Page 225 of Axis of Fire

Leaving me alone with the silence.

I looked around the familiar room.

But the familiar feeling was gone.

Only emptiness remained.

Chapter 22

“It’s easier for me to say I want you physically than admit what you really do to me.”

Airis looked at me with complete seriousness.

But there was something new in his eyes.

Something unfamiliar.

I didn’t know where we were.

I didn’t know how we’d ended up here.

But somehow...

It no longer seemed important.

“So... you like me?” I asked, feeling the air between us tighten until it seemed smoke might appear at any moment.

Airis took a slow step toward me.

There was resistance in every movement.

As though one part of him longed for closeness while the other kept building walls.

“You want me to say it out loud, Fireling?”

A crooked smile tugged at his lips.

“So this is your little revenge?”

The smile was confident.

Almost cocky.

But his eyes betrayed him.

And so did his hands.

A barely noticeable tremor.

As though he were afraid.

I took a step toward him.

It felt like stepping off the edge of a cliff.

But for some reason...

I wanted him to understand the risk was worth taking.