Page 78 of Hell Hath No Fury

“And I will, I promise.”

Grabbing her hand in mine, I push off the dresser, attempting to pull her with me to the bed, but this time, she comes up short. Turning to face her, I say, “We should get some rest together.”

“Don’t you think,” she responds with some hesitation, “that a bit of time apart would be good?”

“Absolutely not.”

Her expression softens, her lips curving up slightly, but then she pauses, and the beginning of a smile fades. “It doesn’t feel right anymore.”

My heart stops in my chest, my blood running cold as her eyes empty of emotion. “What are you talking about?”

She points between us, features twisting. “This. Us.”

“What do you mean?”

Her expression turns impatient, her hands closing into fists at her side. “We’re all fucked up, Antonio. It isn’t right.”

I laugh. I can’t help it. But then she glares at me, so I say, “We’ve always been fucked up, Lil. Not sure why you’re just catching onto that now.”

Huffing loudly, she practically stomps her foot, and I catch myself laughing again, to which she snaps at me, “How can you be so aloof about it?”

“How can I not?”

“I’m being serious, Antonio,” she sputters, her hands slicing through the air as if she’s trying to emphasize her words. “It’s like you’re not bothered by such things as demons and darkness.”

She stares at me with such certainty in what she’s saying that I’m momentarily thrown off. Having spent the majority of my adult life yearning for someone I never even dreamt I could have, it would take far more than demons and darkness to dissuade me now.

“It took years of self-reflection and hard work to get where I am today,” I explain patiently. “But that in no way erases the dark side of me that still lingers. It doesn’t eliminate the demons ready to squash my general rationality at any moment.”

Lilith rolls her eyes, obviously feeling some sort of way about what has happened or what could happen or maybe some variation of both. “Right. Saint Antonio dipped in the morally grey.”

Raising my brows at her, I contemplate how best to respond. Lilith has always been on the snarky side, ready to give anyone the business at a moment’s notice for no reason at all. But this is different. This feels overtly intentional yet also hesitant, as if she has some kind of agenda she’s still uncertain of. And frankly, it’s pissing me off. “How about you stop beating around the bush here and get to the fucking point.”

Scowling, she shrugs. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I prowl closer, enjoying how she steps back each time I step forward, as if she’s nervous about what I’m going to do. “Don’tplay games with me, Lil. You obviously have a problem, so why don’t you just spit it out so we can get to the good stuff.”

“Good stuff?”

“Oh, yes,” I whisper, smirking as she backs herself right into a corner. “So much goodfuckingstuff.”

Eyes narrowing, she sticks her chin out stubbornly, and my grin grows, but then she asks, “Are you still high?”

My smile falls, immediately replaced by a scowl of my own. “No, Lil, I’m not. Stop trying to make excuses for my limitless desire for you and accept it for what it truly is.”

“And what is it?”

Raising my hand over my head, I brace my forearm on the wall over her head, leaning down so my face is directly in front of hers, eyes locked. “Fate.”

She blinks a few times, brows raised. “Fate?”

Smiling, I lean closer, running the tip of my nose along her cheek before stopping at her ear. “Yes, fate. Destiny. Kismet.”

Her hands press against my chest, and I ease back, putting a bit of space between us. She’s staring up at me, indecision and yearning battling for dominance as her eyes lower to my mouth, which curves up into a feral grin. Licking my lips, I watch her pupils dilate, her eyelids lowering slightly as she leans ever-so-slightly into me.

“But what would you do?” Her question comes out breathless, the heat in her eyes intensifying and her hands now gripping my shirt for dear life. “If I pushed you away and fought against you, would you take what you wanted?”

“Like, for real, take it?” I ask slowly, wanting to make sure I know exactly what she means. “As in, you tell me no, and I ignore it and take what I want anyway?”

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