Page 45 of House of Darkness
“What are you doing?”
I hadn’t noticed Enso’s arrival past the rage dulling my senses. “Chopping firewood.”
“Ah. Very useful.”
I growled and slammed the maul into the wood. “Someone must do it. We go through a lot.”
“Yes, and I’m sure you don’t employ anyone to do it,” Enso teased gently. I shot him a glare.
“What do you want, Enso?”
He stepped calmly into the blackness, unaffected by my shadows. His arms were tucked behind him. “Just thought I’d check on you.”
I twisted the half-split log and brought the maul down, quartering it. “I’m not in the mood for meditation.”
“Clearly.”
I dropped the maul and grabbed the wood, tossing it into the pile. “I know I’m overreacting. I should have more control. You don’t need to lecture me.”
Enso stepped beside me and picked up the maul, spinning it casually in his hand. “I didn’t say anything.”
He tossed me a grin that made me bare my teeth, then hopped onto the edge of my workbench, crossing his feet and continuing to spin the maul. “Maybe you’re telling yourself those things? Why do you think that is?”
I crossed my arms and huffed. “A little anger, and I turn back into him—into what he thought I was.”
Enso caught the maul mid-spin, holding it horizontally between us. His eyes blazed with that inner fire that was so utterly him. “You aren’t your father, Roman. A bit of a hothead, sure, but we all have our issues. It’s how we choose to deal with them that defines us.”
“It doesn’t change the fact that Catina was right. I do have feelings for her. I’m taking advantage of her and putting her in danger every time I flirt or make her think there’s something between us. Because damn it, I want there to be.”
Enso set the maul beside him, pressing his fingers together and exhaling. Flames sparked from his fingertips, cutting through my shadows and casting a reddish glow over us. “I’ve been alive a long time, Roman. I can tell you that true love is not something to shy away from. You deserve happiness, and I think she’d be a good match for you.”
“It’s too dangerous. Catina’s right—I could hurt her.”
“The hardest part will be to die thinking that the pain which rends my body will also slay the buried word before it blooms on my lips like a flame,”Enso recited, eyes half-closed.
I scowled. “A bit dramatic, don’t you think?”
“You’ve always had a penchant for the dramatic, Roman. It’s about regret. Do you want to meet death without ever having told her how you feel?” Enso grinned, his pupils narrowing to slits. “Be charming for once. And start coming to morning yoga again—you need it.”
I laughed despite myself. “You’re a pain in the ass.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
Chapter 23
ESTRELLA
My fingers trembled as they found the fabric scissors. Without a second thought, I hurled them across the room, relishing the thud when they pierced a vibrant green fabric as I pictured them stabbing into Catina’s red shirt instead. I’d never considered myself violent, but the past few weeks had awakened a side of me I hadn’t known existed.
“Nice throw,” Razvan remarked, leaning against the doorframe with his hands casually tucked into the light gray pockets of his trousers. “Are you okay?”
I twisted my fingers into the fabric of my dress, wishing Roman had bought me more scissors. I could use more things to throw. “What do you think?”
“I think Catina succeeded in upsetting you.”
“I think she’s a raging jerk,” I retorted.
“Family can be like that sometimes.” The word ‘family’ stung like a fresh wound, making my stomach churn. My eyebrows and lips tightened as that anger and uselessness threatened to bubble to the surface. Catina didn’t view me as her family. I was just a pet to be owned.
