Page 33 of A Promise so Bold and Broken

And Merrick infuriated her to no end.

The grumpiness she’d gotten used to…

But she couldn’t read him.

Didn’t understand why he pushed her, then growled at her, his moods shifting within seconds.

Damned broody males.

A frustrated sigh escaped her as she slipped into the lit room.

It appeared to be some type of office.

A large wooden desk stood before a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, with a square window to the right and more shelves lining the wall to the left.

Lessia shook her head at the half-empty bottles littering the racks as her bare feet sunk into a plush carpet.

She was no stranger to heartbreak.

She hadn’t even been sure whether she had any pieces left to shatter after everything.

After her sister.

After the years in the king’s cellar.

After having to keep it together for the broken souls she’d brought over from Vastala.

But after that last day with Loche…

A choked sound traveled up her throat as the memories invaded her mind.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to push his betrayed face back into the dark abyss where she preferred to keep painful experiences locked up.

But it was pointless.

Her shoulders hunched at the shame that tore through her as she thought of what she’d done to him.

To them.

“He doesn’t deserve your guilt.”

Heart flying into her throat, she spun around.

Raine leaned against the windowsill, his eyes still dimmed but his back surprisingly straight as he sized her up.

“Get out of my head,” she hissed.

“I’m not in your head.” A corner of Raine’s mouth lifted. “Right now.”

She gritted her teeth as she turned back toward the shelf, eyeing the objects lying there so as not to have to look at the Fae behind her.

A beautiful dagger, curved and jagged in the same way Raine’s swords were, lay in an intricately decorated mount, and she trailed her finger over the sharp edge.

“That was my mating gift to Solana.”

She winced at the grief that laced every word of Raine’s quiet declaration.

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured.

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