Page 85 of Silk and Sirens

I was thankful I was alone, that the bathroom was empty and I didn’t have anyone to witness me break. I couldn’t risk anyone seeing me less than perfect.

The pretty siren.

The deadly assassin.

The filthy whore Selene had turned me into.

Breathe.

The bathroom door clicked open beside me, and I jerked upright, swiping desperately underneath my eyes to reclaim some of my usual strength. To become the woman I was trained to be.

I cleared my throat and turned to leave, only to walk into the one man I didn’t want to see.

“Get out!” I snapped, all my earlier rage surging like vicious waves. “What are you even doing here?”

Caden stood there, towering over me with those eyes of ice.

Oh my God. How much had he overheard?

“Fuck you!” I shoved him hard, palms slamming into his chest. He didn’t budge, so I hit him again. Salt burned on my lips as the tears fell faster. “Why did it have to be you?”

Caden caught both my wrists in one hand and pulled me forward, crushing me against his chest. The soft, almost affectionate touch caught me off guard, my automatic reaction not to trust it. To tense, brace, and fight it with everything in me. To wait for the inevitable shift from gentle to cruel.

“You’re okay, Tempest,” he murmured, lips brushing my hair as he locked his arms around me. “I’ve got you.”

I fought him for one desperate heartbeat, then completely fell apart. A sob tore out of me as I fisted his shirt, clinging to him like he was the only solid thing keeping me afloat.

God, I hated him.

I hated the way he felt.

The way he held me.

How wrong it felt to betray him.

Caden held me tighter as I cried, one large hand cradling the back of my head while the other stroked slow circles down my spine. His heartbeat was strong and steady beneath my cheek, a brutal contrast to the chaos ripping through me.

I cried for my sister.

I cried for the girl I used to be.

I cried for every piece of myself I’d sold just to survive, all while Caden simply held me. Like I was fragile. Like he could put me back together.

Breathe.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I finally said, my anger fading to a simmer. I pushed, twisting myself under Caden’s arms until there was space between us. “I’m not allowed,” I lied.

“Not allowed to what?”

“You shouldn’t be here.” I glared up at him, jaw clenched so tight it ached. He stepped forward anyway, crowding me back against the sink. “You can’t be here.” Because if he was, then Selene’s plan was working.

“I can be wherever the fuck I want to be.”

“God, you’re insufferable.” I didn’t pull away when he cupped my jaw, his thumb gently wiping the dried tears from my cheeks. “Aren’t you supposed to be on a date right now?”

Caden’s upper lip curved, that infuriating dimple appearing. “Jealous, Tempest?”

I let out a shaky, bitter laugh. “In your dreams.”