“You could have died,” I whisper, my heart squeezing.
His hand stills, and he sighs. “And you could have, too. I keep putting you in harm’s way.”
I look up as I let go, walking around him to look up at him. “You don’t. I’m the one who puts you in danger.”
“Really, Sienna? I’m the one who took you to Oxford because I fucking believed I could keep you safe. Imagine if something happened to you.”
“It didn’t, though.”
“It could have. Your family has lost far more than they should have; they can’t lose you.”
I feel as if I’ve been slapped. He turns away as he picks up the pants and then turns back to me. He walks towards me, but instead of stopping, he brushes past me before removing his bedsheet and placing it on the bed.
I don’t turn as I hear the rustling as he puts them on, and then he’s walking back around to stand in front of me, tying the drawstrings of his white sweatpants.
“And they won’t lose me, we’ll just be more careful,” I say,fear settling into my stomach. He’s not pulling away from me, is he?
He nods. “Yeah…” He cups my face, wiping away my tears. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t… enough.”
I shake my head. “You were, don’t talk like that, Jayce, please. I’m just glad you’re ok. You were incredible. It reminded me of last year when Leo and Royce were sparring against Dante, just a much more violent version. Whoever he is, he’s not normal.”
“Hmm… and I’m supposedly the Deimos King… and I was beaten. Easily.”
I look up at the man I love, and this time I cup his face, my eyes blazing. “That fight was unfair, you tore up the entire road. You were incredible. I’m alive, Jayce, and so are you, and that’s all that should matter,” I whisper, my eyes stinging.
He nods, and I can’t read him, but the way he looks away, the glimmer of guilt remains.
“I wish I were able to help, too.”
“You did your best, too. The attack was too fast to even coordinate or work together. He was too fast, too strong…” He frowns before pressing his lips to my forehead. “We stick to the plan. I’ll talk to Ahren when I get the chance. This – us, stays between us here.”
“Your brothers know?”
“Yeah, but they won’t tell anyone. I’ll make sure Azura and Leo don’t bother you either.”
“I don’t want to hide, it’s my birthday in two days-”
“Everything about this is fucked up. I don’t think your family is going to appreciate that I put you in fucking danger-”
“You took me on a date! Does it matter what they think? Why do you care about their feelings and not mine?” I exclaim, my heart pounding. I’m so worried about him. I just want him to kiss me, and instead he’s worried about what my family will think!
“I promised to be yours… I’m not about to step out. I fucking care for you, Darling, but I also know how much your family means to you and what they’ve gone through. I love you, and I just want to do this right…” His eyes widen, my own heart thudding as his words echo in my mind.
I love you.
He said I love you.
Theories & Discussions
Jayce
Of all the ways to fuck up, this is my most careless slip-up, ever, and it probably held the most weight.
And it didn’t go missed; she clocked on. She’s staring at me wide-eyed, her heart thundering.
“I just meant I care-”
She places her fingers to my lips. “Don’t ruin it with denial,” she whispers. I wrap my hand around her wrist, kissing her fingertips before wrapping my arms around her and holding her close.
