Page 124 of As the World Falls

“Were you not under clear orders to not travel without a guard?”

“Yes, but?—”

“And have I not made it clear enough that your life is in danger, and yet, here you are, just out, walking the streets without a care in the world?”

“I had something to do,” she says sternly.

I lean against the stone siding, crossing my arms over my chest as I stare at her. “I would love to know what was so important that you had to leave my bed after making love for the first time and put yourself in danger.”

“I had to tell Lance I was in love with you,” she yells. I push off the wall, standing straighter as her unexpected words plow into my chest. “Are you happy now?” she snaps again. “Is that a good enough reason for me to have gone? I love you, you jackass.”

I stride toward her, tilting her chin up with my finger. “And you thought it best to tell him first, not me?”

She swallows hard. “I… I wasn’t thinking of it that way.”

“Do you not understand what you do to me, Cecilia? The fear you instill in my heart and the ice that fills my veins when you aren’t near me. I can’t fathom not knowing where you are, and I most certainly can’t fathom you telling another man you love me before you tell me.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I wanted a clean slate before I told you.”

“Well, because of that, you put your life in danger, and you’ve pissed me off, so now, you have two choices.”

One of her brows arches. “Choices?”

“You can either admit your wrongdoing now and take your punishment here, or you can run. You can hide. If I find you, you still get punished. If I don’t, well...” I lean in to whisper in her ear, “You still might get a little fucked.”

She sucks in a breath, and I watch, enraptured as her pupils dilate, her body feeling more fluid in my arms now. “The choice is mine?”

“All yours, little owl.”

She grins at me, and then, in an instant, she’s gone, dashing into the garden maze behind her just as I suspected she would. I wait only thirty seconds before striding inside.

The dark green hedges fill my view every corner I round, and I come up empty each time. But I can hear her traipsing around me, her breaths fast and excited. She was close, but where?

I turn another corner, her footsteps sounding closer. “Just so you know, babe, the deeper you go, the harder you get it.” I grin when I hear her steps taking off faster now, but the direction I hear her go stops me in my tracks, and I turn back the way I came and down another passage. I knew this maze like the back of my hand, just like I knew the course she had just taken. I knew she was coming straight for me.

I wait behind a corner, her footsteps drawing near, until I hear her breathing, the earth crunching under her feet. Then I come out, drawing a startled yelp from her.

She skids to a halt, her hand flying to her chest. “You scared me,” she stammers, breathing hard.

“Such a pity,” I boast, stepping toward her. She backs up, and I step toward her again, my grin growing.

“You cheated. I bet you designed this maze, didn’t you?”

“Of course. But I couldn’t deny letting you get lost in it, could I?”

She rolls her eyes before focusing them on me again. “So, what’s my punishment?”

I get lost in the way she looks for a moment. Her fast breaths, light pink flushed cheeks, glittering blue eyes, and wild hair. Her thin sweater and skirt that is dangerously high on one side. But the reminder of her punishment brings me back to earth. It reminds me of what I can and can’t promise her. It’s her life that is always in danger because of the one I live. It’s the way I doubt if she could really love a man like me who was never worthy of it from anyone else.

“Tell me why you love me,” I ask her.

She straightens, her brows furrowing and lips becoming pouty as she registers my unexpected question. “What do you mean?”

“I want you to tell me why you think you’re in love with me.”

“I don’tthink,” she bites out. “I know I am.”

I tilt my head, observing her more closely. “Explain yourself.”

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