Page 252 of The Throne Seeker

Tristan choked back tears, pacing again. “How am I supposed to do that, Rosalie?” he yelled, his hands balling into fists. “How?!”

“It’s just my siren making it harder for you to let go,” she said, not knowing if it was true or false. “You wouldn’t be acting this way if it wasn’t.”

He gave a heartless laugh, withdrawing from her. He went to the bottle of alcohol on the nightstand and took a swig.

Without warning, he threw the bottle across the room, shattering the glass.

She jumped at the crash.

“Why?” Tristan screamed. “Why couldn’t you love me how I loved you? You should have cared! Your heart should have bled out the way mine did. Your body should’ve ached like mine did when you left! You have no idea what it feels like to see the love of your life entirely and utterly fine without you!”

Her vision blurred at the confession. Tristan calling her the love of his life hit harder than she wanted it to. But he talked about pain like she didn’t have any.

She had lost him, too.

He took a small step closer. “I’ll tell you why. Because you never truly loved me… and that…” His voice drifted off, defeated. “That will be the end of me.”

Her blood boiled.

Howdarehe?

“I neverlovedyou?” she echoed in a dangerously calm tone. “Do you know how it felt to see you get married before my eyes? To feel so sick my entire insides were exiting my body? Do you even know what that did to me?”

“You told me you wouldn’t have been with me either way! You wanted me to be king!” He pointed an accusatory finger at her.

“I wanted you to be king because I knewyouwanted to be king.” She jabbed her finger back at him. “And don’t stand there and pretend you didn’t.”

“I wanted you!” he bellowed. He dove his hand behind her head, taking a fistful of her hair as he drew her in close, lowering his voice. “When are you going to get it through that fucking beautiful head of yours?” His frustrated expression was almost annoyed. “It’salwaysbeen you. If I had a choice between you and a million things I’ve ever wanted, I would chooseyou.”

She knew it was true.

But the time was gone and passed.

“There are things I should’ve done differently,” she admitted, “but this has turned into a blood sport, Tristan… We keep hurting each other, and I’m done with it.”

He let go of her, his face contorting with anger. “Then why are you here? Why even come?”

“Because yourwifewas worried about you,” she snapped.

He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

Rose’s eyes fluttered, not expecting his tone to be so soft.

He closed the space between them. “You came because deep down, you still feel something for me.” His lips moved to hover over her neck, brushing them lightly against her skin. “You came because, despite everything your lips are saying, your eyes tell me otherwise. You want me to have you, like I promised.” His arms snaked around her waist. “You want me to take you on that bed and worship you so exquisitely, you’ll forget anyone else in the world exists.”

Tristan’s words terrified her as her siren screamed in victory—celebrating.

A wave of his desire streamed its way into her veins. The most powerful man in Cathan lusting after her not only empowered her—itfueledher.

Her siren’s claws sharpened, ready to take his soul.

Rose fought it back, throwing every chain she could at it. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t right to desire someone so clearly wrongfor her. Not when she had someone for whom she cared more than anyone else. It was greedy.

At that moment, Rose knew her siren would be her worst enemy.

For eternity.

Tristan saw the internal conflict in her hesitation. He lowered his lips, hovering over hers. “Admit it,” he demanded.