Page 13 of Gathered Sparkle

Koen’s chest rises against me as he takes a deep breath, brushing his thumb over my temple. “Good girl,” he murmurs. “And what about Sylus? What do you feel about Sylus?”

“He’s mine,” I answer without hesitation.

I feel him swallow. “Are youhistoo?”

“Yes.”

There’s hurt tightening in his voice as he asks, “What are you feeling toward Alaric?”

“Intrigue. Understanding,” I respond, feeling distant, almost detached.

“And toward Levi?”

“Friendship,” I answer simply.

“Ezra?”

“Begrudging respect.”

Koen hesitates. “And toward me?”

“So much more.” Even I can hear the smile in my voice.

“Explain,” he murmurs, his hands back to stroking my hair.

“You make me feel safe.” My eyes remain closed as I speak the words that come so easily. “You make me feel seen, protected. You make me feel like I’m not alone. Like you’re willing to shoulder my burden without even being asked. You make me feel calm, even when everything else is falling apart. I crave being near you.” His breath catches, and I feel his fingers brush against my cheek, although the warmth of his touch barely registers.

“If you could choose, if you could have me, would you pick me over Sylus?”

“No.” He flinches a little, but my mouth is already moving again. “I don’t choose. I never do. Even if I could…” I let out a sigh. “I shouldn’t. How could I? Both of you mean something different to me, something I need. God, I need both of you. And choosing one means losing the other, and I can’t bear that. I can’t loseanyoneelse.”

His silence stretches, and I breathe in slowly. “But I like you a lot,” I continue. “And I hate that you’ve got such a pretty face I want to sit on.” A soft, almost pained laugh escapes him, but I keep talking, my eyes still closed, my voice detached from my thoughts. “I was hurt… when you didn’t want to fuck me. I would’ve loved to, but I was so embarrassed. I know you’re too good for me, but still.”

Koen’s hand stills on my cheek. “What I’ve just done shows that you’re the one too good for me…Wake up.”

My senses rush back in all at once. The warmth of his hand on my cheek, the tension in the air, the weight of everything I just said. I sit up straight, and my eyes snap open, locking onto his.

“Oh my God.” The heat in my cheeks tells me my face is flushing crimson. “Youfucking asshole.”

I jump up, my body acting on pure instinct, and Koen raises his hands in surrender, his eyes wide as he stands too. “Hey,hey, I’m sorry,” he says quickly. “I went too far. You’re right,I’m sorry, Little Thief.”

I shake my head, my thoughts a mess, emotions swirling too fast for me to catch. “You… you had no right,” I stammer. “Why would you do that?”

“I know,I know,” he admits. “I shouldn’t have. I just… I needed to know. I’m sorry.” He’s fumbling for words, and it’s so different from the self-assured Koen I know. He takes a hesitant step toward me, open, apologetic, and vulnerable in a way I’ve never seen.

What he’d told me during our training hits me aboutshock induction,pattern interruption, andopenness.

“When we are baffled, we become hyper-suggestible.”

Before I can second-guess myself, I grab his wrist and pull him closer, my other hand tapping his forehead.“Sleep.”

Koen’s eyes widen in surprise for a split second, and then, he goes down.

It’s like I’ve flipped a switch, and his body collapses forward, falling toward me. I stumble back, the weight of him forcing me to sit down on the bed, and he ends up on his knees in front of me, his forehead resting against my collarbone while I try to steady him by wrapping my arms around him.

“Holy shit.” My eyes are wide as I reach up to hold the back of his head to me.

I’ve just hypnotizedKoen-fucking-Lane—the mentalist himself.

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