Page 102 of A Promise so Bold and Broken

Lessia elbowed him. “I was just wondering if you’re good at everything you try?”

“Yes.”

She snorted when his face remained serious, his dark eyes tracking her movements as she shook her head.

“Seriously.” She nudged him again. “There must besomethingyou’re not good at?”

Staring into her eyes for so long that she started to get a little flustered, Merrick seemed to mull it over, his silvery brows pulling and forehead creasing as what seemed like millions of thoughts crossed his mind.

“Being nice?” he finally responded.

Lessia burst out laughing.

Merrick wasn’t the warmest person she’d met.

Not like Ardow, who liked to hug every person he could.

Not like Amalise, who at least pretended to be warm when you first met her.

Not even like Loche, who underneath that cold shell was actually quite sweet.

Her laughter faded when her mind snagged on Loche, and Lessia waited for the stab of pain she’d become accustomed to.

But it didn’t come.

Instead, that warmth that had started to spread within her back on Raine’s island remained, softening the blow by surrounding the memories of gray eyes and hurt features with padding—like a cotton wall protecting her heart against the rejection.

Lessia released a breath.

She’d learned from what happened with Frelina—what happened in the cellars—that the pain from such memories would fade.

But for some reason, she hadn’t expected this one’s to.

Not when that small crack in the wall she’d put up around her heart had disappeared as quickly as it had materialized.

Not when all the memories reminded her of what she’d long suspected…

That she wasn’t worthy of that type of love.

The love that was as pure as a winter night where no boots had yet to mark the newly fallen snow.

But perhaps…

Perhaps… there was a different kind of love out there.

One that wasn’t untouched snow, but that was strange and wild and uncontrollable.

That was tainted and broken and… all the while perfect.

“Where did you go?”

Her gaze focused again when Merrick spoke, and before she could think, she lifted a hand to brush one of his shoulder-length pearly strands off his forehead.

“You are nice,” she whispered. “You’re kind and thoughtful and, yes, truly damned broody sometimes, but… you are nice.”

Merrick stared back at her as he caught the hand she’d dropped from his face.

Bringing it to Lessia’s chest, he placed his own over it, pressing over her heart.

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