Page 73 of Between Earth and Eternity
I hold my breath and wait until their footsteps fade, each going in opposite directions. I have to slink around the tree carefully to avoid one of them discovering me as he walks my way. The conversation circles in my mind, and I wonder several times if what I heard was real and not just something I made up in my head. My hands and legs shake, and I slide down the trunk to sitagainst it. I squeeze my hands into fists to try to calm myself, but it doesn’t help in the slightest.
“What the hell?” I whisper to myself.
I need answersnow, and the only way to get them is to go straight to the source.
It takes a couple of hours of controlled patience, but eventually, Vallen returns to the library, just as I suspected he would. I catch him disappearing behind a bookshelf from where I sit in my nook, and when I find him, his back is to me while he leans his shoulder against the shelf, head bowed, deep in a book. I don’t approach him gingerly, in fact, I make it a point to show him I’m upset. When he hears my stomping, he turns.
“What did I do now, Skyler?” he asks smoothly, not even looking up from his book, like he was expecting me. And maybe he was. His hair is slightly damp, like he just showered, and it only intensifies his scent that is mixed with the leather of the jacket he wears. He’s in all black, as if he wanted to look more intimidating than he already does on a daily basis.
“I heard you talking to Payson,” I say. His hand stills for a moment before placing the book back onto the shelf. “I heard what you said,” I add.
He finally looks at me, and the impact of his full attention threatens to knock me over. “And what exactly did you hear?”
“You told him to stay away from me.”
He cocks his head, like he’s amused.
“Why?”
“Believe it or not, I do have more important things to attend to than who you choose to date.” He picks up another book, skimming it like I’m boring him.
“Then why did you?”
“How are you so sure it was me talking to him?” He flips the pages absentmindedly.
“Because I’m not stupid.”
He flips another page, completely uninterested. I grab the book out of his hand, slamming it onto the ground. I’m done with these games.
“Why were you talking to him? How do you even know him? What are you two working on together?” The questions spill out of me in a rush, the floodgates now open, and I don’t know how to shut them again.
He sighs heavily, bending to pick up the book, and when he rises, he takes a step closer. “Don’t ask me complicated questions, honey. I’m not in the mood today.”
“‘Why?’ ‘How?’ ‘What?’ Those are the simplest questions in the world.” I fold my arms over my chest.
“Sometimes, questions are simple but the answers are much more complex and dangerous,” he replies casually, as if quoting it from something he read.
“Enough!” I shout.
Vallen immediately grabs my wrist and pushes me against the shelf. I gasp at the roughness of it, the force behind it. “Keep your voice down.” He fumes, his hazel eyes seemingly aflame in rage. He keeps his grasp tight.
It’s clear he won’t answer all my questions, but I’m not letting him leave until he answers at least one.
“Why did you tell Payson to stay away from me?” I ask calmly. My delivery surprises me because my heart is galloping like a racehorse in my chest.
He pushes his tongue into his bottom lip, and I can see the back and forth in his eyes, probably contemplating if he should simply walk away or indulge me. He goes for the latter.
“What if I told you I wanted to tear his limbs off for touching you?” I gulp, and his eyes flash to my throat before he goes on. “What would you say then?” he asks.
I want to ask,who do you think you are?but that seems too cliche and pointless.
“Stop doing that,” I bite back instead, shaking his hand from my wrist. “Whatever ploy you are trying to use to distract me from what is really going on, it’s not going to work. And even if I did believe you, it’s none of your damn business what I do or who I do it with.”
He says nothing, just continues to stare at me, and that only fuels my anger, lighting a match.
“The last thing I need is for you to get involved with who I choose to spend time with on this ship. You’ve done enough.”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot. I’ve ruined your life. My apologies.” His voice is laced with venom, sarcastic and cruel. “Trust me, you’ve made that perfectly clear multiple times now.”
