Page 39 of Taken to the Deadlands

“Can’t you see how much better my life has been since you’re here? I even stopped asking you to look for her.”

She had. Ever since the day Yien got rid of the wraiths, we hadn’t spoken about her previous companions at all, let alone Cara.

And why was that? If she wanted me to find her, why would she give it all up?

“Because I couldn’t find her,” I spat back.

A low chuckle rumbled in her chest. It only heightened my arousal. She was playing my body like an instrument. Forcing me to fall apart, all while she was therelaughing.

“Because I didn’twantyou to.”

The heat she had been building in my belly grew tenfold at her confession. It was dark and held such power that everything that had been holding me back before vanished.

Because she wants me. That’s why she didn’t ask me to continue. Because if I find her, I’ll leave.

But nothing could dampen the guilt. I should have been happy, but instead all I felt was guilt.

“Aris,” I panted. “I have to tell you something.

“Tell me that you’re staying?” she asked with a laugh. “All it took was two more orgasms? You should have held out for longer.”

“Aris, I—“ I took a deep breath and used the fact that she couldn’t see my face right now to blurt it all out.

. “I can’t see ghosts. That’s why I couldn’t find her. Because I can’t see her.”

Chapter 17

Aris

Rage flashed across my mind, and I had to catch myself from sinking my claws into her soft skin.

I took a deep breath.

Then another.

And another.

Was she still talking? If so, I wasn’t listening. All I could hear was the ringing in my head and the voice telling me to end it all.

To endher.

She lied to me. This entire time.

Why would Mia lie like this?

“But you see wraiths.” The words left my mouth before my mind caught up to what I was doing.

She tried to turn around, but I moved fast and gripped her hip with one hand, using the other to clamp down on the back of her neck. I couldn’t look at her. Not yet.

Not until my teeth stopped aching and the fog lifted from my mind.

“I was surprised when I saw them,” she said, her voice slightly muffled. “I’ve lied about it for money before, but I never thought?—”

“That I would actually need your power?” I asked through gritted teeth.

That was the whole reason she ended up here. I needed her to reach Cara, but that wasn’t what hurt me the most.

What hurt me the most was that, even after I had spilled everything to her, after I had ripped open the wall that had kept me safe from grief for the last millennium, she still hadn’t trusted me enough to be honest with me.

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