Page 49 of Queen of the Crimson Throne

“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” I ground out.

Something like hurt flashed across her features, halting me for a second, but she nodded, following me out of the duke’s manor—neither of us saying another word.

22

LENNOX

“Luka.” He continued ahead of me as we entered the palace. “Luka,” I called again.

“Goodnight, Lennox,” he muttered, not bothering to face me. What had gotten into him? Things had felt okay at the ball. It had reminded me of before, when we were friends. It gave me a semblance of hope we might be able to make this work. That we could pretend to be a happily engaged couple. Pretending with him was easier than I anticipated, I thought things had gone well.

But now he was shutting down, shutting me out.

And I didn’t know why.

I continued after him. My anger rose with every step he took away from me. I had given into his touch at the party—had let myself enjoy his hands on my body and now he wouldn’t speak to me. Wouldn’t even look at me.

Bastard.

“Luka! You don’t get to walk away from me like this!”

Finally he turned, his eyes blazing, causing me to stop in my tracks. He had never looked at me like that before. I’d seen him use the expression on others, but never me.

“Why not?” His tone was sharp, itmade my spine and shoulders straighten. “You get to walk away from me over and over again. I think I’m due for a chance.”

His words struck like tiny pricks in my chest.

Each one stole the breath from my lungs, but not in a good way.

My anger quickly dissipated.

How many times had I walked away from him, but each time he followed?

“Will you at least talk to me?” I said softly. “What’s going on? Why are you acting like this?” This behavior was strange coming from him and it was throwing me off balance. He was the one who helped me stay upright, and now he was the one turning me upside down with nothing to grasp.

“Talk to me.” I grasped for his arm.

“Talk to you?” His eyes flashed with anger and something else as he moved his arm out of my reach. “All I fucking do is talk, Lennox. I’m lucky if you even listen to what I say, let alone say something back.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m so tired of talking with no response. I know you need time—but right now I can’t do this. Right now I need time. I need time and space away fromyou.”

My chest tightened painfully. He needed to be away fromme.

This. This is what I had anticipated from Luka when I arrived.

This anger. This resentment toward me.

But he had been fine, or fine adjacent when I arrived. Why was he getting angry now? What did I do to change his feelings?

Before I got a chance to ask him, he was gone and I was left staring at his closed door as it shook against the frame. The echo of the slam ringing through my mind.

I paced across my room as I replayed my conversation withLuka in my mind and over the events of the night again and again.

I still couldn’t figure out what I had done to trigger him tonight, but I couldn’t blame him for acting the way he did. I had treated him so terribly since I arrived.

Given him only the tiniest scraps of myself.

But tonight—tonight I had given him more of myself than I had in months. I allowed myself to slip back into us for a short time. I told myself it was all an act, but it wasn’t really.

So his rejection—or reaction afterward—stung more than I cared to admit. I had finally taken a step forward and now he was taking a step back.

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