Page 14 of Wild Fury (Fallen Royals 6)

He glances at me, his eyebrows arched. “They thought you’d quit before you made it to a real school.”

“Yep.”

“Well, that’s bullshit. You’re the most stubborn person I know.”

I smile. “Aw, thanks, Theo.”

He grimaces.

“Did you hear the body was burned?” I turn up the heat, sinking deeper into my sweatshirt. “Which just seems weird.”

“I did it.”

I pause. “You what?”

He shrugs. “Yeah, I had to see for myself. And then I just…”

“Theo Alistair, you burned a body for me.” I don’t know if I should be happy or upset about this turn of events. But really, who else could it have been? It wasn’t like the body just spontaneously combusted. “Like, you went full mental. That’s hot.”

I keep a straight face as long as I can.

He glances at me, lips twitching.

It only gets funnier, really. That’s hot. A giggle slips loose, and the dam breaks. I roar with laughter. I can’t breathe, I’m wheezing too hard. I have had some foot-in-mouth moments in my life, but that’s probably the one that takes the cake.

“Are you done?” he snaps.

I raise my finger. “No, give me a minute.” I wipe the tears from my eyes and take a deep breath. “Wow, that felt good. How did you know I needed that?”

His gaze shoots to my face, then back to the road. “Needed what? Rescuing? You seem incapable of doing it yourself.”

“Ugh, I did just fine in that regard. Way to kill the mood.”

His lips twitch again. I don’t think he can decide on whether to give in to his amusement or fester. God, I love puns.

“Theo.” I sit up suddenly. “Why did you do it?”

I know why. I’m pretty sure my obsession runs deep enough that I wouldn’t stop with one person—I’d burn down the whole world if they came between us. But I need to hear the words on his lips more than I’ve ever needed anything.

More than air.

He just witnessed my parents choose to save themselves over me. He saw me at my lowest in high school. He knows me more than I’ve ever let anyone else know me, and it still isn’t enough. It doesn’t stop my mind from racing toward a cliff.

“Lux.”

I bite my lip.

His jaw tics. “He tried to hurt you.”

“Yeah…” But I killed him. What Theo did was just… overkill.

He doesn’t say anything else. His expression turns dark, and I have to wonder what sort of demons he’s battling now. I’ve been trying to pull them out for ages, but he has better self-control than I do.

I sigh. “Okay. You win. I’ll stop asking.”

Now he smiles.

Bastard.

---