Page 11 of The Stone Secret
“So what changed? How come he went back on his word to your mother?”
“I didn’t give him a choice. Look, Cam, up until now, I didn’t care either way, but when you left…” His throat bobbed. “I knew I had to be a part of this world. That I had to be with you.” His voice cracked with emotion, and guilt crushed my lungs.
He’d come here for me. He’d left his life behind and convinced his sire to get him a position here so he could be with me. The Levi I knew prized his independence, his freedom. He reveled in the hunt, in getting his hands dirty, but…but he’d given it up for me. He loved me…truly loved me, and I…
I hated myself.
My eyes heated with the threat of tears, but I blinked them back, pushing out the words that needed to be said. “Levi, I’m sorry, but it’s over. You and I are over. I’m with Curi now. I’m happy. You should…You should go back to your life.”
He studied me for several beats, his sea-green gaze intense and probing. “Thisismy life now, Cam. I’m not going anywhere, and if you’re determined to take this elite trial, then I’m going to make sure you have the strongest shields imaginable.”
My throat pinched because fuck him for being so amazing. Maybe I could trust him. Maybe—
“But I still think you need to reconsider. I can speak to my father and—”
“No. If you do that, I’ll never speak to you again.”
He blinked sharply. “I’m trying to help you.”
“And you can do that in your classes. Other than that, I’m fine. I’ve made friends and found my place here.”
“You mean you found Curi.”
There it was—the bitter edge of jealousy. “Yes. I have. Now if you’ll excuse me, I don’t want to keep him waiting any longer.”
I headed for the door.
“I’m not a fool, Cam,” Levi said to my back. “Like I said, I know you. I know when you’re hiding something.”
“Yet you didn’t know I was hiding what I was.”
“No, but I knew you were hiding something.”
I hurried out of the door and down the corridor, his words ringing in my ears because yes, he’d suspected I was hiding something. He’d probed for information enough times.
Hiding my connection to Serath from him was going to be harder than expected.
All I could do was hope it didn’t prove impossible.
CHAPTER5
Curi had waited for me in the foyer. It was strange to see him hanging with my friends. We hurried outside, away from all the other goyles.
“Oh. My. God,” Ginia said. “An instructor? And he’s gorgeous.”
“If you swoon, I’ll slap you,” Palia said.
My heart rate slowed from its pounding pace of fight or flight. “I didn’t know he was an instructor.”
“Did he buy it?” Touron asked.
“He thinks I’m hiding something.”
“Dammit,” Sharniza said. She fixed a glare on Curi. “You need to play the part better.”
Curi gave her a filthy look. “What do you want me to do? Stick my tongue down her throat in front of him?”
“If that’s what it takes,” Shar said.
