Page 246 of Sorrow & Strangers

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I’ll be there.

Chapter One Hundred

Summer

Imanage to get through my last class, but instead of going home, I go straight to the forest. I pace in our clearing, trying to work out how to tell him. How could I have let this happen?

The magic shifts a few hours later, but I’m so lost in thought that I barely notice. The meadow is now shrouded in darkness, and the flowers have closed their petals for the night.

“Princess.”

I gasp and jump in surprise, spinning to face his large form looming at the mouth of the clearing.

“Did you not feel me arrive?” he asks, cocking his head.

“I . . . Fuck.”

Words, Summer, use them now.

He moves in closer and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, obviously feeling my anxiety.

“How are you?” I manage to spit out, but my voice is tight with tension.

“Interesting greeting,” he says, lifting an eyebrow.

I feel heat creeping up my cheeks, and I look away, but he pinches my chin and forces my eyes to meet his. Nervous energy dances through me, and I feel it fluttering wildly beneath my skin.

His fingers tighten on my chin, and I can feel his unease. “What’s happened?” he asks, cold danger frosting his voice.

“We’re friends, right?” I ask, barely breathing.

“Friends,” he grates out, the intensity around him swelling.

“Right.” I take a steadying breath. “Well, something happened, and I . . .” Fuck. “I need you to stay calm.”

His fingers tighten more on my chin, and it’s borderline painful. “What. Happened?” he asks, his words short and clipped.

I swallow down the bundle of nerves lodged in my throat. “Max. Well, he . . . We . . .” Fuck, fuck, fuck.

His other hand wraps around my arm, and he grips tight, pulling me against him. His rising fury lashes at my skin, making me tremble. “You what?” he asks through gritted teeth.

“He kissed me,” I say, my words barely a whisper.

His hand tightens around my arm, the bone aching. He’s going to break it. “You . . . kissed?” he asks, the venom in his voice sending terror through me, the pain of his grip splintering down my arm.

I whimper. “Stranger . . . I didn’t⁠—”

His snarl silences me. “You asked me to wait. You said you would too. You . . .” His chest heaves. “Lied.”

I shake my head, a warm tear tracking down my cheek. “No I didn’t. I didn’t kiss⁠—”

He yanks me against him, releasing my chin to grab my throat, his fingers digging in and starving me of oxygen. He’s going to kill me.

“I granted you patience, and you know how impossible it was for me to offer,” he snarls. “And still, I clearly mean nothing to you. Your words mean nothing,” he says, and suddenly, the pain in my arm, around my throat, is nothing compared to his pain.

“Stranger, please . . . You’re hurting me . . .” I croak out, spots sparkling in my vision.