Page 192 of Untamed

Her eyes shift, just for a second. “Nothing important.”

“Don’t lie.”

She sighs and places the glass on the table, wiping her palms against her denim dress. “You saw us?”

“I saw him walk past me like I didn’t exist, and then you followed him outside.” My voice tightens. “So yes, I saw.”

She leans back against the wall, crossing her arms. “We were talking about you.” she admits.

I frown, “What about me?”

“I’m trying to protect you.”

“Fromwhat?”

“Fromhim,Jordyn.”

Silence falls between us, sharp and immediate. I shake my head slowly. “What did you say to him?”

“I told him to leave you alone.”

The words hit like ice water down my spine.

“Youwhat?”

Bianca’s face crumples a little, but she doesn’t back down. “Jordyn, I’m not blind or stupid. I see what’s going on between you. I know you’re together. You can keep denying it, but I know my sister. I see the way you look at him. And Iseethe way he looks at you. He didn’t exactly deny it, either.”

My chest tightens. “Biana, you don’t understand?—

“I understandenough.” Her voice rises. “He’s dangerous, Jordy. He’s got blood on his hands. He’s involved in things we don’t even have the language for. And you… you’re not built for that world.”

“I’m not a fucking child,” I snap.

“No. But you’re still grieving. You’re still vulnerable. And he— she pauses, choosing her words carefully. “He’s not safe. No matter how he makes youfeel.”

My throat closes around the next words, because I don’t have an argument. Not one she’ll believe.

Not when I’m shaking on the inside, and his scent is still somewhere in my memory, warm and electric and wrong in all the ways I crave. I don’t move. I just stand there, staring at her, the ache in my chest morphing into something sharper and meaner.

“You had no idea, told him to leave me alone,” I say again, voice trembling. “Like I’m some helpless little girl who doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

“I told him toprotectyou,” Bianca bites back. “Because he sure as hell won’t do it himself.”

“Right.” I laugh, bitter. “So you made that decision for me, did you?”

“Someone had to.”

I step toward her, anger rising fast. “Would you say the same thing if it was Enzo?”

That hits. Bianca’s face changes, only slightly. She tries to cover it, but I see it. The way her mouth parts. The hesitation in her breath.

“You wouldn’t, would you?” I push. “If Enzo had blood on his hands, if he was caught in whatever darkness Ares lives in, you wouldn’t walk away. You’d stand by him.You’d stay.”

“That’s different,” she snaps.

“Why?Because you’re older? Because your mistakes are allowed but mine are reckless?”

“Because I love him!” she shouts.

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