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Blaze shook his head. “I have a younger brother, but it’ll be years before he’s ready to take on this role.”
Eden shuffled over and touched the bars. “Maybe he’ll want to live a life of luxury with some gorgeous supermodel Apexian princess on his arm.”
He tilted his head. “When you say it like that, it doesn’t sound so bad.”
She rolled her eyes. “I do sort of understand why you’re doing it. When you’re raised a certain way, it’s hard to try something different. You can fight your upbringing, but it always bites you in the ass.”
“What did your upbringing teach you?”
Eden looked away. “That guys are jerks. I don’t trust them. I take what I can and get out quickly. And not just guys. It’s better not to trust anyone. I trusted my mom, and she...”
“What did she do to you? I know she’s in trouble with money.”
Eden rested her forehead against the bars as a cold ache filled her stomach. It happened every time she thought too long about her mom and everything she’d put her through.
“My mom had me when she was young. I was an accident. She was pretty wild and never used to think things through. She was a beauty and got attention from guys. Mom made the most of it. But she got in with the wrong crowd and got mixed up with drugs and booze. That’s when everything fell apart.”
“What about your dad?”
Eden shrugged. “It could have been one of several guys. And none of the potential daddy figures stuck around long enough for me to find out.”
“That must have been tough.”
“I didn’t really know our lives were weird. But we always moved around, and I was never in the same school for more than a year at a time. That made it hard to make friends and settle. Things changed when I became a teenager. Mom would keep me around when she threw these crazy parties. I thought it was cool. We’d get dressed up together, and she’d do my make-up and tell me how beautiful I was.” Eden licked her lips, resentment and humiliation bubbling inside her. “Then the older guys started noticing me.”
Eden glanced over and winced at the tightness on Blaze’s face.
“It’s not as bad as you think. At least it wasn’t to begin with. It started out innocent enough. The guys would give me money, and I’d copy what my mom did and flirt and joke around with them. They loved it.”
“She was using you.” His voice was a low grumble.
“Yeah, I see that now. But she was the only person I had. She was the one constant in a chaotic life. I relied on her. And then she introduced me to this guy. I thought he was amazing. He was funny, smart, interested in me, and always had money. Mom told me he was perfect for me, and I agreed. So we started dating.”
“What happened?”
“He was her dealer. Mom got into debt to him, and he demanded payment. I was the payment. He got me to fall for him before he showed his true colors. That guy was pure evil. He could switch on the charm with the click of his fingers. Everyone fell for it. He had my heart in the palm of his hand, and he crushed it. He enjoyed doing it.”
“Fuck! Eden. I had no idea. It’s no wonder you don’t trust anyone.”
“I learned the hard way not to.” She swiped a hand across her eyes.
Blaze growled softly. “Do you think you could ever trust me?”
She let out a slow sigh. “I really want to.”
“I’ve never given you a reason not to.”
He hadn’t. Blaze was always by her side when she needed him, and she’d kept rejecting him like a damn fool. Now, when all she wanted to do was to wrap herself in his arms and stay there forever, she couldn’t.
“I do trust you,” she finally said. “I don’t want you to leave, but I understand. You have to stand by your family, no matter how many times they screw you over or make you do things you don’t want to do.”
Blaze was quiet again. “Should we do that?”
“What option do we have? Turn away from our families? My mom’s messed up, but she can’t help it.”
“Maybe she can. Does your mom appreciate that you always stand by her, or is she still using you?”
Eden’s eyes narrowed, but his words had a grim truth to them. “You mean, just like your family are using you to gain another foothold in society?”
