Page 85 of Dark Rebel's Fortune

In fact, she couldn't remember if she'd ever smiled at him, or he at her.

There was a long pause before Din responded. "It wasn't just a few smiles, Fenella. You were full of life in a way that made everything else seem dull by comparison. But you're right—I don't truly know you. That's why I'm flying over. To find out if the woman you've become might be interested in the man I am now."

"Look," she said finally, softening her tone. "I think we should start afresh. No expectations basedon the past. Just two people getting to know each other now."

"That's all I'm asking for," Din said. "A chance."

"Yeah, I get that." She tried to sound just the right amount of excited but mostly indifferent. "So, Professor Din, tell me about this animosity between you and Max. Was it really because of me?"

Din's laugh was short and without humor. "No, it was because of him and the insensitive, selfish ass he was."

"I take it you're still not fans of each other?"

"We made our peace after he called me with the good news," Din said. "But there was a time when I couldn't stand the sight of him."

"Because of me?" Fenella prompted.

"Because he was supposed to be my friend, but he pursued you, knowing how I felt about you. You didn't know, so it wasn't your fault, but he did, and he didn't care that he was crushing me."

"He left me the moment he realized how you felt, and then I became sick, and after that, I started noticing strange things about myself that I couldn't explain. The truth is that you both screwed me over with your stupid games."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh well, so is he. But this girl is the one who suffered."

He sighed. "I promise to make it up to you."

"You can't. There is no fixing everything that went wrong with my life, the family I had to leave behind,the nomadic life I had to live. While you and Max were indulging in your stupid grudge."

She didn't know why she was getting so angry all of a sudden. Up until Max had told her what had happened to her, she hadn't known who to blame for her transformation, and after, she didn't really have time to process it and get angry at the two idiots who'd ruined her life but had also given her immortality, so she couldn't be entirely pissed at them.

"Fifty years is nothing for an immortal," Din said. "I realize that it hasn't been easy for you, but you can live like a queen from now on."

"It was a lifetime to me," Fenella countered. "I've lived a dozen different lives since then. Been a dozen different people."

"And who are you now?" Din asked.

Fenella hesitated. "I'm still figuring that out. But I know who I don't want to be—a pawn in a stupid testosterone contest between you and Max."

"That's fair," Din conceded. "And for what it's worth, Max and I are okay with each other now. No more contests. He told me that he found his one and only."

"Yeah. That takes the fun out of the whole feud between you."

"What is she like?"

Fenella laughed. "Why? Do you want to fight over Kyra now?"

"Can you stop doing that? I'm just curious aboutthe female who's caught Max in her net. He's such a butterfly."

"Kyra is amazing. A strong woman. A warrior. He doesn't deserve her, but neither do you."

"Ouch."

"Yeah." She let out a breath. "Sorry about snapping at you. I don't know why I'm so irritable. Let's talk about archeology. It's safer."

"I love it," Din said, warming to the subject. "There's nothing quite like holding something in your hands that hasn't been touched by anyone else in thousands of years. Makes you feel connected to the sweep of history."

"I never thought about it that way," Fenella admitted. "I've spent so much time running from the past, I never considered digging it up on purpose."