Page 85 of Wild Fury (Fallen Royals 6)

“What?”

“You can’t sleep. Or… I think I’m supposed to wake you up. Or else you could forget everything.”

I sigh and look over at her. “Are you going to pester me all night, then?”

She grins. “We could make it interesting.”

I sit up, intrigued. “Go on.”

“A game of truth.”

I roll my eyes, wincing at the resounding ache in my head. “Are we in middle school? At least make it interesting.”

“Truth or dare, then,” she says.

She comes over and sits in the corner seat of the couch, crossing her legs. She pulls a blanket over her lap.

“Okay, fine.” I’m going to regret this, but… it would be a good distraction. “I’ll go first.”

Lux grimaces. “Fine.”

“Truth or dare?” I prompt.

She’s annoyed already. “Truth.”

I contemplate what I want to ask her. It’s hard to narrow it down—I realize I want to know everything. In this moment, I’d crawl inside her brain if she’d let me. I’ve never felt that curiosity before. I always thought I knew her, after all. But something tells me there’s a whole other side to her that’s foreign territory.

“What are you afraid of?” I ask. “Right this moment.”

She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear and reaches for the water. A sign of weakness already? It wasn’t even a hard question.

“Right this moment, I’m afraid of you getting amnesia and forgetting me.”

I pause.

She clears her throat. “Truth or dare?”

The thought of Lux getting into my head—that’s a no. “Dare.”

Her eyes widen, and her lips part. She’s surprised. Maybe she thought I should pick truth—it might be, in her eyes, the safe bet.

“What does the winner get?” she asks, rising on her knees.

I narrow my eyes. “You can lose at truth or dare?”

“If you refuse to do it, you can.” She smirks. “Afraid?”

There’s not much I’m afraid of. The very idea is ridiculous—and that must be her point. I twist in my seat to face her fully. We haven’t ever spent time like this. Calmly. Together. She’s only here because she might feel duty-bound.

“Name your price,” I say. “If I win, you show me your portfolio.”

Her mouth drops open. “What? No!”

“I want to see it.” I throw her smirk back in her face. “Unless you’re afraid…?”

That gets her. “I’m not.” Her jaw works as she tries to think of something. “If I win, I get your car.”

I scoff. “No.”

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