Page 13 of Heir of Fire
The awkward tension covered every inch of the room. Neither Valerio nor Luna did anything to help expel it or to help make him more comfortable, so it was up to him to navigatethe entire apology. Something he had absolutely no experience doing.
She opened the bag, pulling out a Danish with aggression. Valerio watched her with a careful eye, as if he was worried that she was going to break.
Maybe it was a bad idea for Finn to come here after all.
“So what? Have you come to tell me you’re leaving? Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” she said, taking a bite. “As a matter of fact, I’m not sure why you stopped by in the first place. You left the first time without a word. A second time wouldn’t have mattered.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Finn said.
“Oh, what a new development.” Her voice was laced with sarcasm, and it shocked him to hear it. She threw the pastry back in the bag.
“Maybe we should have this conversation a different time,” Valerio suggested.
For once, Finn agreed with him.
“No. If Finn wants to come here to apologize for comparing me to our abuser, then he can listen to what I have to say.” Her hands shook as she talked and the emotion was thick in her throat, but she continued. “You know what I’ve been through—what he put me through—because you saw it all. The fact that you could even go there, after everything, is disturbing. No, it’s worse than that, I just don’t have the words to express it.”
He swallowed harshly. There was an ache in his chest that got worse with every word she said. “I said it in the heat of the moment. There wasn’t any truth to it.”
“There’s always a little bit of truth.”
Valerio gripped the counter until his knuckles turned white as if it pained him to see Luna in that much anguish. Was that what love was? Willing to do anything to take her pain away? The thought was just another painful reminder that Finn mightnot have ever truly loved anyone in his life. Not really. He didn’t know if he ever truly could.
He shook his head. “I didn’t want to be found, Luna. You have to understand that. After what we saw, after everything—I needed to get lost. I couldn’t be here.”
“I needed my brother.”
And there was her own selfish reason for bringing him home. The only family she had—well, blood family—skipped town the moment he could. He hadn’t thought twice about it because he was in a state of fight or flight. He ran while she held on with all her strength. That was the type of people they were. She couldn’t fault him for that, just like he couldn’t fault her for wanting him home.
“I’m sorry for not being here when you needed me,” he told her. This time, he actually meant it.
“I’m sorry for bringing you home when you weren’t ready,” she told him. “I seriously won’t blame you if you want to leave.”
“I’m not planning on going anywhere for a while,” he said. The words came out of his mouth without him even registering them. It seemed like his mind was made up then. He was hunkering down here for a little bit longer than he’d intended.
“Oh, great,” Valerio said, his sarcastic tone cutting through the room.
It brought a smile to Luna’s face, which seemed to have been the intended effect. It was interesting to see how they interacted with each other. Maybe that was why Finn hadn’t hesitated to leave; he knew Valerio would always take care of her no matter what. Not that he would ever tell them.
“Sorry to burst that cold heart of yours.”
“He’ll live,” Luna told him, leaning into Valerio. She reached for the bag again, sliding them over to Finn. “By the way, these are the wrong Danishes.”
Finn shrugged, grabbing the bag and taking one out for himself. “I tried.”
Valerio shook his head, moving to the fridge. “Useless.”
“How has your stay been over at the house?” Luna asked him.
“It’s been fine. I mostly keep to myself, which seems to be working out.”
“Gianna came here not that long ago complaining about you,” Valerio said.
Finn swore his heart stopped at the mention of her name. For a short period of time, he had been able to forget about her, but just like that, he was thrown back into her orbit.
“What was she saying?” he asked, trying to sound unaffected.
“Said you were an asshole,” Luna said. “I hope you guys are being friendly now.”
