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She took a step, only to pause and look back at the kitchen. A strange tethering knot tugged at her gut, urging her to go to him as much as the temptation of freedom pushed at her back. Her brow pinched, and she looked at the front door once more. Jaw locked, she swallowed back a frustrated growl.
“Shit,” she hissed, her hand sliding down the banister as she rounded the staircase, softly padding toward the kitchen.
“Good, we can begin,” he said without turning the moment she entered the kitchen.
She gently placed her hand on his back and he tensed, glancing over his shoulder in question. They held each other’s stare for a pregnant moment.
She didn’t like being shut out any more than she liked being trapped in. “Are you okay?”
His eyes closed and his brow creased with worry. Mouth tight, he shook his head. “I’m losing you.”
“You haven’t lost me yet.” She didn’t understand why she reassured him or said such things. It was a lie. She was gone the moment she had the chance…
But she had the chance now. The door was wide open. What was she doing?
He didn’t deserve her compassion, but she couldn’t leave him like this. Sometimes, people just needed a moment without fear or pressure. A moment to catch their breath. Maybe they both did. This week had taken a toll on both of them, and her nerves were rubbed raw.
“Do you need a hug?” The moment the words left her mouth she felt dumb for saying them, but then he turned and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly as he pressed his face into her shoulder.
Her breath hitched at the instant comfort. The physical contact soothed her as much as it did him, and she immediately felt his tension ease, but it didn’t fully abate. His relief unwound the knots in her stomach and she could breathe easier. They both could.
“I’m sorry Dane said those things to you.”
“We were both out of line.”
She didn’t fully understand what she’d overheard, but she gathered enough to know they discussed a sensitive subject. “Is Cybil your sister?”
“No.”
“Who is she?”
“A tragedy no one will remember a hundred years from now.”
The chilling finality of his words reminded her of his cold resoluteness. She drew back to look at him. “Could you change that?” She didn’t know who Cybil was, but she knew Dane was his half-brother, and Cybil was important to him. “For Dane’s sake.”
He released her and paced the kitchen, his fingers raking through his hair and leaving it standing on end. “I don’t want his name spoken in my house.”
“But…he’s your brother. Siblings fight.”
“He’s nothing to me.”
“Christian—”
He held up a silencing hand. “The discussion is over. We have more important matters to address.”
His rejection stung and she bristled. He not only declared the topic off limits, he’d once again proved she was not his equal. Whatever he wanted from her, it wasn’t any sort of relationship she cared to entertain.
Hurt and bitter he’d shut her down so quickly after she gave him a hug and tried to be nice, she snapped, “Like what? How you take your coffee in the morning?”
“For starters, yes.”
“God, you’re unbelievable. There’s no middle ground with you, is there? It’s either your way or nothing.”
“And why shouldn’t it be my way?” he practically snarled. “This is my home, my life. I’ve waited centuries, lived through plagues and wars, and watched thousands die from foolish mistakes that could have been avoided with a little prudence and sense. I’ve been around long enough to know the right way from the wrong way. I don’t ask for much in this world, but I expect to have what’s mine because I damn well earned it!”
She took a step back, startled to hear him raise his voice at her in such a way. “And that’s how you see me. Yours?”
“You are mine.”
She scoffed, baffled as to how she could have possibly felt bad for him a minute ago. Shaking her head she laughed, finally understanding.
“As long as Christian gets what he wants, everything is fine, is that right? Fuck everyone else. We’re all just little tragedies no one will remember a hundred years from now.” Her eyes burned as her vision blurred. She pointed a finger toward the broken front door. “That man—your brother—asked you for help, and you couldn’t be bothered. You preach all this bullshit about faith and God, but you only help others when there’s no imposition to yourself, right?”
“I won’t apologize for taking—"
“I’m not finished.” A tear tripped from her lashes and fell to the floor. Her arm lowered as did her voice. “You’ll never understand love, because you refuse to put anyone else’s needs before your own.”
“I put your needs before mine all the time.”
“No, you don’t—”
“Don’t I?” he shouted. “I could have had you a hundred times by now. I could have used compulsion to bend you to my will—”
