Page 40 of The Eighth Isle

And even now those words struck me. Even now theyhurtme because I was a damn fool.

So, I laughed. “Yet you still have the balls to come out here and talk to me. You ruined my life, Valentine. You ruinedeverybody’slife, yet you won’t at least lock yourself up where nobody can see you and stay out of everyone’s way. Why?”

My words affected him even though he kept a neutral expression. But the night was bright now in the Woods, and I saw his eyes with so much clarity, eyes I knew, eyes I’d trusted once. I saw the regret flashing in them, the hurt.

“Because you still need me,” he said, his whisper so low I barely caught it.

And so I laughed again. I laughed from the heart this time. The audacity in this man astounded me still.

“Laugh all you like,” Valentine said, lowering his head. “But it’s the truth.”

“Youruinedmy life!” I reminded him yet again because he seemed to forget it so soon.

“And I’m sorry,” he said, making the laughter catch in my throat. “I’m sorry for every tear I ever put in your eyes, Sunshine.If I could turn back time, I’d do everything differently, but that’s a fool’s wish. We can’t turn back time. This is what we have now.” He came in front of me lightning fast, his hand on my cheek as if he couldn’t see the disgust in my eyes as clearly as I saw the pain in his. “I’m sorry, Fall. For everything. I was fooled,” he whispered. “You of all people should know what that’s like—I was fooled and?—”

I slapped him before I realized I’d even moved. It must have been all that magic burning, raging inside me, so I slapped him hard across the face and I stepped back.

“Don’t you dare touch me again, Valentine,” I said, and I was crying. I was fuckingcryingbecause he still knew how to get to me. He still knew how to tug at my foolish, foolish heart. “I don’t care about your sorry. I don’t care about anything that has to do with you. And don’t you dare compare yourself to me, either, or try to guilt-trip me into understanding you. You’re evil—I’m not. You and I arenotalike.”

He lowered his head. “You hate me,” he said, and he was smiling as he said it. He was smiling that bitter smile I’d seen on him so many times before.

“I don’t think I hate you more than you hate yourself.” And that should have made me happier. It should have eased the pain in my chest, but it didn’t. Somehow, it just added to it.

Throwing his head back, Valentine laughed. “No, you don’t,” he told me. “You’re a blinding ray of sunshine in my life, Fall Hayes. And to be honest,realsunshine is overrated. It doesn’t even come close to you.” And he winked.

The asshole winked as he stepped back toward the castle.

“Leave me alone, Valentine,” I said, shaking my head at him, too exhausted to feel so much for him that it had spent me within minutes. Hating him was like running a goddamn marathon—it took all the energy out of me.

“Never,” he whispered—again, smiling. “I’ll be here when you need me. Just look in the shadows.”

“Idon’tneed you!” I suddenly screamed, so frustrated my fists were shaking.

But he wasn’t fazed. “Look in the shadows, Sunshine.”

He disappeared from my sight so fast, I barely saw the blur of his figure running behind the trees to the other side of the castle.

Fuck, I wanted to scream. I wanted to kick something, slam my fists against the ground. He was so damnimpossible!

Shadow was still there, still sitting on that branch, still watching me in silence. “You realize he’s a monster, right?” I said, but his answer was that squirrel-like squeaking I’d found cute once.

With a sigh, I lowered my head and forced my thoughts to fall in order. It was useless to feel like this. Valentine knew how to get to me—but only because I let him. It didn’t matter what he said or how much audacity he had or how we’d ended up here. What mattered was Grey, and that’s where all my focus needed to be.

So, I turned to the sky again and I breathed in deeply, thinking about his face. His smile. His kiss. Those beautiful eyes on mine.

Within minutes, the thought of Valentine faded away, and all I was left with was the hope and fear of seeing Grey again.

It wasan hour to dawn when I felt his wings—bigwings—beating, and my heart jumped at first.

It jumped because I thought maybe it was Grey—he had wings, too. He could fly.

But I’d been in his arms when he did, many times, so that’s how I knew three seconds in that itwasn’thim. That’s how I knew that the rhythm was off and that sound was different from Grey.

It was Romin flying over me in circles as he watched me in the dark. The shape of him, the strength of his wings would have been impressive if I’d cared right now. As it was, I just lowered my head and closed my eyes and prayed that he flew away soon. That he knew I didn’t want to be bothered, and he just went away and left me alone.

He didn’t.

Instead, I felt someone else approaching, too, and by the energy alone I was able to recognize Emil when he was still ten feet behind me. I’d gone to the rose garden at the back of the castle hours ago just to change my view, and now I wished I’d stayed inside. I wished I’d stuck to the rooftop of the third tower or my bedroom.

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