that.”
She leaned back as if he’d threatened her. “Excuse me? What kind of bullshit answer is that?”
“The best one I have,” he confessed.
He never expected her to smack him. His head swung to the side, and his cheek stung angrily, burning for several seconds. Echoing not only her anger but his interior rage at this ridiculous situation.
“When this mission is over,” Belle began, her voice steady, “I don’t ever want to speak to you again. Is that clear?”
Fighting his instinctive reaction, Kai met her glare and nodded. He wanted to tell her he was sorry. To explain that he’d been trying to protect her and that he’d never stopped loving her. But he couldn’t, for all the reasons that he’d never told her the depth of his feelings in the first place. And she was right. He couldn’t push her away one day and then kiss her like it was his privilege the next.
“Good. Then let’s go back to Gwen.” She was fighting to keep her voice steady. He could hear it. But he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he merely placed his palm on her shoulder, ignoring the way her skin warmed his hand, and called upon his power again.
When this mission was over, he was going to have to let go of Belle for good. Even if it meant leaving the armada, too. He owed that much to her after the terrible way he’d ended things before.
****
Kai hadn’t spoken a word to her since they returned to Gwen. He hadn’t spoken a word at all, actually. Belle hadn’t put that together at first. When they appeared inside their new hotel room, it was immediately apparent that Gwen was once again a little worse for wear after the latest jump. She’d required more healing, and though Belle could sense Kai’s disapproval, she hadn’t been surprised that he neglected to voice it.
She didn’t get suspicious, in fact, until Gwen had suggested they “go do something” and Kai hadn’t argued. He’d silently allowed Belle and Gwen to decide on their options—settling on grabbing a couple of drinks at a bar and maybe playing some pool—and followed them out the door.
The truth was, Belle hadn’t been doing a whole lot of thinking while Gwen suggested options. She’d just randomly said “let’s do that,” and later wished she’d listened better. A bar was a terrible place to go for avoiding demons. But they were nearly there when Belle pointed it out, and Gwen loudly declared she didn’t want to hear it. One glance at Kai had assured Belle she’d get no support from him.
Was he angry with her? He doesn’t have the right to be. Not that that would stop him. He didn’t actually have the right to kiss her and yet he’d done it anyway. Then again, she’d taken her sweet time in stopping him.
But why else would he be so silent? Sure, he could stay out of a conversation about as well as her sister Madelyne could lead one, but this seemed a little extreme. In this he should have an opinion. And she knew him well enough to know what it would be. So if he wasn’t mad at her, then was he mad at himself? For kissing her? Or for agreeing to her demands to leave her alone?
Now you’re just getting your hopes up.
This whole mission was screwing with her head, and her heart, in ways she’d never have anticipated. If she’d known the ways Isabella’s armada would test her, she’d probably have decided against working with them. Ha. No, you wouldn’t. No, she’d been too full of anger and spite to have seen the reason in refusing the job then. She’d known Kai was in the armada; known there was a good chance they’d cross paths. She’d accepted because of that. Because she’d thought she wanted to hurt him. Or haunt him. To rub in his face that she was a survivor, that he hadn’t destroyed her, that she could make decisions for herself that didn’t have a damned thing to do with him.
Only that last part wasn’t true. That decision had everything to do with him. She’d been lying to herself then. She suspected she
She leaned back as if he’d threatened her. “Excuse me? What kind of bullshit answer is that?”
“The best one I have,” he confessed.
He never expected her to smack him. His head swung to the side, and his cheek stung angrily, burning for several seconds. Echoing not only her anger but his interior rage at this ridiculous situation.
“When this mission is over,” Belle began, her voice steady, “I don’t ever want to speak to you again. Is that clear?”
Fighting his instinctive reaction, Kai met her glare and nodded. He wanted to tell her he was sorry. To explain that he’d been trying to protect her and that he’d never stopped loving her. But he couldn’t, for all the reasons that he’d never told her the depth of his feelings in the first place. And she was right. He couldn’t push her away one day and then kiss her like it was his privilege the next.
“Good. Then let’s go back to Gwen.” She was fighting to keep her voice steady. He could hear it. But he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he merely placed his palm on her shoulder, ignoring the way her skin warmed his hand, and called upon his power again.
When this mission was over, he was going to have to let go of Belle for good. Even if it meant leaving the armada, too. He owed that much to her after the terrible way he’d ended things before.
****
Kai hadn’t spoken a word to her since they returned to Gwen. He hadn’t spoken a word at all, actually. Belle hadn’t put that together at first. When they appeared inside their new hotel room, it was immediately apparent that Gwen was once again a little worse for wear after the latest jump. She’d required more healing, and though Belle could sense Kai’s disapproval, she hadn’t been surprised that he neglected to voice it.
She didn’t get suspicious, in fact, until Gwen had suggested they “go do something” and Kai hadn’t argued. He’d silently allowed Belle and Gwen to decide on their options—settling on grabbing a couple of drinks at a bar and maybe playing some pool—and followed them out the door.
The truth was, Belle hadn’t been doing a whole lot of thinking while Gwen suggested options. She’d just randomly said “let’s do that,” and later wished she’d listened better. A bar was a terrible place to go for avoiding demons. But they were nearly there when Belle pointed it out, and Gwen loudly declared she didn’t want to hear it. One glance at Kai had assured Belle she’d get no support from him.
Was he angry with her? He doesn’t have the right to be. Not that that would stop him. He didn’t actually have the right to kiss her and yet he’d done it anyway. Then again, she’d taken her sweet time in stopping him.
But why else would he be so silent? Sure, he could stay out of a conversation about as well as her sister Madelyne could lead one, but this seemed a little extreme. In this he should have an opinion. And she knew him well enough to know what it would be. So if he wasn’t mad at her, then was he mad at himself? For kissing her? Or for agreeing to her demands to leave her alone?
Now you’re just getting your hopes up.
This whole mission was screwing with her head, and her heart, in ways she’d never have anticipated. If she’d known the ways Isabella’s armada would test her, she’d probably have decided against working with them. Ha. No, you wouldn’t. No, she’d been too full of anger and spite to have seen the reason in refusing the job then. She’d known Kai was in the armada; known there was a good chance they’d cross paths. She’d accepted because of that. Because she’d thought she wanted to hurt him. Or haunt him. To rub in his face that she was a survivor, that he hadn’t destroyed her, that she could make decisions for herself that didn’t have a damned thing to do with him.
Only that last part wasn’t true. That decision had everything to do with him. She’d been lying to herself then. She suspected she
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