Page 78 of Claimed By the Fae Lord

The air still held residue from last night. Like a living thing, it hovered between us.

Closing the book, I braced myself for his words, expecting him to shatter the fragile peace. To tell me it had been anothermistake.

Finally turning to face me, his russet eyes searched mine. "Last night …"

He ran a hand through his mop of hair, displacing the waves I’d always loved so much. The soft curls so different from my stick-straight pale strands.

"Last night?" I prodded, needing him to get this over with as soon as possible.

We'd been crossing lines, reopening old wounds. There was no pretending otherwise.

I reached the end of my patience. “Last night was a mistake? Was that what you came to tell me?”

Liam recoiled as though I’d struck him. “No. Fuck no. That isnotwhat I was about to say.” The vehemence in his voice made my heart race.

“Then what, Liam?” I rasped.

“I don’t want to pretend it didn’t happen. I’m done with pretending.”

“I don’t understand.”

Liam pursed his lips, studying me. Resting his ass on the window sill, he crossed his arms.

“I think we should start over,” he said.

I dropped the book.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" My voice was barely audible, even to my frost nymph ears.

His eyes held mine, unblinking. "Yes.”

Gunnar’s little talk from last night danced around in my head. He believed Liam needed me to be complete, that the same was true for me.

I hadn’t wanted to give credence to the idea, not after all I’d endured. Facing a firing squad would be easier.

“Start over?”

“Yes, Raina. You. Me. Together."

The notion struck me dumb, a bolt from the blue that left me floundering. My heart skipped erratically as I tried to reconcile his declaration with the tattered remnants of our relationship.

"Start over?" My voice wavered, betraying my disbelief as I repeated myself.

It was more terrifying than being judged by a god in the mines. Liam could so easily break me beyond repair. I wasn’t ready to give him that kind of power.

“After everything we've been through? Start over, just like that? Like nothing happened?"

“Or start again. Start where we left off. Start with me inside you for hours until you scream yourself hoarse. Your choice, but westart somewherebecause I’m fucking done pretending.”

It was so tempting. The pull between us was undeniably strong, it always had been. It would be so easy to just give in.

The tumultuous storm within me raged, torn between the safety of moving on and the dangerous allure of being with him again. The only true happiness I’d ever felt was with him.

We might not ever make our way back to profound love, but I could concede that we couldn’t continue carrying on as we had. It was already impacting those we held dear.

Give an inch, Raina. But would he demand a mile?

“It seems I’ve shocked you, flower.”

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