“What are you then?” I asked.
“Grateful.” The rasp of his voice sent a shiver down my back. “So damned grateful you forced me out of the dark pit I wallowed in for years. I swear, when you look at me, I think the only scars you see are the ones on the inside that haven’t started healing until now…until you.”
“Bowen—”
“Grateful your pain has made you into the bravest woman I’ve ever known. The only one who would have traded places with her father, who hasn’t given up on her brother, and the only one who picks up a sword when she’s angry instead of running away. If you can move on and find a purpose despite your past, then so can I. You’ve shown me how.”
Another tear escaped, and this time, Bowen carefully brushed it away. The anger drained from my body. I could keep fighting, push him away with words and the tip of my blade, but it wouldn’t do any good.
Humbled by his confession, I felt my chin wobble, and I cleared the tightness from my throat. My blade lowered to the floor. “You know, I don’t think I would have killed you.”
First came his relief, then the rumble of laughter. “I’m glad to hear it.”
“But what you did hurt me. It hurt my family. I shared everything with you, and you kept secrets.”
“I am sorry for that, and it’s something I wouldn’t do again. I was selfish and blind to anything outside of getting my revenge.” He rested his hand on my waist, drawing me closer. “Liana, about tonight… I know you helped the oracle, and I know the Grimm’s blade was fake.”
The weapon in my hand clattered to the floor. I squeezed my numb fingers into a fist, suddenly feeling like a hypocrite. I’d justified my actions tonight by thinking I knew what was best for him, but really, hadn’t I stolen his control? Were my actions any less of a deception than his?
I staggered back a step, putting a safe distance between us while I tried to come up with the words to explain myself. Maybe I shouldn’t have dropped my blade. My gaze shifted to the saber at his feet and then back to his face. His brow arched, easily reading my thoughts.
“I couldn’t let you go through with it.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because Argus needed the Grimm’s blade to help his sister, and I made that dagger to stop evil. I couldn’t let it be destroyed.”
“I see. Very noble. I would expect nothing less.” He stepped over my saber, still holding his, and forced me to retreat another step. “Is that the only reason?”
“No.” My spine straightened, and I held my ground until he was so close I could feel the heat from his body. “Mostly, I was afraid one day, you’d wake up and hate yourself for what you did. I was terrified your revenge would cause further retaliation.” Slowly, I reached out, past the blade between us, and rested my palm against his cheek. “It broke my heart to think you might always define yourself by your lowest moment. Because the loss of your reputation and the pain from your scars were meant to break you, and maybe they did for a little while, but I don’t believe that’s still the case. When I look at you, I don’t see a broken man.”
“What do you see?”
“A talented artist who finds so much beauty in the world around him and somehow captures it on paper. A man who takes in a friend when they’re at their most self-destructive.”
“Gavin showed up and won’t leave. It’s not what you think.”
“It is what I think. Don’t lessen it. You opened your home to an orphan and took on my burden with no questions asked. I’m not going to let you continue hiding behind these walls, thinking your best days are behind you. Because they’re not.”
“They’re not, huh?”
“No. And if you kick me out, I’ll just come back. You think Gavin’s a pest? He’s got nothing on me. I’ll throw out all your stuff—”
“You already did that. You’re costing me a fortune in new tools.”
I choked on a laugh. “Good. Then I’ll go back to tearing down every last curtain. I know I missed a few. You’ll never have any peace and quiet.”
He dropped his weapon, and his fingers slid through my hair. “I haven’t had peace and quiet for weeks.”
“Get used to it.”
I closed my eyes as his mouth found mine. Liquid heat pooled in my veins as he slanted his head to deepen the kiss. He circled his arms around me, pressing me close. If this was my punishment, I’d take it and then some.
He broke away only long enough to take in a breath—air I desperately needed myself—but the momentary loss made me rock forward, searching for him again. A seductive laugh rumbled in his throat, and he framed his hands against my face, kissing my jawline and trailing lower, sliding down the column of my neck.
“We’re a mess,” I said, tilting my head as his mouth tickled the shell of my ear.
“A total mess,” he groaned, walking me backward until I bumped a display case.
