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She brings me to a bedroom in Vance’s place and closes the door behind us, leaning against it and closing her eyes. I watch in silence, waiting for her to tell me what she’ll do next, knowing her next move is going to be dangerous. Not that she would listen to me…so I wait.
“We have to go get him,” she says quietly.
“We can’t.”
Her eyes meet mine, blazing with that strange purple-blue color. It’s like the hottest flame imaginable, the kind that would burn you if you got too close.
“We will,” she says, her voice steady.
I sigh and sit down on the bed, scrubbing my hand over my head. I normally keep it shaved, but my hair has grown out, and I tug at the short locks like a reminder of how hard it’s been to go on the run.
“Heat’s on in the city, Star,” I say. “We need to—“
“Don’t call me that.”
I frown. “What?”
“Star,” she whispers. “It’s not my name.”
I get up, my hands finding her shoulders. Something is wrong—I can tell, because we’re mated, because I can practically feel her emotions like my own—but she won’t tell me what.
“I’m sorry, Aisling,” I murmur. “It’s just…force of habit, ya know?”
“I know,” she says with a deep exhale. She reaches up to squeeze one of my hands. “It’s been getting harder to hear is all. Because…”
I frown, sifting through what she could potentially mean. “Aisling,” I say quietly. “Did you get your memories back?”
She goes quiet, still…then she nods.
My eyes widen.
“All of them?”
She nods again. “They’ve been coming back in bits and pieces, but I couldn’t make sense of it all. Then, after we got here and settled in, it clicked. I broke the code. I know who I am.”
“And will you tell me?”
She presses her lips together in a grimace, then shakes her head. “No. Because this knowledge could get Gunnar out.”
“You’re planning something and it’s scaring the hell out of me,” I mutter.
“I have to do this.”
“Stop.”
“You can’t stop me, Oberon,” she says, turning to find the doorknob.
I catch her wrist. “I can…and I will.”
She jerks her head up to lock eyes with me, and I’m suddenly made acutely aware of just how close we are—her breath against my cheek, her long blonde hair falling in waves of silver-gold over her shoulders. I can smell her so strongly now: desperation, despair…
…and desire.
Even in this darkest moment, we want each other.
And suddenly, I want her so bad I can’t breathe.
Aisling’s eyes hold mine, a mixture of determination and vulnerability swirling in their depths. I can feel the weight of her resolve, but also the trembling fear just beneath the surface. For a moment, time seems to stand still as we stand locked in this silent battle of wills.
