Page 49 of Desire

I slowly nodded.

“Are you afraid of his love or all love?” Liam asked.

“It isn’t love that I fear,” I said.

“Then explain it to us, please,” Garron said. “We want to understand.”

I turned to look at him.

“Does it upset you that your brother confessed his love for me?”

“Should it?”

“Don’t answer a question with a question, Garron. It’s rude.”

Liam chuckled but quieted when I scowled at him.

“It doesn’t upset us,” Liam said. “We’re well aware of how each of us feels about you.”

“We don’t keep secrets from each other,” Garron reminded me.

I glanced between the pair of them. Howeachof them feels about me? Were they implying…

“You don’t love me,” I said.

“How do you know that?” Liam asked.

“Because you can’t.”

“Love is affection for another person. Mothers feel it for their children before they even meet them. Why is it impossible for us to love you after spending so long with you?” Garron asked.

Based on his argument, I had no grounds on which to refute his claim. Love was affection. Didn’t I also have affection for them? Wasn’t that why I was so angry when they were hurt by the trackers? Yet, I found the idea that they might all love me terrifying.

“I’m hungry,” I said, standing fluidly.

“Eadric is waiting for you. After you’ve eaten, we can continue our lesson,” Garron said.

I left the cottage and saw Brandle pacing with Edmund near the edge of the clearing.

“Sparrow!” Eadric called loudly, drawing their attention.

Edmund paused his prowl and stared at me across the distance.

I rushed to the table, stole the pastry from the plate in front of Eadric, and took hurried bites as Edmund started across the clearing.

Eadric tried taking the small, misshaped bakery from me.

“Sparrow, not like that,” he said.

I turned away from him and would have left, but Darian caught me around the waist and pulled me into his lap.

“Rest while you eat, Princess,” he said, kissing the side of my neck.

The force with which I shot from his lap drove my shoulder into his jaw, and his teeth clacked together. He grunted in pain and cupped his chin.

“I fink my pung iv beebing,” he said.

I didn’t look at him as Edmund closed the distance between us. His expression betrayed no emotion. Did anger boil behind the surface because his brother had kissed my neck?

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