Page 76 of Shadow Warrior
My chest tightened. “You have to stop him.”
“You think I haven’t tried? He won’t listen. He took the lashes from his father in silence. His back …” Her eyes filled with tears. “Have you any idea what pain it is to love someone who doesn’t love you back?” There was torment on her face. “To look into their eyes and hear the wordsI love youdrop from their lips but not see it in their gaze, to know that when they make love to you, their mind is on another.”
No, I didn’t, but, “Have you got any idea how painful it is to want someone and know they want you just as much but that for some dumb-ass reason you can’t be together? Have you any idea how fucking frustrating that shit is?”
She opened and closed her mouth a few times, lost for words.
I was so done with this. “Look, I can’t control what Hyde does or how he feels. I’m sorry for your pain, but if you want to stop hurting, walk away.”
She wiped at her eyes. “I don’t want your sympathy. I need your help. I need you to make him believe that there’s no longer any hope for the two of you. I want you to break his heart.”
Break his heart? Didn’t she realize our hearts were already broken? “No.”
“What?”
“I don’t play games with people’s emotions. I’ll speak to him, but I’m not going to hurt him any more than he’s already hurting.”
“Then he’ll die. Orion will kill him.”
My heart sank at her words. “I’ll convince him not to go through with his petition. Hyde’s many things, but I refuse to believe he’s suicidal.”
Her lips trembled, and then she nodded jerkily. “Good. Thank you. He’s at the Academy tonight but will be back tomorrow for the festivities. You can speak to him then.”
“Fine.”
I ducked outside into the fresh air with a weight on my chest like a fucking boulder. Hyde and I had skirted each other, come together, and pushed each other away for too long. I guess it was time to end things for real.
My heart hurt.
A shadow dashed across the grass, too far away to make out. Probably another cadet skulking about. Fuck this. I had a hot hunk of a male waiting to be fed.
I’d worry about speaking to Hyde after I’d kicked ass in the trials.
