Total pages in book: 208
Estimated words: 207002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1035(@200wpm)___ 828(@250wpm)___ 690(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 207002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1035(@200wpm)___ 828(@250wpm)___ 690(@300wpm)
A cry caught in my throat as I recalled how he’d looked. How his gorgeously handsome face had shattered. How his knees had buckled. How he’d fallen at my feet with crystal tears spilling over his dark lashes as he kissed my feet and wrists.
As quickly as his despair had killed him, demon-lashing fury had resurrected him. The power billowing off him as he stood and asked who did it. The way his black eyes glowed with coal-fire. The way his lips had thinned with war and the tears on his cheeks glittered like battle paint.
He’d made my stomach swoop and stumble. Made my heart crack and crumble. And my soul bowed at his feet, just like he’d bowed at mine, curling into a safe little ball, knowing that he’d always protect me, avenge me, and tear apart every monster in the world for me.
“He—”
Hurt for me.
Likely killed for me.
I couldn’t tell him what Aslan had done. I couldn’t give my dad peace by sharing the bloodbath that Aslan had delivered. All I could say was a simple, “He saved me, Dad.”
“But that wasn’t his duty to do, Nerida.” Dad grimaced. “It was mine.”
Temper dried up my tears. “You made it his duty the day you assigned him as my bodyguard when I was fourteen. The day he brought me back to life with CPR was the day you put my life in his hands. You made him shadow my every move. You made him responsible for my well-being. And he obeyed you with every cell in his body. He’s been my guardian angel ever since that day, and everything you know about him—every honourable, sweet, and noble part of him—is real. The only thing you don’t know is, he’s loved me like I was his instead of his responsibility. So don’t you dare get angry with him for protecting me when you gave me to him years ago.”
Dad’s mouth hung open, his wet eyes wide.
Using his stunned silence, I added, “He was going to tell you today. About us, I mean. He’s been planning it for weeks. He wanted it to be just right, so you’d accept him like the son you always proclaim he is. He wanted to prove to you that this is real. This isn’t a fling. It isn’t a stupid crush or teenage lust. He loves me, Dad. He loves me enough to—”
I cut myself off.
Silence was sharp after my outburst.
Finally, Mum asked softly, watching me in the rear-view mirror. “Loves you enough to what?”
Torture and kill for me.
Licking my lips, I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is—”
“I knew he was in love with you,” Dad muttered, wrenching my eyes to him.
“Wait...you did?” My mouth fell open.
He chuckled sadly. “I only figured it out recently, but...you’d have to be blind not to see the way he looks at you. Then again, I’ve been blind for years, so what do I know? All I know is, his heart beats for you and only you. Good God, Neri, he worships the very ground you walk on.”
“So...what’s the problem then?” I shrugged. “If you knew—”
“I knew he was in love with you. But I didn’t know he’d done anything about it. I trusted him not to do anything about it. You practically grew up together. He knew his place—”
“Knew his place?” I bared my teeth. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means...he knows how fragile his existence is here, and I figured he wouldn’t risk it by giving in to temptation. But then I saw him on top of you with his pants undone and his mouth on yours, and...I lost it. I figured all that longing coupled with the beer he’d drunk had made him do something unforgivable. In turn...I did something unforgivable.”
I didn’t know what to say.
Dad reached across and grabbed my hand, squeezing it when I went to pull away. “If it’s true that he didn’t hurt you, Neri. That he’s never hurt you in the past six years he’s lived with us, then...I owe him the biggest apology. You’re right that I forced the closeness to build between you. I asked too much of him to watch over you the way I did. If I’d seen what’s so obvious now, I never would’ve done it. But it’s too late for that.”
“When...” I swallowed hard. “When did you know he loved me?”
“The day you flinched from me. A couple of weeks ago when I tossed you in the pool.” He hung his head, tracing his thumb over my knuckles. “It broke my heart. I didn’t know why you acted as if I’d terrified you. Of course, it all makes sense now, but...at the time, I couldn’t understand why you wouldn’t play like usual. And when I looked at Aslan standing by the pool edge, it was as if he knew how sad I was. He mirrored my pain and looked away. His eyes landed on you stepping out of the water, and I swear...all the pain I felt was a thousand times worse for him. He acted as if you’d just cut out his heart and set it on fire, adding a bucket of gasoline to make it burn faster.”