Page 28 of Heir of Fire
It was creepy, no doubt, but there was also something serene about it.
A perfect place to die, it seemed.
He cut off the bike, and the moment he did, Gianna leapt off. She took off the helmet, holding it in front of her like some sort of weapon.
“Why did you bring me here?” she asked, her voice strong despite how scared she was.
He stared at her for a moment, not making a single sound. She couldn’t even see his face to see what he was thinking. He was like a shell of a person, devoid of everything for that one moment.
Until he let out a loud laugh that had him throwing his head back.
She frowned, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.
What the hell was so funny?
“Do you really think that helmet could do something to me?” he asked, getting off the bike.
“Come here so we can find out,” she told him. “Now, answer my question. Why did you bring me here?”
He shook his head, taking off his helmet and setting it on the seat. “Why do you think I brought you here?”
“I don’t know. To kill me?”
“Wow. If you had that much intuition while you were walking alone on campus, you probably wouldn’t have gotten kidnapped.”
Gianna threw the helmet at him, but he caught it with ease. “That’s not funny.”
“Neither is the wild shit you come up with in that pretty little head of yours.” He put the other helmet on the seat as well, crossing his arms as he looked at her. “If you’re finished with your little freakout, I’d like to have a chance to talk.”
Her shoulders fell. “Talk? About what?”
Finn didn’t say anything. He just started walking towards the dock, forcing her to follow him. The old wood creaked and groaned under them as they walked, and there were missing parts that showed the dark water underneath, but he seemed to know exactly where to step. It was like he had been there before.
He got to the very end of the dock, taking a seat at the edge and letting his legs dangle. Gianna looked at him suspiciously, wondering if he would push her in and hold her down if she took a seat too.
“You’re safe to sit,” he finally said, letting her mind rest.
She did, keeping a good amount of distance between them. It was so silent. Usually the silence scared her, left her feelingcompletely alone and sent her mind whirling. But for some reason, sitting here in this silence, she felt relaxed. Other than the occasional owl and Finn’s breathing, there was nothing else out there.
“Finn, why are we here? It’s late, I’m hungry, and to be honest, I’m really not in the mood for whatever game you’re trying to play.”
She turned to look at him, but his dark brown eyes were already staring at her. His gaze was too intense; it made her want to look away, but she forced herself to stare back. In situations with guys, she was the one who held the upper hand, who played them like puppets and had them falling on their knees for her. Not him. He played her and she hated it.
But it wasn’t in the same way Raphael—the dumbass—had broken her heart out of his own selfishness and desire for being an asshole. Finn played the gamewithher. He matched her moves before she even realized it.
“I wanted to know if you were still going on that date tomorrow.”
Immediately the same walls she had up earlier were back.
“Why?”
“Just asking. Now that we’re friends and all.”
“We’re not friends.”
“Since when?”
“Since always.”
