Fuck. I wish I was like Temperance. Have that feral kind of fire. That spine made of steel. I wish I knew how to scorch the earth the way she did. What she did to Bones — damn! I gobbled every word when she told me their story. Instead, I’m shaking and furious and praying I don’t crumble under the weight of this man’s gaze.
I square my shoulders. Snap my spine straight. I refuse to go down like this.
“Yes, you will,” I hiss. “By everything that’s holy, I will be free of you in every goddamn way.”
A beat.
“Today,” I scream the word, and stomp my foot like a petulant child. Like the fury inside me has nowhere else to go except into the floor.
Silence answers back. Thick. Suffocating. Crawling with everything unspoken.
He steps forward. I step back. Instinct. Muscle memory. We dance this dance until I hit the wall and he hits me with his towering, all-consuming presence.
His hand plants next to my head, his body close enough that his heat burns my skin. My breath comes out in shallow bursts.
This isn’t how I wanted this to go. His closeness always fucked with my head.Think, Adora, think!
He leans in, his mouth brushing the space just above mine. His eyes locked on me.
“No,” he breathes, and it’s not just defiance. It’s a vow.
My body jolts with rage. I move to knee him in the balls as hard as I can, but he’s faster, and traps my leg between his own. I sway, off-balance, and his hand snaps to my waist, steadying me. Like he still gets to do that.
I want to scream my lungs out. Instead, I glare up at him. Eyes wild. Throat burning with every insult I want to throw in his face.
He smiles. This time, a real one. Brief. Wicked. And then he touches me. Fingers on my jaw. Thumb sliding over my lips, silencing all the curse words trying to fight their way out of me.
“I won’t give you a divorce, Adora,” he says, voice low. His gaze darkens and his smile vanishes. “Not until I know you’re safe.”
I freeze, my brain stunned stupid by his sheer insolence.
“What the hell kind of bullshit is that?” My words are muffled against his thumb. “That’s a stupid excuse.”
I snap my teeth at his thumb like a childish, feral creature. He drops his hand, chuckling. But the sound is hollow.
“Maybe.” He shrugs a shoulder. Casual.
I slam both hands into his chest and shove him as hard as I can. He lets me. Steps back and gives me the space I need to finally think.
My heart’s racing. My head’s spinning. The fact that, after everything, he can still make me react — lose my cool — doesn’t bode well for me. I feel the urge to run and hide behind Ria’s skirt. And to also throw a brick at his head.
He looks away. Takes a breath. Then meets my eyes again, jaw tight.
“Your safety comes first,” he says. “We’ll talk paperwork after the snake freaks are handled.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I spit. “The papers are done. You just have to sign.”
“I don’t sign anything I haven’t read. Thoroughly. My lawyer will take a look. Advise me and shit,” he shrugs.
I gape at him, at the audacity coming from his mouth.
“I’m not asking for anything, Ghost. Not a dime. Not a thing. Just my fucking freedom.”
He stares me down. Lets the silence play with my already frayed patience.
“My decision stands,” he declares, tone final. Like that’s it. Like I have no choice but to accept it.
Fuck this. Fuck. This. I start pacing. Fast. Back and forth like a caged animal. My skin’s on fire. My blood’s boiling.
