Page 47 of Poison Sun

“It was careless, and reckless.” He’s apparently not done ramming into me yet, and I honestly don’t blame him. “You knew, and you stepped into a dangerous situation anyway. Do you want to be killed? Because I don’t see another reason why you would have acted this way.”

“No,” I say. “Of course not.”

“Then why did you do it?”

He’s staring at me now, waiting for an answer.

And, after everything, I know I have to trust him with the truth.

“I didn’t want you to see me as weak,” I admit. “The entire plan hinged on me, and I didn’t want to let anyone down. Especially given the support we were getting from the Guardians. I didn’t want to ruin that.”

His expression softens, understanding taking its place, and I relax a bit.

“Amber,” he starts, his voice gentle in a way that makes my heart twist. “Strength isn’t about hiding your vulnerabilities. It’s about trusting others to see them and help you through them. We’re a team now. You don’t have to face everything alone. I’m here for you, no matter what.”

His declaration takes me by surprise, and I suck in a sharp breath, processing the intensity of his words.

He’s here for me. We’re a team.

And he’s right. If I’d been honest with him, I wouldn’t have gotten in that situation with Lucas to start with.

“And for the record,” he continues, leaning forward, his gaze locked on mine, “I don’t see you as weak. Reckless? Maybe. But never weak. I wouldn’t want you to be my queen if I thought anything less.”

“You want me because I’m star touched,” I say, realizing it as the words escape my lips. “Not because I’m me.”

My words hang in the air, the accusation creating a sudden rift between us.

“At first, yes,” he admits, catching me by surprise.

I suppose I was hoping it wasn’t true.

So much for that.

“But now?” I ask.

“Now, it’s because of who you are.” He reaches across the table to take my hand, and his touch sends a jolt of warmth through me—a stark contrast to the coolness of his skin. “You’re brave, you’re fierce, and your spirit is unlike anything I’ve ever known. Yes, being star touched brought you to my attention. But when we were in that Labyrinth together, I realized it’s your courage, your resilience, and your heart that makes it so there’s no one else I’d want by my side but you.”

I’m speechless, my emotions a whirlwind, my hand still holding his. “Thank you,” I finally say. “That means… a lot.”

It doesn’t come close to encompassing what I’m feeling. Honestly, I don’t know what I’m feeling.

“It’s true,” he says, and when he lets go of my hand, I realize that in these past few minutes, something major shifted between us.

I’m never going to keep something that huge from him again.

“Now, we need to talk about Viktor,” he says, back to business.

“Did you see him back there?” I ask.

“No. He either made a run for it when he heard the attack, or he wasn’t there in the first place. But we’re going to get the compass back from him. And we’re going to figure out how to get that potion out of you and into it.”

I swear my magic sparks inside me at the mention of getting out the potion. “You believe what Lucas said about it being possible?” I ask.

“It’s the first lead we’ve gotten,” he says. “Plus, the compass is useful. No matter what happens with the potion, it’ll be beneficial to have it back in our possession.”

“True,” I say, returning to eating my food, since I really am hungry after all that blood loss.

A comfortable silence settles between us as we eat. Probably because Damien appears so lost in thought that I might as well not be here. Which is fine by me, given how starving I am.

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