Page 20 of Love & Heart Braking

I flagged another carriage. Ceres claim me, if this one didn’t stop…

But it did.

“Know what?” I wrenched open the carriage door.

His face worked. “That… you need my help.”

My heartbeat pounded in my ears. “Help me by keeping a distance so they don’t use you against me, Devereaux.” I clambered into the carriage.

The berserker followed me inside.

I folded my arms. “What are you doing?”

“This conversation isn’t over, Cerys.”

“It is! Do you think breaking things off with you was easy for me?”

“No, and do you think hearing it was easy for me?” he replied calmly. “You can’t sign that contract, sweetheart.”

My hands curled into fists, and I thumped the cushioned seat. “It’s as good as done. This isn’t just about me anymore.”

And if Devereaux was in the alliance, it gave me more incentive to get inside the estates than ever.

He clenched his jaw. “What have they got on you? How are they controlling you? It’s the daemon, isn’t it? He can go underside. Did they lure you in with promises to break your curse?”

I turned my face. The more he knew, the harder it would be to keep him away from this.

Devereaux crouched before me. “There are better ways to break your curse.”

It wasn’t just the curse.

His voice was soft. “Please let me in.”

My lower lip trembled. “They’ll hurt you.”

“I can handle them.”

I faced him. His features blurred as large tears welled in my eyes. My chest threatened to burst with the sheer strength of what I contained inside. I had to get out of this carriage.

I knocked on the wall. “Stop!”

The vehicle lurched to a sudden halt.

“Please just… leave the alliance, Devereaux. Don’t get involved.” I pushed out of the door and into pouring rain I hadn’t noticed while in the carriage. Great.

But I couldn’t go back.

I hurried into Juno Park and away from my berserker—desperate to escape the panic crushing my chest.

The rain had emptied the park of descendants, and I ran to the first shelter in sight—a white pergola built in honor of Juno.

When I got there, I dropped my tote onto a bench, panting hard.

I screamed when I found Devereaux behind me.

He held up his hands. “Your heart is racing. I need you to calm down. My predator doesn’t like it.”

“I’m not going to calm down. How can I calm down?”

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