Page 81 of That Sik Luv

He brings my wrist to his mouth, eyeing the small cuts from the roped restraints. My heart rate surges as I contemplate voicing the things I’m feeling. His tongue darts out of his mouth as he licks the cuts before kissing them gently. Healing his harm. My heart swells further.

“You must know,” I begin shyly, looking up at him. “I think I’m in—I mean, I know I’m in lo—“

“Don’t,” he interrupts sternly, sitting up onto his elbow abruptly. “Don’t you ever say that to me.”

My eyebrows lower and my heart pinches in my chest.

“Don’t tell me you love me because I’ll never say it back to you,” he says in a cold, lifeless tone. One void of the very emotion I’m emitting.

My bottom lip trembles and his eyes are drawn to it. His hand reaches out and his thumb gently trails along it. His lips part, but for a moment, nothing comes out. It’s as if he’s heard the echoes of the complete shatter happening within the confines of my chest.

“What we have together isn’t definable by a word created by another man. No combination of letters or formulated language can encompass the magnitude of our tragedies. Our pain. Our euphoria.” His eyes find mine, searching deep through me as his fingers softly stroke my hair behind my ear. “Love is beneath us,” he states confidently.

I swallow, the tears spilling over my lashes at probably the most perfect answer from a man who loves in his own undefinable way.Love is beneath us.

Lifting my hand, I carefully stroke my fingertips over the deep-seated scar that tears through his devastatingly handsome face. He’s still working on letting me touch him. Hitting him, cutting him, knocking my skull into his...that’s affection he can bear. But the gentle touch of a caring caress is still owned by the demons we seek to avenge.

“I do have a question for you, though,” he says through gritted teeth. “It’s been weighing on me all afternoon.”

I drop my hand, his face immediately softening as he sucks in a breath, letting me know he was holding it the entire time. It kills me he has to work that hard to allow my hands on him. He’s trying, and I hate it. I don’t want him to have to try to be comfortable with my embrace. If he’d rather I slap him, then I’d gladly do it. I don’t want to change him, I just want to love him, however he’ll allow.

“What’s the question?”

His brows lower, and his eyes narrow, contemplating. “Who was it you pictured when you hesitated at the last strike during today’s training?”

I stall for a moment, peering down before gaining the courage to find his gaze again. “Saint.”

He stares at me for a moment, wearing his anger proudly.

“I don’t know how many more times you need me to explain it to you. He was the one who counted the books wrong for class, Briony. He knew you’d need to visit that closet where his friend was waiting to end you. Watch his face, remember? They set you up.” He scratches the top of his hair, visibly frustrated as his nostrils flare at the memory. “The brick. Did he ever tell you what was on that brick I threw through the windshield?”

I shake my head, remembering how Saint looked at it. He was terrified, as if he’d read something horrifying.

“He told me nothing was on it. That it was just some kids messing around…”

“Exactly. It was all a fucking lie,” he declares. “Saint was never on your side.”

It still haunts me; the way I let him in. Saint is the most manipulative liar there is. While the others eagerly showcased their hatred, Saint brought me closer. He kept me under a watchful eye by faking his interest in me. We were never meant to form an alliance. He just wanted a chance to prove himself as a loyal member of the despicable society that keeps their own on top.

“It’s not that,” I reply, as Aero combs through my hair with his fingers again, listening intently. “I know now that he wasn’t the person I thought he was. But...”

I don’t know how to say what I’m thinking without showing the lack of remorse I feel. Does it make me a monster? No. Just a woman seeking the worst kind of revenge.

“What is it, Briony?” Aero asks directly, needing me to continue.

“I feel like death isn’t something he deserves.”

His face hardens as I continue.

“I want him to suffer. To burn. From the inside out.”

Aero listens intently, his face shifting into that one that makes me weak and makes my little heart flutter like a moth to the dying light. The look of admiration. The look of a proud protector on his knees before his throned queen addressing her kingdom. He’s watching my growth. My evolution of strength before him. The bud has opened and I’m finally ready to bloom.

“I want to ruin him as he lives.”

He leans forward, his tongue slipping through his mouth, licking the words from my lips.

“Tell me more,” he hums, before licking across my lips again.

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