Page 38 of Rivals & Revenge

I hadn’t meant to show her the roses—maybe ever. But those soft lips whispering that she knew I hated her. That because we had been rivals these past six years, I must harbor some deep-seated hatred for her—it snapped something in me.

“I wanted to return this,” she said, placing the box in my hands. “I don’t know what it means.”

I barked out a laugh, “that makes two of us then.”

My fingers ghosted over the box’s supple surface. “I just know I’ve never hated you.”

“I don’t hate you either, I just—fuck. I don’t know how I feel if I’m being honest.”

My jaw worked, grinding my teeth together. I hated apologies. Generally because I found myself more owed than owing—but I owed her one. “I’m sorry about the other night. I thought there was something—I got it wrong. It won’t happen again.”

She nodded wordlessly, her eyes scanning the room, landing on everything except me.

The silence stretched between us, tight like an elastic band that could snap at any moment, wounding either of us. I’d almost given up on her answering me when she spoke, her voice soft and hesitant.

“You said the other night that you’d train me. Hand-to-hand I mean.”

Her eyes met mine, something sparking just behind the surface. Again, it was an emotion I knew well. Determination and maybe a hint of spite. She was done being a victim. Done reacting. She was finally ready to take her power back.

I nodded. “You’re not ready for the heavy stuff.”

“Larissa said—” she started, raising her chin defiantly.

“Bullshit.” I interrupted, barking out a laugh. “We can talk to Connor tomorrow. But there’s no way that barely four weeks is long enough for your ribs to heal. I certainly won’t be taking you to the mat.”

I widened my stance, folding my arms across my chest; digging in for the argument I knew was coming.

Her eyes dropped to the mat and something deep in my gut twisted at the thought of smoldering her spark before it could burn again.

My hand reached for her of its own accord, the words spilling from my lips before I had a chance to process them.

“I can help you get stronger. Hurting yourself now will only make it take longer before you are back to full strength.”

Her lips pressed into a tight line, a dam holding back the snark I knew was fighting to break free. Instead, she gave me a curt nod, and I vowed to break that dam and release the real Tierney—something that may damn us both.

She was going to need every bit of that fire of hers to overcome her injuries and take on these fuckers hunting us down. I would do everything in my power to keep her safe, but knowing what was coming—that may not be enough.

Besides, I couldn’t protect her long if she’s just dead weight. I needed a partner.

Chapter 22

TIERNEY

A soft knock on the bedroom door pulled me from my thoughts. I'd been pacing for nearly an hour and expected it to be closer to dinnertime when Larissa came to check on me.

In three quick strides, I was at the door, eager for Larissa to give me the all clear to spar with Ahren. At this point I still sucked, but just the thought of one day watching that smug smile slide off his face when I knocked his butt to the mat, that was all the motivation I needed to learn.

The door swung open, and I froze. Ahren stood there, his perfectly tousled, 'I just did something bad' hair falling just in front of his eye.

My lips parted, not really sure what to say, barely managing a stilted, "hi". Fuck, I felt stupid. This is his house, and I somehow managed to forget that and be shocked by his presence every time I saw him.

His eyes raked over me, his gaze nearly as scalding as his fingers had been.

"Come with me."

"But—"

"I thought you wanted to train," he said, the challenge clear in his tone.

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