Page 42 of The Coveted
She smiled, but Jasmine and Christine ignored her as they studied me. Renata’s not-so-subtle jab had worked though. I was very, very bothered. And I didn’t have the strength to contain this displeasure as it awakened my magick.
Daelon was back? Sincelast night?And not only did he not come and see me, he also managed to make time to agree to a date with his ex-whatever.So. Not. Cool.
My power begged to be used, and it took the last bit of my strength not to cause a natural disaster on my way out of consciousness. Instead, the candles around the room extinguished at the same time I did.
Taryn’s voice was the last thing I heard as she caught me. “She’s just, um… sleepy.”
When I opened my eyes, I was in my bed. Daelon was there, which put me instantly at ease. He held a glass of amber colored liquid that smelled like Irish whiskey. He was staring straight ahead as he sat against the headboard. His other hand rested over mine as it lay above the duvet.
“Daelon.”
Relief washed over his tight features. “Welcome back, little witch. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. Just wore myself out from a classic case of accidental manifesting.” I eyed him curiously as he chuckled. The smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re drinking.” That wasn’t something he did often, which made sense. He didn’t want to be out of control.
“Sometimes a little bit of numbness is necessary,” he said, and something about the tone of his voice made me swallow.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“I don’t know. Like I said in the gardens, it feels like I become someone else for a while when Lucius sends me away. I black out. My memory is blank,” he said, his eyes vacant.
I sat up, but the sudden movement sent blotches to my field of vision.
“Careful. You exhausted yourself.”
I frowned. “Come back to me.” I crawled into his lap, forcing him to look at me.
Something dark and painful reflected back, like a sliver of his energy had escaped through the vulnerable cracks of his shield. It left a bad taste in my mouth.
“I’m right here,” he said.
“You really don’t rememberanything?” I studied him carefully, but he wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“No, Áine, I don’t,” he snapped.
I recoiled, his tone triggering the most volatile waters of my psyche. I tried to move away, but he stopped me. He wanted me close to him, but not close enough to open up to me. This was all too familiar, like we were back at the beginning again. “What if I don’t believe you?”
The darkness grew stronger, hovering around us like dense smoke. His jaw tightened, and the look in his eyes was downright ruthless. “You think I would lie to you? After everything?”
“Aftereverything? Like the time you lied by omission for weeks on end only to revealafteryou’d shattered my heart andmy trustthat it was all okay because it was for the greater good?” The words tumbled out of my mouth, like a dam in my subconscious had crumbled.
“You haven’t forgiven me,” he said, and his features only softened for a moment before toughening back up again. “I don’t know what else I could possibly do to convince you. I’m doing everything I can and more. I let you see my most painful, repressed memory, one not even I have revisited more than twice now. I—I let you see past my shield, something I’ve never allowed anyone to do before. Ever.” His grip around my waist tightened. “Everything I do, I do for you.”
I let out a breath, brushing my hair behind my shoulders. “Then let me try to find the memories. If Lucius does in fact turn you into a robot for your missions, then I’m sure they’re buried in your mind somewhere,” I said. I put one of my hands over his, but he immediately jerked it back.
“No.” Everything about him went cold.
“Why on earth not?”
“I said no, Áine,” he spat, his voice icy. I recoiled once more.
All of the painful memories from his betrayal came rushing forward, like I was back in the dark, back in this bed watching him tell Lucius he only slept with me to gain intel, watching him walk away…
This time when I shifted off of him, he didn’t stop me. My body betrayed me, tears welling up as a lump formed in my throat. I had pushed this pain down, overrode it with my faith in a greater cause, my love for Daelon, and my hatred of Lucius. But it was still there, unhealed. It was the greatest pain I’d ever felt, save grief, and it refused to resolve so easily.
I pulled my knees to my chest. “Just go. I want to be alone.” My voice cracked, despite my best effort to stay level.
He snapped his head to look at me and then swallowed. “I won’t leave you like this.”
