Page 26 of Blooms of Darkness

“You act like I’m filthy,” I argued, slowly pulling myself off the ground and wiping the dust off of my knees.

I sat before the mirror, reaching down to apply the salve to my calves and thighs. Kalliah tugged my hair while laughing at my grimace before quickly braiding it.

While she worked on my hair I could never style quite right, I applied rouge to my cheeks.

The next few minutes were a blur as I finished changing from my training clothes I’d been lazily lying around in, into a teal-green chiffon dress. The pockets were my favorite part of this dress, along with the lace sleeves. It hugged my curves, making me feel like an adult, not a kid playing dress-up.

Another benefit of training had been my body changing from loose skin and more rounded features to toned and tightened muscle, creating curves, which barely existed before. Even my ass finally rounded out perfectly.

Behind us, my door handles jiggled, along with the sound of a key, and we jumped. Ian flew into the room like a fire had been lit beneath him.

“Andras is coming around the corner. I haven’t had time to change,” he panted, his cheeks reddening as soon as he finished the comment.

I scanned his attire, stained with blood.

“What happened?” I jumped from the settee in front of the mirror and ran to him, inspecting his stained, darkened tunic. “Are you hurt? Where is the blood coming from?”

“Elisabeth took care of me already.” He moved away from me, nearing the door and holding his ear to it.

“Where were you? That’s not an explanation of what happened.”

Kalliah took a few steps backward, trying to sneak away. Frowning at the distraction, I caught the guilty expression she leveled at Ian.

“One of you, out with it,” I demanded.

“We were attacked at Kade and Storm’s drop.”

My heart sank. I hadn’t seen Ian because he knew he wouldn’t be able to lie to my face.

“I thought the drop hadn’t been scheduled yet,” I said. Clenching my fists at my side, I tried to maintain a bit of my composure. “I thought we were going to continue our conversation?”

“The conversation was over,” Ian said. “You wanted to continue, not me. If you still want to have a discussion, we certainly can later. The drop is done, and just like we feared, another attack happened.”

I brought my hands to my mouth, steepling them in front of my face. “So, you just ran an entire drop without me.”

“If you knew about it, you wouldn’t have stayed behind. We simply cannot risk you getting hurt during these attacks. I made the executive decision to not include you, for your own protection.” His face steeled with determination, his gaze not leaving mine as he finished speaking.

I stared at him, not recognizing this man in front of me. Ian had never been one to make me feel like I couldn’t make my own decisions, and now, he dared make such a big choice for me. Was this fear? Arrogance? Neither seemed like him.

“So, you’ve taken the position of being a man who thinks he knows what’s best for me, have you? Want to lock me up in my dungeon cell next time since I’m such a flight risk?” I sneered.

The reminder of what I endured as a child flashed across his face, and his shoulders slumped as he reached toward me. “Lan, don’t act like that. I’m not him.”

“No, you just agree I’m unable to provide anything other than being the heir to the throne. A figurehead.”

“If you would stop taking everything as an insult directed at you and think about this, it would be better.” Ian rubbed his forehead, clearly exasperated. “Please.” He reached for me, grasping my hands in his.

My hands trembled, but this time not in fear. In absolute anger.

“I know everyone else thinks I’m weak and broken, Ian, but you've never made me feel that way before. Until now.”

Kalliah quietly slipped out the door, and her avoidance meant she had something to hide. Although she’d merely withheld information, she’d behaved as though I’d have a chance to speak to Ian, knowing full well he’d gone ahead with these plans without me.

Ian didn’t let go of my hands, despite my attempts to tug away for space. “It’s for the best, and it’s only temporary.”

“You betrayed me. How dare you decide how I live my life?”

With a final tug, he let go.

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