Page 64 of Protect Thy Enemy

“That’s enough,” I interject, my voice cold.

Tavia turns to me, her eyes blazing with barely contained fury. She looks like a madwoman. “Stay the fuck out of this, Arden. This doesn’t concern you.”

“Likehellit doesn’t,” I say, my tone sharp. “You don’t get to come into this apartment,ourapartment, and throw around accusations like that. To talk to Luna like that, especially when you’re wrong.”

Tavia’s jaw tightens, her fists clenching at her sides. “You think you’re protecting her, but you’re not. She doesn’t need you to save her, Arden. She never has.”

The words sting more than I care to admit, but I don’t let it show. Instead, I step between them, keeping my focus on Tavia.

“And what about you?” I ask evenly. “Is this how you ‘save’ her? By tearing her down every chance you get?”

Tavia’s eyes narrow, her lips curling into a cold smile. “Careful, Arden. You don’t know me well enough to start throwing stones from that glass house of yours.”

I don’t give myself enough time to wonder what the hell she means by that.

“And you don’t know me well enough to make threats,” I reply, my voice low and my own threat clear.

The tension between us is razor-sharp, the silence that follows heavy with unspoken challenges.

Good thing I fuckinglovechallenges.

“Stop it,” Luna says suddenly, her voice breaking through the standoff. She steps forward, her hands trembling as she grabs my arm. “Arden, don’t. Please.”

I glance at her, my guard lowering slightly. She looks exhausted, the fire in her eyes dimmed and replaced with a fragile one.

Tavia exhales sharply, stepping back but not before leveling one last glare at Luna. “You two should just fuck each other and get it over with. I’m sick of coming second to thisbitch,” she says coldly. “I’m fucking out of here.”

With that, she turns and storms out, slamming the door behind her.

The silence she leaves behind is suffocating.

Luna sinks onto the couch, her head in her hands. “I hate her,” she mutters, her voice muffled.

“No, you don’t,” I say softly, sitting beside her.

She lifts her head, her eyes red-rimmed but dry. “I hate when she acts like that. She’s not always like this, I swear.”

I don’t say anything. There’s nothing to say that wouldn’t sound hollow.

After a moment, Luna sighs, leaning her head against my shoulder. “Thanks for stepping in. I hate involving other people in our shit. I know she’s a lot.”

“She’s more than a lot,” I reply, my tone lighter. “But you don’t deserve to have to deal with shit like that at all. And especially not alone.”

Luna lets out a weak laugh, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “I wish I didn’t have to deal with her at all. I’m really sorry that you had to get involved, and I’m really sorry about what she said to you.”

I bite back the urge to tell her to leave, knowing full well that no one ever walks away from something until they’re truly ready. I tried that with my mom, begged her to get clean for me. But she didn’t. Instead, she got rid of me.

But Luna isn’t my mom, and there’s no way in hell I’m going to stand by and let her face this alone.

“Do you want me to talk to her?” I offer instead, my voice steady but laced with an edge.

Luna snorts as she leans back against the couch. “That’s like sending a lion straight to its prey.” She shakes her head, the faintest smirk tugging at her lips. “You’d eat her alive.”

I arch a brow, my tone dry. “If that’s what it takes.”

She lets out another soft laugh, this one less bitter. “As much as I’d love to see that, no. I’ll handle it. I was already planning to end things for good tonight before it went to shit.”

I nod, letting the silence settle between us. The fight has drained her, but she still wears her defiance like armor, even if it’s dented.

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