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"I see you're feeling better again, Myrina." I tried with all my might to suppress the pleasant shiver that seized me as soon as he spoke my name. This stupid attraction between us—even at this moment, when I hated him from the bottom of my soul—just wouldn't go away.
Apparently, he had recovered from the moment of surprise and my attack. Relaxed, he walked to a small bar at the back of the room and poured an amber-colored drink into two glasses. He then headed towards a cozy seating area in front of the crackling fireplace. He placed one of the glasses next to the wing chair by the fire and sat in an armchair opposite.
"Sit down," he invited me and nodded at the wing chair.
Did he really think I could be bought with a stupid drink?
"Go to hell!" I spat at him and held the statue demonstratively higher.
Instead of seeing the emotions I expected, such as anger or annoyance, on his face, I heard him chuckle.
"My dear, that is where we are already."
He pointed around with a sweeping movement. Was he going to make fun of me now? The flames of anger flickered incessantly inside me.
He's to blame for Alex's death, whispered a voice in my head. That was the final straw for me. With a shrill battle cry, I ran at him, aimed the statue at his arrogant face, which had often appeared in my dreams, and lunged at him. I punched, scratched, bit, and kicked him. He calmly took the cast-iron object from me and let everything else happen without putting up a fight.
"Fight back, damn it," I screamed, tears of rage streaming down my face. "You had Alex killed! You murderer!"
With every punch, every bite, and every kick, my anger diminished, and my grief increased. Alex. I missed my best friend. We had broken up in a fight and couldn't make up afterward. That hurt more than anything else.
At some point, my thrusts died down entirely, and I collapsed, exhausted. My body shook from the exertion and the sobs.
"I know it hurts," Tanael whispered close to my ear. Only now did I realize I was lying in his arms, and he was holding me and gently stroking my hair simultaneously.
Startled, I backed away. "You don't know anything," I hissed angrily. I put some distance between us on shaky legs and sat in the wing chair.
"Why?" I asked the one big question that tore me apart inside.
"Why what?" my counterpart replied calmly.
"Don't act so stupid! It doesn't suit you," I hissed. "Why did you betray us and have Alex killed?" It was tough for me to say Alex's name without bursting into tears again. I defiantly swallowed the lump that threatened to close my throat.
"Nobody had your fiancé killed. That was an accident. He was never the target." Tanael leaned forward slightly and looked into my eyes urgently. "You were meant to be killed, Myrina."
A chill ran down my spine at his words. He was right. Jack wanted to murder me. Alex had only thrown himself in front of me and saved my life. Again, I felt the emotions welling up inside me. Not now, I admonished myself, suppressing the sadness, the pain.
"I suppose you mean you wanted to kill me," I corrected him in a controlled manner, and now I was the one leaning forward to stare at him.
"No, I didn't want that."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because otherwise you wouldn't be sitting here."
Unfortunately, I had to admit he was right about that. If he wanted me dead, he could have done it long ago or had someone else do it. After all, I seemed to have been in his house for a few days already.
I frowned in confusion because he had destroyed my entire house of cards of knowledge, assumptions, and accusations with that one sentence. My anger toward him gave me strength and fueled my urge to survive.
My emotions raged unchecked, and it was only with difficulty that I held myself upright in my chair.
"Then he only died because of me," I whispered. "It's my fault."
"No, it's not that, Myrina." In the blink of an eye, he knelt before me and placed his fingers under my chin. "Look at me."
Reluctantly, I lifted my eyes and drowned in its liquid gold, which shone amazingly warmly towards me.
"He alone decided to die for you at that moment. No one else. He decided to protect you and was aware of the consequences."
