Page 31 of Whispers of the Dryad

I hesitated.“I’m in love with you, too,” I said.It wasn’t love, not yet.In love and love weren’t the same thing, but saying that I loved him was a big deal.It carried so much more weight.“Do you want to stay here?”Ash asked.“I need time to think about it.You told me I still have time.”

Ash shook his head.“It’s either a yes or a no.What’s there to think about?”

“Why are you pushing me to make a decision?”I asked.“This is a big deal, you know.”

It’s not like choosing what flavor ice cream I’d like before the server walks away.”

Ash frowned.“What are you talking about?”

I shook my head.“Never mind.”

“I need you to tell me,” Ash said.“Yes or no.”

“Why?”I asked.“Just give me an answer.”He looked more and more anxious, freaking out about something I couldn’t tell him right now.Sure, I loved him and our bond was amazing after whatever had just happened between us, but it wasn’t that simple.“If you’re going to force me to tell you right now, the answer is going to be no.”

“What?”Ash asked, paling.“I’m not going to let you bully me into an answer, Ash.If you won’t give me the time to think about it, then you’re making my mind up for me.”

Ash pursed his lips, his eyes dulling, and he retreated from me even more.“That’s your final answer?”

“If this is the last time I get to have a choice, then yeah,” I said sternly.I felt like I was being ripped apart, limb from limb.I felt like my whole world—or what it had been until now—was falling apart.I felt like Ash was tearing away from me, and what we had crumbled because he was forcing something when it wasn’t the right time.“Okay, then,” Ash said.He got up and found his clothes, getting dressed.“What the fuck, Ash?”I demanded, my voice shrill with panic.“Where are you going?”

“Away,” he said.“I understand what this is now.”

“You don’t understand it at all!”I cried out.“You’re not being realistic.”

Ash shook his head, not answering me.He got dressed and left the room.“Ash!”I cried out.I jumped up and grabbed a robe, wrapping it around my naked body.I hurried after him, but when I got to the open front door, he was already gone.“Ash!”I cried out again, but he was nowhere to be seen.When I reached into myself, looking for the bond, I could feel it, but I couldn’t find it to tug on it and bring him back.He’d blocked himself off from me, and all I had left were my own emotions, shattering bit by bit as my heart broke and I had the nauseating feeling that it was all over.

ChapterTwenty-Eight

Ash

If that was how things were going to be, then what the hell was I waiting for?The only reason I’d been putting off the opportunity to start over was for Lorraine’s sake.She didn’t want to stay here with me.She’d said so herself, so I wasn’t going to keep playing this game.I knew what waited for me—a whole lot of pain and heartache—and I wasn’t ready to walk that road again.This time, I was the one who got to decide how this would work.“Hey, man,” Rowan said, running to catch up with me when I stormed past.“You have to listen to this.I was with Clea…” His voice faltered, and he frowned at me as I stormed on.“What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing,” I snapped.“Why don’t you go back to your business and leave me alone?”

“What the hell is going on with you?”Rowan asked, grabbing my arm to spin me around.I yanked my arm back and glared at him, but he got what he wanted—I’d stopped long enough to pay attention to him.“I said mind your own business.”My words were clipped, hands balled into fists.I was fucking furious.Rowan narrowed his eyes at me, not bothered at all that I was about to lose my shit in a big way.Then again, he’d never really been scared of me.“What happened?”he asked.“Nothing happened.”

“Come on, man, stop being a dick and tell me what’s going on.Is it Lorraine?”

I shook my head, but I didn’t say the words because of course it was Lorraine.“What did you do?”

“Rowan asked.“Why the fuck do you assume I did something?”I demanded.“Didn’t you?”

“I’m not the one who said that this was over!”

Rowan paled.“Did she call it off?”

I ground my teeth, trying to keep it together.“What did she say?”Rowan asked, probing.It pissed me off that he wouldn’t just let me go, but he was set on finding out what was going on, and I knew the only way to get rid of him would be to tell him what he wanted to know and save us both some energy and time.“She said she wasn’t going to stay here with me.”

“Okay… that’s big,” Rowan said.“Did she give you a reason?”

I didn’t answer him.Her reason had been because I was pushing her into a decision she wasn’t ready to make, but if I said it out loud, Rowan would tell me it was stupid of me to react the way I was reacting.I knew it was stupid, but what the hell was I supposed to do?“What was her reason, Ash?”Rowan asked again, his brows knitted together.“She said I had to give her more time,” I bit out.“More time than All Hallows’ Eve?”

I sighed and looked away.“More time than right now.”

Rowan shook his head, confused.“You asked her to make her choice right now?”

“I had to know,” I said.“I told her to choose, and she did.”

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