Page 78 of Emylia

“Never scare me like that again.” His words were a soft whisper, his voice betraying just how worried he’d been. His voice muffled in my hair. “I can’t lose you too.”

“I love you,” I whispered back.

His arms grew impossibly tighter. “I love you, too.”

Without a word, he released me, retreating out of the room with Sebastian, closing the door quietly behind him.

Alone at last, a smile tugged at my lips.

I was finally going to be a warrioress.

ChapterSeventeen

As soon as my uncle and Sebastian left, I rummaged through my bag, dressing in my night attire. Only a couple minutes passed before there was a rap on my door.

Without hesitation, I swung it open.

Sebastian stood leaning against the frame, blocking the entire doorway.

“Hey.” The tips of his hair danced across his impossibly long eyelashes as he stared down at me.

“Hey.” I crossed my arms over my chest, retreating to the far side of the room, giving him a wide berth so he could come inside.

As soon as the door was shut, I approached him with barely harnessed rage. “What was that?” I accused, rage coming out in a snarl.

I had learned my lesson from my uncle, but Sebastian had no right to treat me like a child. He was barely older than me!

“That wasmeprotectingyou.” He seethed back, through gritted teeth.

“Like I said, I can take care of myself.”

“Can you?” he countered. “Going toe to toe with the chief and thinking you can come out unscathed?”

How dare he!

“Thrainn has more respect for me than you do.Hetreated me like I was an equal. You’ve trained me;youshould know what I’m capable of. But instead you treated me like I’m not capable of protecting myself. Guess what? I can.”

He threw his hands out. “And yet, Maalikai broke through your defenses with ease.”

“He wouldn’t have been able to hurt me without becoming a eunuch,” I shot back venomously.

Sebastian closed the distance between us, stealing my air as he glared down at me. “Some warriors wouldn’t care. Some warriors would die just to get their hands on you. Thrainn may trust you, but from what I saw tonight, you will never listen and never learn.”

“Screw you.”Fury washed over my skin, coming in a heady rush.

Sebastian took an intimidating step forward, so no distance remained between us. “Never disobeymyorders again, do you hear?”

“You are not my chief!” I stuck a finger up at him.

Overprotective asshole.

“Andthisis exactly why you and I would never work. Why we canneverbe together.” I didn’t just throw the words–I weaponized them. Sharp, deliberate, designed to wound. And I aimed them where they’d land the deepest–where I knew they’d inflict the most damage.

The hurt in his molten amber eyes was instant—devastating, the kind of pain you don’t come back from.

“Why? Because you can’t follow a simple fucking instruction?” I knew he threw it out in anger—pain. And I didn’t blame him. I’d hit where I knew it would hurt the most.

But I waslivid.

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