“Of course you’re fucking scared.” His violet eyes widened in disbelief. “I’d call you a liar if you weren’t. Talis is the first person you’ve let into your heart since Zh’alek shattered it. That’s got to be terrifying.” He slid his arm around my shoulders, tugging my reluctant self into his side. “But also a little bit exciting, no? If you let it.”
I couldn’t deny the thrill I felt in Talis’s presence, even when we were sniping at each other. No one else got my pulse racing the way he did.
My gaze drifted past Dathal to the hallway.
No one else had made me feel the way Talis did that night, and that had probably scared me the most. I knew he was different the second he kissed me.
And yet you still pushed him away.
I ran a hand through my hair, gripping the soft strands and tugging hard as I remembered the look on Talis’s face after he kissed me the last time.
Gutted.
Resigned.
Understanding instead of the anger I now felt I deserved.
“Chlah’al,I’m such an arsehole.”
Yes, you are. Dathal’s thoughts were suddenly broadcast loud and clear, andfuck youmagic, for choosing now to start working.
“You are,” he said, as if I needed it repeating.
“Yes, thank you.” I tapped the side of my head. “I already heard.”
He grinned wide and shrugged. “You know I’d never lie to you.”
I managed a wry smile. “You don’t have to be quite so blunt.”
“You know the truth for yourself, Axel. You don’t need me to sugar-coat it for you.”
And what a good job that was.
He sat back in his stool and idly played with the hilt of his daggers.
I yawned, jaw cracking.
I knew I had some thinking to do, but I’d had enough emotional upheaval for one night. Searching for a distraction, I nodded at the daggers on the table. “Why have you got them out?”
He picked them up, admiring the blades before vanishing them. “All that howling made me nervous.”
“Oh. I’d forgotten about that.”
I should’ve probably been more concerned than I currently felt, but there’d been no more howling since I came inside, and I was tired.
So fucking tired.
Dathal stood so abruptly, I jumped. “If it was anything to worry about, we’d have heard by now. Go get some sleep.” He nudged me until I got up. “You’ll need a clear head for whatever you decide to do.”
I glanced out the kitchen window.
Talis was out there somewhere.
I touched a finger to my mouth; I could still taste him on my tongue. The thought sent a shiver through me, and then my heart clenched.
He thinks I don’t want him.
A pained sound escaped me, but Dathal was up and in front of me again.
