Page 91 of Claiming Sarah

Jac looked unsure of what to say or do. Finally, he asked, “Do you need a hand?”

My life, and everything I held dear, seem to be crumbling right before my eyes and I was helpless to stop the destruction. “I’ve got it.”

“I don’t mind. I can—”

“I said I’ve got it, Jac,” I said angrily. “Why don’t you go tend toyourconsort since she clearly doesn’t want to have anything to do with me.”

I rolled back beneathAllegiant. At least things under my ship couldn’t get much worse.

CHAPTER 28

Sarah

“It’s like when you felt sick,” Omen explained as she sat next to me on a large boulder near the swamp. “Will your injuries to heal.”

I concentrated as best I could, trying to ignore the pain—in my shoulder and calf, and also in the vicinity of my heart. After a minute, the agony I felt in the first two places faded away, but the one in my chest remained. I looked at my shoulder and saw the skin had closed up. Same on my leg.

“It’s better,” I mumbled, still trying to deal with the confusion and aftermath of my confrontation with Deacon. “Still sore, but better.”

“Good.” Omen smiled, then looked up, her eyes widening when she saw Jac approaching. “I’ll leave you two to talk.”

She left in a hurry, and I watched Jac walk to where I was still sitting on the boulder. I jumped up and walked to the swamp’sedge, giving him my back so he didn’t see the devastation I knew was still written all over my face.

“You shouldn’t be so hard on him,” he said, coming to a stop beside me.

“Go away,” I said, refusing to look at him.

“Not until you talk to me,” he persisted gently.

Tears stung my eyes, threatening to fall. “I want to be alone.”

“Why, so you can sulk?”

I whirled on him, my gaze narrowed on his too handsome face. “Watch yourself.”

He sighed, reaching out and gently taking hold of my arms in his hands, and I let him. “I know you’re upset because Deacon kept this from you, but do you even understand what any of this means to him?”

I brushed away the moisture that escaped my eyes and sniffled. “I can’t say I’m overly concerned with what it means to him.” No, I was much too hurt by how easily he’d dismissed me, and what I thought we’d shared. “He apologized and then talked about dissolving our union,” I choked the words out as my heart shattered. “I don’t know what else there is to say.”

He slowly and gently pulled me toward him, and I gave myself over to his embrace. His big, strong arms wrapped around me, and I burrowed my face against his torso, clinging to him. My world was falling apart and I needed something to keep me together.

“God, what am I going to do with you two?” he said, stroking his hand over my hair, his touch soothing my frayed emotions. “You’re both so damn stubborn.”

“I’m not stubborn,” I said…stubbornly, then exhaled a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Jac. I keep falling into your arms when he’s the one who fucked up. It’s not fair for you to have to clean up his messes.”

“We clean up after each other,” he said, his warm palm rubbing circles against my back. “That’s why we work.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to ignore yet another stab to my heart. “And bywe, you mean you and Deacon, right?”

He huffed out a frustrated breath. “I meant the three of us, Sarah. We are a union—”

“Not if he wants to dissolve it,” I cut in, my voice thick with tears again.

“He’s upset. He’s not thinking clearly.” Jac sighed heavily. “Gods, you two are so much alike sometimes. You’re both reacting to a factual situation with emotions, instead of strategy or thoughtful retrospection—”

“You sound like him,” I muttered against Jac’s uniform.

“Actually, I think I sound like his father,” Jac said wryly. “I can’t help it. Valor practically raised me. And as annoying as it is, he’s almost always right.”

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