AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The words assaulted me like a spray of bullets. “I am nothing like him.”
“You’re not exactly a victim here, Jace,” Saint spat. “I’ve known you forever. You have your pick of any female—and have. Why couldn’t you leave my sister alone?”
“It wasn’t like that,” I muttered, my gaze again trailing back toward the bedroom door. I wanted Elix to come out and tell him that she and I were in love, that what we had wasn’t some tawdry affair.
“I’ve been to your parties,” Saint reminded me icily. “Are you going to sit there and pretend that nothing untoward happens there?”
“I know you have,” I sighed, bowing my head. “And I understand why you think that it might be the same way with Elix… but it wasn’t…”
It isn’t…?
I lifted my head and met his eyes. “It isn’t.”
My pulse quickened with the admission, my conflict becoming less confusing. “I love your sister. She makes me want to be better, stronger. “
For half a second, Saint was speechless, my words catching him off guard.
“You can’t love her that much,” Saint scoffed. “You’re tossing her aside for something beyond her control.”
I winced.
I deserved that.
Bowing my head, I nodded. “I was overwhelmed when I learned about her bloodline,” I confessed. “I shouldn’t have reacted like I did. I was blindsided by the news, and Elix came in before I could compose myself. I spoke out in surprise.”
“That’s not an excuse.”
“No, it’s really not,” I agreed. “But that’s what happened. Now that I’ve had time to calm down and think rationally, I realize that I love her more than the kingdom.”
Again, Saint appeared stunned.
“You really changed your tune in ten minutes,” he countered dubiously.
“No, I didn’t,” I promised, sitting forward to rest my forearms on my legs. “I think I knew I was coming here to bring Elix back from the minute I left the palace. I just didn’t realize it yet. That’s why I’m here. To bring her home.”
Saint snorted and stood, ambling toward the open-concept kitchen. He yanked on the fridge door and pulled out two beers, popping them open. “She doesn’t want to go back with you.”
“That’s because she thinks I’m upset with her,” I sighed. “I’ll talk to her.”
I accepted his drink offering and stood, but Saint blocked my way. “We’re not finished here,” he growled. “I’m not sure I want her going back with you.”
We stared each other down, and I again wished that Elix would come out and end this madness between her brother and me, but she didn’t reappear from where she’d disappeared.
I really am going to have to work for this if I want her to come back.
But I wasn’t going anywhere unless she was coming out with me.
“You sent her to me to be protected,” I said bluntly. “I’ve kept my end of the deal. Nothing has happened to her since she arrived.”
“Maybe not physically, but you have created more problems,” Saint countered.
“I’ve given her the answers she’s been seeking for years, Saint. Love it or hate it, that’s what Elix asked for. You might not agree with it, but it’s what she wanted. Maybe you should try listening to what she wants once in a while.”
“And how did that work out for you?” Saint retorted sarcastically.
I shrugged. “Is it news that I wanted to hear? No. But it wasn’t my news to receive, Saint. This isn’t about you or me. This is about Elix and her quest. Maybe you and I didn’t do the right thing, but the one thing we can agree on is that we both were trying to do our best for your sister, right or wrong.”
My impassioned speech caused Saint to take a step back. He sat back down and took a swig of his beer before speaking again.
