Page 175 of Axis of Fire

Silence followed.

But it wasn't uncomfortable.

It felt like the quiet exhale after a wave finally breaks against the shore.

My gaze met Airis's.

For a moment, neither of us looked away.

And suddenly the sound of the sea seemed very far away.

Then he spoke.

“I'm not sorry.”

His voice was calm.

Certain.

Unwavering.

“I know.”

The answer escaped before I could stop it.

And somehow that hurt more than if he'd apologized.

“Nothing in my life was ever simply given to me,” Airis continued.

“Trust included.”

Those words should have made my heart race.

Should have sent butterflies spiraling through my stomach.

Instead, something painfully close to sadness settled in my chest.

Because for the first time, I realized he wasn't asking me to trust him.

He was asking me to believe he'd eventually earn it.

“I don't—”

The words died in my throat.

A dark-blue Audi appeared in the distance.

Instantly, every muscle in my body tightened.

The car was heading toward the others.

Cold rushed beneath my skin.

“Damn it.”

I was on my feet before I even realized I'd moved.

Airis rose a second later.