Page 60 of Protected By Artemis

He could see the wall she had put up between them, her eyes guarded, her stance rigid. It wasn’t going to be easy to break through, but he had to try. He took a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill his lungs, and began to speak, his voice soft but steady.

“You know, when I lost my parents, it was devastating. But what kept me going was remembering their bond. They were stronger together, their connection unbreakable. Even in the hardest times, they had each other.” He paused, watching her face for any sign that his words were reaching her. “I used to think that was something worth having—something I wanted for myself.”

She crossed her arms. “Then why did you push me away? If you believe in that bond, in finding a mate, why did you end things?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I freaked out,” he admitted, the words tasting bitter in his mouth. “I wasn’t ready to accept what that meant.”

“So, you weren’t ready,” she snapped, her voice cutting through the night. “And now you are? You think a few words and a makeshift altar will fix this?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I know it’s not that simple. But I’m not here to fix everything with a prayer. I’m here becauseI want you to know that I’m willing to try, to work through whatever it is that scared me off in the first place.”

“You don’t just get to come back and decide you’re ready.” She looked at him, her eyes filled with a storm of emotions. “I’m not some choice you can make when it suits you.”

“I know that,” he said, taking a step closer, feeling the tension between them like a physical force. He wanted to reach out and hold her but knew that would piss her off. “But I’m standing here, asking you to give me a chance to show you I’m serious. I don’t want to lose you because of my fears.”

Her eyes flashed with anger, but beneath it, he saw the pain he had caused, the wound he had left. “I’m not sure I can trust you again,” she said, her voice wavering for the first time.

He felt his heart clench at her words, the reality of what he had done hitting him all over again. “I understand,” he said quietly. “But I’m asking you to let me earn that trust back. I don’t want to be the reason you stop believing in what we had.”

She stared at him, the silence stretching between them. “I don’t know, Cade,” she whispered. “I need time.”

For a moment, they stood there in the moonlit clearing, the weight of their conversation hanging in the air.What can I say to make her understand?

“There’s something I need to tell you, Artemis,” he watched her, her gaze unreadable, as he continued. “About why I freaked out—why I pushed you away.”

She didn’t respond, but he could tell she was listening.

“Her name was Eleni,” he said, the name feeling strange on his tongue after all this time. “She was a demigod. We met in college, and I thought she was the one. But when she was given the chance to become a goddess, to live in Olympus, she didn’t even hesitate. She chose immortality over staying in the Upperworld and being with me.”

He paused, the memory of that time still raw, even after all these years. “I couldn’t blame her for it—who would turn down such an opportunity? But it messed me up. I’ve never been able to have a serious relationship since then. Every time I got close to someone, I’d pull back, afraid of getting hurt like that again.”

A flicker of understanding flashed through her eyes, but then she schooled her expression. It felt like he was getting through to her. He had to keep going and make her see why he had acted the way he did.

“Then you came into my life,” he added, his voice softening. “And the intensity of what we had—it was overwhelming. I hadn’t felt that way in so long, and it scared the hell out of me. I didn’t know how to handle it, so I lashed out. I pushed you away because I was terrified of what it meant, of losing control again.”

Pain lanced through his chest, and he realized how tense he was, his muscles bunching. The strain in his shoulders felt like they were screwed tight. He wanted to hold her, knew that it would melt all the pain away. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I wish I could undo what I did, take back that moment when I let my fear get the better of me.”

She looked at him, her expression softening just a fraction as she absorbed his words. “Eleni,” she repeated, her voice thoughtful. “She chose immortality and left you, and now you’re afraid of anyone doing the same.”

He nodded, his throat tight. “I didn’t want to admit it, but yeah. It felt too good to be true, like something that could be taken away at any moment.”

She sighed. “Cade, I’m not Eleni. I’m not going anywhere. But you need to understand that you can’t push people away because you’re scared. It’s not fair to them—or to you.”

“I know. I realize that now. I just hope it’s not too late to make things right.”

For a long moment, she was silent, her eyes searching his. Then she reached out, placing a hand on his chest, right over his heart. “You’ve hurt me. But I can see that you’re being honest with me now, and that means something.”

He looked at her, hope flickering in his chest. “I’ll do whatever it takes to earn your trust back,” he promised.

They stood there in the moonlight, the silence between them laced with the possibility of healing.

“Artemis,” he whispered, his hand covering hers.

She looked up at him and gave a small, tentative smile. And his heart soared as he remembered those quiet moments wrapped in each other, the softness of her breath, the warmth of her kiss.

But then sadness locked into place in her eyes, and she pulled her hand back. “Don’t punish me for your hang-ups.”

Her words hit him like a punch to the gut, and he bowed his head, knowing she was right. He had let his past pain dictate his actions, hurting her in the process. But now, he realized, more than ever, that he couldn’t let that fear control him anymore.

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