Page 77 of Cast in Shadow
“Is that a request?” I asked, arching my brow as I leaned back.
A smirk flirted with the corner of his mouth. “We can call it that.”
I bit my bottom lip as I pressed my palm to his bare chest and put some space between us, releasing a subtle pulse of energy as I moved. It was minimal—the equivalent of touching your tongue to a 9-volt battery—but he felt it.
Strong fingers wrapped around my wrist, holding me with his strength almost as effectively as he did with the determination burning in his expression. “Come back, Senna.”
He made it sound like he meant for the night, but there were two little words he left off his verbal request that changed the meaning entirely.
Come back to me, Senna.
I studied him, the beat of his heart spreading into my palm and echoing through my body.
Could I promise that?
We were standing at a crossroads, but as sure as I was that I still loved him, and that he loved me, I was still so damned scared.
“I’ll come back tonight,” I finally offered. “But it’ll be late. I have missions to review, teams to supervise.” Not to mention planning a showdown with a morally corrupt witch that only amplified the unease churning inside me.
All I got in response was the tiniest of nods before he released my wrist and stepped back. A few silent seconds passed before I realized I’d unintentionally throttled our connection again.
I offered him an apologetic look and eased my inner doors open. “This isn’t easy for me.”
“Do you think it is for me?”
No, but we were reuniting from very different places. I’d spent our time apart believing he wanted me dead. It’d taken him decades to accept that I was. I could only imagine the questions he must have asked himself when he saw me that day in Athlone and discovered I’d spent a lifetime hiding from him.
There was no easy path forward for us.
“Give me time,” I whispered.
A muscle in his jaw ticked. It was clear he wanted to say more, but instead he took a step back. “I’ll see you tonight.”
28
By the time I made it back to my suite, I almost had my head on straight. Or so I thought, until I opened the door to find Shayla waiting for me. She was sitting in my chair, her arms crossed over her chest, with just the warm light of my reading lamp illuminating her.
“Where have you been?” For one brief second, she looked like a disappointed parent.
I was tempted to remind her that I was her legal guardian up until a few months earlier, but I bit my tongue. Respect demanded respect. “I went to see Emerson.”
Excitement lit her hazel eyes, but she managed to keep her expression schooled otherwise. “And?”
“And what?”
“Did you two make up?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Isn’t it?” she asked. “You both say you’re sorry for whatever you did wrong, and you get on with living. What’s so hard about that?”
More than I hoped she would ever know. I glanced around the room. “Are you okay? Did you have another nightmare?”
Shay rolled her eyes. “Deflecting? Really?”
“Actually, this is what most people would call concern,” I fired back.
“I’m fine.”
