Page 47 of Rise of the Siren Queen
“Oh, I’mMr.now, huh?” I mocked, raising an eyebrow. “Half-truths, correction.”
Her eyes narrowed, clearly not amused by my sarcasm. “You’re testing my patience.”
Yes, I was testing her.
I shrugged, unfazed. “I prefer full truths. So, what else are you hiding?”
She stared at me, her silence only deepening the intrigue, and I knew I was close to unraveling something she didn’t want to reveal.
“You got your truths. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m leaving,” she said calmly, her composure returning as she turned toward the pond, her back to me.
But before she could dive into the water, I gripped her wrist, spinning her back to face me. “Not so fast. I still have questions.”
Her eyes widened, a brief flicker of surprise crossing her face before she grimaced, the pressure of my hold clearly too tight. I loosenedmy grip slightly, though I didn’t let go.
You’re not getting off that easily.
“You’re keeping me here. The least you can do is answer my questions without half-truths or deflecting.” My voice was sharp and unforgiving. I knew I was being a prick, but my patience had run out long ago.
Her eyes narrowed at me, the flicker of surprise quickly replaced by a cold, steely resolve. “You think you’re entitled to everything just because you’re trapped in this? I’ve given you more than I should have.” Her voice was sharp, but there was something beneath it, a thread of tension that she couldn’t quite mask.
I kept my grip firm, my frustration boiling over. “I didn’t ask to be trapped in your world, and I sure as hell didn’t ask to be lied to. You’re keeping me here, against my will, might I add. The least you can do is stop hiding behind your half-truths and evasions.”
Her jaw clenched, and for a moment, I thought she might snap back, but she exhaled slowly, her gaze dropping to where my hand still held her wrist. “You want answers? Fine.” Her voice lowered, almost a whisper, but the intensity remained. “But understand this: you might not like them.”
I met her gaze, unflinching. “I’ll take my chances.”
Her eyes flashed with a mix of defiance and something I couldn’t quite place. Sorrow, maybe? Or was it just exhaustion? “I won’t do this now, not today.” Her voice was firm, but there was a crack in her armor, just a tiny one, before she yanked her wrist free from my grasp with more force than I expected.
I stood there, stunned for a split second, as the lingering warmth of her skin left my hand. And then she was gone. Vanished, as if she’d never been there at all.
My pulse raced, the rapid beat of it pounding in my ears. How could she just walk away like that? After all the lies and half-answers,the games she played, holding me here like some sort of prisoner.
I blinked, the space she had occupied only fueling my rage. I fought the urge to scream into the suffocating silence she left behind. Every part of me felt like it was on fire, an inferno of frustration, helplessness, and something I wasn’t ready to name. Something I hated.
No. I would not let this stand. She couldn’t keep walking away, thinking she held all the cards, leaving me with nothing but more questions and a seething rage that threatened to consume me.
My fury deepened, hardening into something more dangerous, a cold, calculated determination. If she thought she could play this game with me, she was fucking wrong.
12
The bond
Adrian
I was restless, pacing the room like a caged predator, last night’s moments playing over and over in my head like a curse I couldn’t shake.
She had come here for solace. But why? What the hell had driven her here in the dead of night, shaken and vulnerable? It had to be connected to that dream. That sorrow in her eyes, raw and unguarded, wasn’t something my mind conjured up for fun. That was real. And I wanted, no,needed,to know why.
Her words had given me more questions than answers, but none of them mattered until I got the truth.Whyhad I seen her dream? Who was that triton? And what the hell did she mean by not today?
A sharp, ugly heat coiled in my chest at the memory of him, at the way she looked at him, like a wound that still bled, like a past that refused to stay buried. A burning jealousy scorched through my veins, twisting my thoughts into something sharp-edged and violent. It coiled around my ribs, squeezed my lungs, made my fingers itch with the need to do something, todestroysomething.
Thattriton. Whoever the hell he was, he had been important to heronce.Maybe still is.
That thought alone was enough to make my vision blur with rage. Did shemisshim? Did shelovehim? Had hetouchedher the way I wanted to? Had shelethim?
My jaw clenched so hard it ached.
