Page 130 of Bitten & Burned
“Yeah, oh.” He let the words hang, then added, “She’s not going to want me contacting him. But I don’t see another option.”
“Are you certain—” Anton began.
“Just doing what’s best for her, right?” I interrupted, my voice sharper than I meant.
Vael’s eyes narrowed. “You think I shouldn’t send for him?”
“I think you should talk to Rowena first.”
“So she can tell me no? Forbid me from sending for the one person who might be able to help her? No, I’m doing it. Ask for forgiveness, not for permission.”
“Because she’s been so willing to forgive you up until now,” Anton said dryly.
“Yes, well, as you well know, Anton, she’s not talking to me lately,” Vael admitted, jaw tightening. “Might as well add more onto the pile. Won’t make much of a difference.”
“Well, whose fault is that?” Anton asked, impatient. “Between the two of you, Gods...”
I bristled.Between the two of us?What about Anton? He certainly wasn’t guiltless here.
“I… she told me she loves me. And I couldn’t—” Vael’s voice caught. “I didn’t say it back. I told her it wasn’t the time.”
I stared at him. At both of them. Then laughed, low and bitter.
“She said something earlier…I—” I shifted. “I told her I love her. But I hated that I did.”
Vael exhaled—heavy, staccato, like a drumbeat. “So when she came to me…”
“For fuck’s sake,” Anton sighed.
I continued, ignoring both of them. “And in response, she said that I’m the first one to say it to her, and it hurts because I don’t want it… which isn’t true, but… now I know what it means.Younever told her, Vael? Not even when she was begging you to?”
Vael didn’t respond. Didn’t even flinch.
And that—godsdammit—that made somethingin me snap.
“You asked her to bond with you; you were practically living together,” I began, voice sharpening. “But you couldn’t say you loved her.”
“It wasn’t the time?—”
“Bullshit. If you love her, it’s always the right time. No wonder she’s upset—between you holding the words hostage like some sad kidnapper of joy, me loving her so much I nearly killed her, and Anton on that yacht doing everything but saying the words?—”
“Why are you bringingmeinto this?” Anton asked, his voice taking on a higher pitch than usual.
“Because you’re just as much to blame here as we are,” I countered.
“Like hells I am,” he spat. “I took her on my yacht to get away from you two and all your…drama.”
“Drama?!” Vael exclaimed.
“Yes, drama. The way you are walking around this manor like she did something to you, when you are the one who needs to apologize for what you did. All of this is your fault, really,” Anton said, folding his arms obstinately. “And Quil with his ‘I love you, but I hate that I love you, so I’m going to bite you and almost drain you because of it.’” He lowered his voice to a raspy whine when he said it.
Rage burned in my chest. “Yeah? Well, tell me, Anton—on that yacht, with Rowena, did you ever tell her you loved her? Do you?”
He frowned. “Not that it’s your business—either of you—but no… it never came up. I said… lots of other things, but?—”
“Short answer: no,” I cut in, clipped and blunt. “Now I’ll explain how you both fucked up. Since no one else will.”
“Quil—” Anton started.
