Page 86 of Destiny Redeemed
Silence stretched between us. Anderic remained perfectly still, his silence louder than any words could have been.
“You always asked me how I knew so much; it’s because I’ve lived through this once,” I continued, words spilling out faster now. “So I knew when Prince Callum came what his real goal was, and I know better than anyone about the mines. But I didn’t know—” My voice broke. “I didn’t know I’d fall in love with you. That wasn’t part of my first life.”
Still, Anderic said nothing, his expression unreadable.
The silence stretched between us like a chasm. Then, to my horror, Anderic’s shoulders began to shake. A low chuckle escaped his lips, growing into incredulous laughter as he ran his hands through his golden curls.
“Time travel? Death and resurrection?” He threw his head back, his laughter taking on a bitter edge. “That’s what you come up with?”
“Anderic—”
He held up a hand, cutting me off. “If you didn’t want to be with me, Ilyana, you could have just said so.” His voice cracked slightly. “You didn’t need to create this… this fantasy.”
My heart plummeted. Of all the reactions I’d imagined—anger, disbelief, even disgust—I never thought he’d doubt my feelings for him.
“No, that’s not—”
“Was it all for your father?” Anderic paced the room, gesturing wildly. “Did you sleep with me just to save him? Because you didn’t need to go that far, Ilyana. I had already fallen for you.” His laugh was hollow. “Congratulations. You won. Whatever your game was, you won.”
“There is no game!” My voice rose with desperation.
“I should have known better.” He spoke more to himself than to me, rubbing his face roughly. “Falling for you wasn’t in the plan, but somehow I did. Everyone calls me ruthless, but even I was outsmarted by the minister’s cunning daughter.”
“You think I’m lying about loving you?” The accusation stung worse than if he’d slapped me. Of all the things I expected him to say, it wasn’tthis. “I know how it sounds, Anderic. I knew you wouldn’t believe anything I said. That’s why I hesitated so many times, but how can you doubt what’s between us?”
“What am I supposed to believe?” His eyes flashed. “That you died and came back in time, or that you’ve been manipulating me all along?”
“Yes! I mean no—not the manipulation part.” I stepped toward him, hands trembling. “I know I hid things from you. I know I’ve been secretive and difficult, and it’s infuriating. But in all of this mess, my love for you is the one true thing.”
“Pretty words from a practiced liar.”
“Damn it, Anderic!” Tears streamed down my face. “Falling for you wasn’t in my plan either. You weren’t even part of my first life! But I fell for you anyway—your insufferable arrogance, your unexpected kindness, even your stupid golden curls!”
His jaw tightened. “Then why tell me this impossible story now? Why not just—”
“Because I can’t bear lying to you anymore!” I shouted. “Because I want you to know all of me, even the parts that make no sense!”
“You expect me to believe—”
“I don’t care if you believe the time travel! Just believe that I love you!”
Anderic stalked toward me, eyes blazing. “How can I trust anything you say when you’ve—”
In a blur of movement, he suddenly lunged forward, grabbing my shoulders and yanking me against his chest. I gasped in surprise as something whistled past my ear, followed by a solid thunk.
We both turned to see an arrow embedded in the wall—exactly where I had been standing.
“What the—” Anderic’s arms tightened around me protectively as we both stared at the quivering shaft.
The argument forgotten, we moved as one toward the window, staying low. Someone had just tried to kill one of us—or both. And judging by the precise placement of that arrow, they weren’t planning to miss twice.
The arrow’s shaft still trembled in the wall where my head had been moments before. Anderic’s hand clamped over mymouth, silencing the scream building in my throat. His eyes darted to the window, then back to me.
“Stay down,” he whispered, releasing me to peer cautiously over the windowsill.
A second arrow shattered the glass, missing him by inches. He dropped to the floor beside me, cursing under his breath.
“How many?” I asked, my voice barely audible.
