Page 434 of Axis of Fire

"I've made friends."

"Rosalie only has you."

"And I don't want to take that away from her."

He didn't say anything.

The emptiness in his eyes almost found the key to my heart.

Almost.

But I'd already made my choice.

I believed in real love.

Honest love.

The kind that chooses you just as completely as you choose it.

Whatever existed between Tarven and me...

I could've mistaken it for something I desperately wanted it to be.

But I wasn't going to make that mistake anymore.

"Tarven?"

An unwanted tenderness softened my voice.

The silence had stretched too long.

Another second...

And I would've started doubting my own decision.

That would've been my mistake.

"I didn't expect this."

His voice was barely above a whisper.

"Is this because of what I said that night?"

I shook my head.

"I started thinking about it after Rosalie came to the academy."

He nodded slowly.

He didn't try to change my mind.

He didn't ask me to stay.

And somehow...

I was grateful for that.

Gianna Elern's POV