Page 72 of A Kingdom of Shadows

I’m resting my head against the door when Darius appears at the other end, making his way over to me. My blood pumps through my veins, my heart racing at an intense speed that has me momentarily forget I wanted to confront him as I start heading in the opposite direction.

I feel his grip around my upper arm as he turns me toward him. A smile blooms on his lips, and I hate how my stomach flips over it.

"Where are you heading to that you're so eager to get there?"

"Somewhere as far away as I can from you," I mumble, agitated.

His low and penetrating chuckle soothes the slightest bit of anger in me. "You always know how to enamor me with your words, Goldie."

I glare at him without saying anything and yank my arm free.

His smile disappears, and any trace of flirtatious amusement is gone. "What's wrong?"

I shake my head, a light scoff emitting from my lips. "Do not worry about me, Darius. You finally got me at your mercy last night, and now you can have anyone you desire. Congratulations." I spin around, but he grabs my hand this time. My scowl meets his confused gaze.

"What are you—"

"Faye is a perfect match," I say calmly, disguising the hurt beneath my word. "Beautiful, a princess, immortal. She is better suited to you."

"Where is this coming from?"

From seeing you kiss her.

"Do you think I care about whether she is a princess or not?"

I drag in a slow breath. "I just think that you and I are a mistake."

That hits him like a punch to the stomach.

"Seriously?" he says, a frown stiffening his anger. "After everything that happened last night?"

I stay deadly silent.

He shakes his head, letting go of my hand. "You know what you are doing right now, Nara? It's not stubbornness. It's not you wanting to have pride in yourself; it's you fearing."

Irritation crackles within me and fires up the cruel mockery in my words. "You couldn't possibly be more wrong."

He huffs a laugh, his tongue darting to his cheek. "Really?"

I nod vehemently like that will prove anything.

He takes one step toward me, my eyes in line with his chest, before I drag them to his face. "I think you're afraid of anything going beyond what you felt last night."

A rush of annoyance courses through my veins, hot and painful. "I felt nothing. I never have."

He lets out an incredulous chuckle, shaking his head. "Have to stop lying to me, Goldie."

I lift my head in defiance even when I feel otherwise. "Then stop listening to my heartbeat."

"Solaris, look at yourself, Nara. You're still so quick to put up your defenses when any inconvenience comes your way that—"

"That what?" I stare at him right in the eye, my fists clenched at the side.

Our gaze holds for one, two, a thousand seconds, and then I watch as his jaw tightens, his darkened eyes turning a deep color of gold, and the frustration billowing out of him.

I'm the first to break our stare. "If anyone is lying here," I say quietly. "It is you after kissing Faye—"

"What?" He looks baffled. His head rears back as he frowns like I have told him the cruelest joke there is. "I never kissed Faye?"

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