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“You shouldn’t be here,” he whispers.
Another pang of pain. What is wrong with me?!
Forcing a nod, I start to turn. “Right. You’d made that painfully clear.”
He winces slightly before taking a step forward and I stop in my tracks.
Shoulders rigid, my hands form fists by my side. These swirling emotions. Why am I so unstable around this demon?
“Just tell me one thing. Why destroy all my work just to implement it the next day?” My anger from yesterday returns and I glare up at him. “Is this some power play? You just wanted to implement it all yourself?”
He steps closer, not answering my questions, and my brows dive. Lifting a hand, I try to stop him in his tracks. “Don’t you dare come closer to me. Not after what you did.”
He takes another step forward anyway. Silly me to think a demon like him would actually do what I asked for once.
“I said stop.” The growl on my voice almost surprises me. But Bax doesn’t stop. Only when he’s right before me, close enough I can feel his heat, does he finally halt.
“I didn’t sabotage your work, Elara.” His words are so soft, it stuns me into silence and I swallow hard, forcing down the lump rising in my throat. “It wasn’t me.”
A laugh erupts from me, bitter and hollow. “You expect me to believe that? After everything?”
“No. I don’t expect you to believe me,” Bax says steadily, his gaze boring into mine. “But I give you my word. I didn’t sabotage your work. There was a systems glitch. We traced it back to one technician.”
He pauses, a shadow passing over his face. “A technician who was clearly not being worked hard enough. His idleness led to incompetence which led to the failure.”
Something in his tone, an earnestness I’ve rarely heard from him, stills my retort. I want to believe him. Gods, how I want to believe him. But the hurt, the anger, it all bubbles up inside me, a raging storm threatening to tear me apart.
“Why should I trust you, Bax?” My voice is a harsh whisper, a stark contrast to the earlier shouts. “Why, after everything?”
“Because,” he murmurs, closing the distance between us, “Across eons, you’re the first thing I’ve ever tried to resist, Elara.”
I stare at him, confused until his words sink in slowly, kindling a fragile hope.
Bax takes my hands in his, his touch impossibly gentle. “You intrigue me in a way no creature ever has, mortal or demon.” His thumbs brush over my knuckles. “I told myself it was mere fascination. That given time, I would grow bored, as with all things.”
His eyes meet mine, simmering with sincerity. “But the more we clashed, the more I wanted you near. It terrified me. And the more it terrified me, the more I lashed out, trying to force you away.”
My lips part in surprise. I had thought it was hatred, not fear, fueling his sabotage.
Bax continues hoarsely. “After what happened in the library, I convinced myself destroying your work would end this maddening fixation. But seeing your pain…” His hand cradles my cheek, wiping away tears I didn’t realize escaped. “I would rather face an eternity of torment than be the source of your suffering.”
I press into his palm, afraid to hope and yet unable to resist. “Then it’s really true? You didn’t sabotage the system?”
Remorse flits across his face. “As much as it pains me to do so, I speak the truth. I wanted to drive you away, but not like this.” His thumb grazes my lip. “Never like this.”
My heart stammers. But doubts still gnaw at me. “After everything between us…believing you now…”
Fire smolders in Bax’s eyes. “If I have to get on my knees and beg for a chance to prove myself, I’ll do it gladly.”
To my shock, he sinks gracefully down before me. The mighty archdemon, kneeling in supplication at my feet.
ChapterFourteen
Bax
The words hang in the air between us, potent in their raw honesty. I know she wants to push me away, to shield herself from the tidal wave of emotions stirring within her. But she’s rooted to the spot, caught in the intensity of my gaze.
I can see the desire warring with anger in her veins, a maelstrom of confusion and longing. She hates me for what I’ve done, for the chaos I’ve brought into her life.
