I ran a finger over the strands of hair that curled at his forehead. In his sleep, he seemed softer. Still very much the warrior whose smoke magic demolished an entire compound, but unguarded. And terrifyingly close.
I should move. Leave before he woke to avoid any awkwardness. Instead, I stayed, my heart doing strange flips while I watched my soul-bound mate.
What now?
Could I unbar the prison cell I kept hidden from everyone, including myself? Last night, he’d seen some of the quiet, broken pieces behind the steel and taken care of me.
“Careful, Lolli.”
I jolted, and Brenton stretched, smiling that dashing smile of his without opening his eyes.
“You keep staring at me like that, I might get the wrong idea.”
I huffed.
“Or the right one. Depends.” He opened his eyes, the gold flecks dancing around the hazel. “What exactly are your intentions with me?”
My stomach fluttered, and I bit my bottom lip. “My intentions? To objectify you.”
A booming laugh exploded from within him, and when he tugged me to his chest, I let myself melt against him.
“Respectfully, of course,” I said.
“Of course.”
His fingers played through the long length of my hair. Slow and careful, working around the tangles sleep had left behind.
“I’ll allow it.” His voice was gruff. “But know that objectifying me comes with a price.”
“Oh?” I smiled against his chest. “What’s the price?”
His fingers grazed my cheek, and I caught my breath. He cupped my chin, tilting it up so I looked at him. His smile was playful, his eyes vulnerable.
“A truth.” His thumb traced the shape of my lips. “Do you truly choose me?”
There he was again, open and unguarded and asking for what I kept hidden away.
I sat up, winding my arms around myself. “If I’d truly been given a choice, I would’ve chosen you. Every single time, without hesitation.” My voice trembled, but I didn’t look away. I couldn’t look away, not even when the gold in his eyes dimmed, fleck by fleck, turning to smoke. “I know you think I chose Etienne, and the title and stature his family offered. But I was a child, barely more than a babe. I believed I was being given lessons and training that my parents could finally afford. I didn’t understand that my future had been bargained away.” My thumb traced the stones of my bracelet, the weight of them comforting and familiar. “It took me decades to understand that my parents had sold my future.” My breath caught. “But I was the one who paid. It cost me you.”
He didn’t speak, but I felt the tension that rose with the silence between us.
“I understand why you left. Why you ignored me.” My lips stretched into a bitter smile. “You had every right to. But without you, Etienne became my best friend. He’s been the one constant in my life, the only one who’s never walked away.” My words came softer with the weight of each truth.
Brenton pulled back, his throat working as he nodded. “I understand.”
I reached for his hand, not ready to let him go. “You asked for my truth.”
“And you gave it.” He nodded again, moving to rise.
I gripped his hand tighter, going to my knees and not wanting to let him go. “You don’t understand, though. Please let me finish.”
His laugh was dry and jagged, and when he pulled away, I let him. “How many more ways do you intend on making me bleed?”
I stood quickly, bare feet thudding on the tent floor while I tugged Brenton’s oversized shorts up so they wouldn’t fall. “If you’d stop being a brute and listen, you’ll find I have no intention of hurting you,” I snapped, the fire only Brenton knew how to ignite flaming inside me. “I choose you, you idiot. I choose you, knowing I’m not just walking away from Etienne butabandoninghim.” My voice trembled, but I couldn’t stop. “He’s always stood by my side, fighting my demons alongside me. And I’m leaving him to face his alone.” I swallowed hard, glaring at Brenton. “You told me to be monstrous, so that is what I’m doing. Do you still wish to match my darkness?”
I shoved past the tent flap, the air too hot, the morning haze too much. My chest hurt, and my vision blurred.
“Finley.” Brenton’s voice cracked, ragged and sharp.
