Page 61 of Faithless
“Howdidyou end up with Tezca, if you don’t mind me asking?”
He paused again for a while, this time seeming as if he was wrestling with how much to tell me. “Tezca was released into the pit during a fight, a pretty routine thing. But he just…kept killing everyone.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Holy shit.”
“He couldn’t be captured, couldn’t be beaten. Gladiators were dropping like flies. And then they sent me out.”
I cocked my head, waiting for him to continue. “Well, I’m glad to see you’re still here.”
“Yeah, me too.” Santos laughed dryly. “I went out there, and he…spoke to me.”
Dark eyes flicked up to mine, gauging my reaction. “Did he tell you his name?” I asked.
Santos blinked. “Yes. How did you know?”
“If you’ve noticed a white dove hanging around me, it’s the same situation. Her name is Astarte. She chose me.”
“Yes!” Santos shifted on the couch, sitting straight up as he faced me. “Tezca chose me. He said that…something was in motion and that he would be my protection.”
“Astarte led me out here,” I said, relieved to get it off my chest. “So it’s probably no coincidence we’ve met.”
Now Santos cocked his head, a grin pulling at his delicious mouth. “So you’re not really from Blakeworth, are you?”
“No, Four Corners,” I said. “And the guy I’m here with, he knows everything.”
“Is he really your husband?”
“No.”
Santos nodded as if that confirmed what he’d already guessed. “Boyfriend?”
“Definitely not.”
He grimaced. “He’s not your brother, is he?”
“No!” I laughed.
“So, it’s…platonic?”
I hesitated before answering and knew he took note of the silence. Those eyes missed nothing. “We’ve been friends a long time. But, on my end at least, my feelings are… complicated.”
It felt good to be honest. I’d never breathed a word of my feelings for Torr to anyone. But I felt like I could trust Santos and that he wouldn’t be judgmental about the situation.
Santos nodded again, nothing changing in his expression. “And on his end?”
I shrugged and took a long sip of my drink. “You’d have to ask him.”
The handsome gladiator made a dismissive noise, leaning back as he spread his powerful body across the loveseat. “He’s a fool if he’s not crazy about you.”
My stomach flipped. “That’s sweet of you to say.”
“I’m not blowing smoke up your ass. I mean it.”
I couldn’t help the smile as I looked away from him bashfully. “You don’t even know me.”
“I know enough.”
I shook my head, but my smile only grew wider from the attention he poured on me. “Callate,” I told him with a soft laugh.
