Angling my body to him, I take a single step away. As my brows furrow, I can see the hurt in his hazel eyes.
No…
“Even if you were a bitch, Xeraphine, I always considered you a friend.”
I don’t even know why I’m shaking my head. I’m not even sure what his disloyalty to me is yet. It doesn’t subdue the pain that is scratching at my heart. This is why—this is fucking why—I am always so guarded.
Lies.
So many lies.
Now, all the truths that are coming to light, are just as deadly if not even more so. All their deadly truths, ready to silence me for becoming vulnerable.
“He chose family.” The deep voice rolls like a thunderstorm, sending a tremble down my spine, but it doesn’t pull my gaze from Tyson.
His frown deepens. “You knew I’d do everything for them.”
“Tell me.” I hate that my voice betrays my strong façade.
“You always said I shouldn’t have survived that drive-by shooting, the one that took my family from me.” Heat builds behind my eyes, needlesof pain prickling my cheeks as I suck in a sharp breath through my nose. I never believed in miracles—but his survival made me question if they were real. “You could say, I made a deal with Belial.”
“Why?” I choke on air. “You could have been with your family!”
He drops his chin, finally looking away from me, and all I see isshame. “My son, he wouldn’t have traversed to the Vayl with the rest of them. He was bound to fall to the Beyond with me…”
I take another step back, my back pressing against the wall of books, rattling the trinkets. Tears blur my vision. I’m not ready to lose the memory of Tyson, not like this.
“I’m set in my fate, but my son deserved better. You knew him. He?—”
“What did you promise in return?” I don’t give a fuck about his sob story.
He sighs, flicking his sights over toward the chair and exactly where the voice had come from only moments ago. “To keep an eye on you, and send updates?—”
“You…” My hands shake. “You… We tried to be together once. Oh my Gods—was that… didhetell you to do that?!”
It’s as if he’s hoping for support in this conversation, his eyes narrowing toward what I’m assuming is Belial.
His pause makes me shout, “Did he order you to get close inthat waywith me?! To fuck me?”
“Yes.”
My jaw clenches. “What the fuck…”
“That is enough.” The leather squeaks asHespeaks again.
“Xeraphine, please, just?—”
“Fuck you, Tyson.” I haven’t blinked, afraid that the tears I’m keeping sheltered will betray my strength. Anger, pain, sorrow—it all feels the same. There is no distinguishing between them. “You knew how hard it was for me to trust, how difficult it was to feel…”
My eyes widen as flashes of our time together play like a movie reel, breaking apart and disintegrating into something that is no longer reality.
“Why do you think I moved with you everywhere you went, including Sidence?” He must see the fracture in my expression, his hands coming up in defense as he takes a single step in my direction. “We were just friends… You didn’t think it was strange I stayed with you after I got my revenge?”
“That I helped you get!”
“And I helped lead you in the right direction foryourrevenge. I wasn’t told why I had to do what I was doing, but I didn’t care. He said it was tokeep you safe, and so I did what was asked for myfamily.”
“But… you took me to Tali that day. You knew?—”
