we found ourselves in.
“Don’t bother. We’ve both had a long day, and I’m afraid it’s not over yet.” I stopped in front of her, offering a hand up.
She placed hers hesitantly in mine, her lighter skin tone a beautiful juxtaposition with my darker complexion, much the same way her delicate fingers contrasted with my thicker ones. It seemed everything possible was opposite with us, but somehow, we fit together anyway.
Fate.
“Why are you sitting on my front stoop, Firecracker? I thought you’d be out running off some steam. I only came back here to get my running shoes so I could have a chance at catching you.” I brushed my fingertips lightly over her cheekbone, feeling like the luckiest bastard on the planet when she turned into the touch, resting her cheek against my palm.
“I don’t know. I didn’t know where else to go, and I couldn’t go back there and deal with Lyna right now. I just… needed some space from everybody’s expectations. Which is stupid, because, well, you’ve got bigger expectations than anyone else.” Her bottom lip trembled, the only sign she was truly upset, as those gorgeously intense blue eyes bore a hole through me with their crystalline beauty.
“The only thing I expect right now is to talk and pour you a cup of hot coffee. How does that sound?”
She sighed, her shoulders loosening a fraction as she nodded, still not pulling away. “Like heaven. The coffee part, anyway.”
I chuckled, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “Then let’s do that first.”
As soon as I opened the door, I stepped aside, waving her in. She paused on the threshold, shooting me a saucy, purelyElodielook over her shoulder. “It’s a slim chance, by the way. Even with the running shoes.”
It took me a moment to remember what I’d said before about running to catch her. I laughed as I shut the door behind us.
Chapter 27
Elodie
Aman of his word, Valens immediately went about brewing a fresh pot of coffee, giving me the time to stew in peace. I paced along the other side of his kitchen, even as I watched every one of his movements, cataloging and storing them in my brain as if they were precious, somehow.
I craved familiarity with him, on a deeper level that I didn’t understand. My logical brain wanted to blame him, push him away, rage at the Goddess for putting me in the middle of this damn mess.
But… the softer, quieter parts of me?
They wanted to curl up in his arms and cry. Let him soothe me, make me feel better, even if that didn’t solve the problem.
The thing was, I wasn’t the kind of girl who did that. Not anymore. I’d spent my entire childhood learning that soft women were just easy targets for emotional pain. And then, in my teens, when I’d joined the enclave, I vowed to never be one of those soft women again. It was an oath as personally sacred to me as my oath to the enclave itself.
So all these feelings Valens was stirring up? They were unwelcome. Wholly, completely, utterly unwelcome. And yet… Icouldn’t quite shake him off. Couldn’t bear to push him away, when all I longed to do was drag him closer.
When the coffee was set and starting to drip, he turned my way, leaning casually back against the countertop. He watched me pace for a moment, completely at ease in what most would find to be an uncomfortable moment.
Somehow, his nonchalance was only fueling my fury. “Say something,” I snapped, flinching at the sound of my own voice. I finally stopped, covering my face with both hands for a second. “I’m sorry. I?—”
He closed the distance between us in seconds, and suddenly, his hands were on my hips, backing me up against the wall. One trailed up my side, leaving liquid fire in its wake, to cup the back of my head, fingers tangling in my hair as he tilted my head back until my eyes met his.
“No. We don’t do that, you and I. You say what you mean, and you don’t apologize. I can take it.” He nipped my bottom lip, leaving heat simmering in my belly even as he chastised me.
“Oh yeah? You can take it? What if I say I’m mad at everyone, including you?”
“That’s fine.”
I snorted, pressing myself tighter against his hard chest, loving every second of his bigger body caging me against the wall. “Fine? Fine that I’m angry? Fine that I’m snapping at you, when you’re not the one who—” My voice broke, the anger giving way to the hurt underneath, the betrayal. I couldn’t even find the words to voice my sense of betrayal at the sisterhood I’d devoted my life to.
