Page 158 of Merciless Queen

And the woman hiding within them.

The woman who needs to face me—and her feelings before I can make her mine.

She’s nestled exactlywhere I guessed she’d be: between the three trees she found me passed out between. She won’t admit it, but there’s a reason why out of an entire forest, it’s these three she’s by.

Vanessa’s head shoots up at my approach like a spooked deer and immediately gets to her feet, keeping her back to the trunk. She watches me approach like prey faced with a predator, but little does she realize, she’s as much the predator right now as she is the prey. She has the ability to destroy me even while I set out to destroy her.

“You’re still here.”

“Sera wants to thank Lev when he wakes up. I owe him for saving her life. And you, since it was your warning.”

A protectiveness flashes through her gaze. “He was only doing what’s right.”

My head ticks thoughtfully to the side and I echo Serafina’s words. “He’s a good guy. You all are.”

She looks away, and her jaw tightens into a straight line. “Why are you out here, Zeno?”

“I wanted to see you.”

“Why?”

“Because Ineededto see you.”

“Why?”

“Are you really going to make me say it?” Exasperation makes my knees weak and I all but stumble to her side. “Vanessa?—”

She flinches away, pulling her arms in tighter. “What happened changes nothing.”

“It changeseverything.” My hand snaps out and grasps her chin, forcing her face toward me before she can run again. I’m done playing. Done amusing her. Done allowing her to control our interactions. If she runs, I’m hunting her ass. “How long are you going to keep hiding from what we both know is true?”

“I’m not?—”

“Bullshit, Vanessa,” I snap. “For a short while, I got to see the real you. That’s the woman I fell?—”

“Stop.” She yanks her face away, twisting it to the side as though to hide from me—an impossible feat because I see her. I’ve always seen her, and I vow to continue. “Just stop,” she repeats with a heavy sigh.

“You don’t get to ignore this anymore.”

She drops her arms, but even so, remains closed off. “We agreed that this…whateverthisis, is over.”

“I was wrong.” I step into her, so close she can’t ignore the pounding of my heart.

A heart that only beatsbecauseof her; today could have gone much differently.

A heart that now only beatsfor her.

“You claim today changed nothing, but I don’t believe that for one fucking second. Why didn’t you give me up?”

She blinks. “Serafina?—”

“I’m not talking about her. I had little doubt you’d save her, and fuck, it’s exactly what I wanted. I’m talking about you giving up the organization in exchange for my life. Those weren’t actions from the Merciless Queen.”

She’s silent, but I’m not. I refuse to be until we address this.

“I’ll tell you what I think. I think you’re still running. I think when you chose me, you realized thatyou’vechanged from the woman you used to be.”

She scoffs, but her flick of her bottom lip implies a slight anxiety, telling me I’m not that far off. “Don’t give yourself that much credit.”

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