Page 27 of Emylia

I wasn’t going to let Maalikai have this effect on me.

I wasn’t even going to think about him.

Not a single damn thought.

Screw him.

ChapterTen

“Talking to yourself again, Em?”

My heart ricocheted. I whipped around, steel in my eyes.

Sebastian leaned casually against a crumbling pillar—once part of an old watchtower, long abandoned, its stones weathered and half-swallowed by ivy. New towers had been constructed years ago, leaving this one to be quietly reclaimed by time.

This time, he wore a shirt. The colour of midnight. It made the flare in his amber-eyes burn hotter.

Like I needed him to be impossibly hotter!

His arms were crossed. Smirk in place. Except—it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

The brush of his gaze lingered on me, a shadow of a touch Iwishedwas real. The playful twist of his mouth faded, just barely, as his eyes dragged across my face, lingering on my mouth. Then his eyes darkened, coated in a layer of something more.

Something darker.

“What’s got you all twisted up?”

I swallowed.

My tongue felt too heavy, like it was covered in liquid steel. My words caged themselves before they even formed. So many answers, but none I could speak without potentially making everything between us incredibly awkward.

So I shrugged. “Just the usual.”

“Murderous rage or existential dread?”

“Why not both?” I fired back, smirking.

Sarcasm: my favourite form of self-defence. So much easier than dealing with feelings.

He didn’t laugh. Just kept looking at me like he could see straight through the act. And maybe… he could.

Without another word, Sebastian pushed off the ruined tower, pebbles loosened beneath his boots, scattering across the path, coming to rest several feet from me.

“Guess it’s time for me to go dominate the war games.” He said, lips tugging into the one-sided smile I pretended not to love. “You’ll be there won’t you?”

“Of course.” A breathless whisper escaped me, his candor catching me off guard.

“Good. Because you’re the only person whose presence actually matters to me.”

My heart stuttered beneath the weight of his words.

“Have I told you how cute you look when you’re flustered?”

Now the smile reached his eyes, turning the liquid sunlight irises into something dangerous. Then he turned and walked away—just like that.

Not a single word.

I didn’t move. I barely breathed.

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