Page 48 of Thorns of Blood

“If you want a different one?—”

“It’s fine,” she cut in, a hint of rose tinting her cheeks.

Something was off, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“About what?”

“Whatever has you upset.”

“Ha. We’ll be here all day if we start that.” Her lips curled. “And I’d rather learn to swim.”

“So you can jump into the ocean and escape again?”

“Maybe.”

A smile ghosted her full lips. It was the first one I’d seen on her, and suddenly, it felt like being struck by Cupid. I might’ve been infatuated with the Liana I met eight years ago, but getting to know the woman she wasnowwas knocking me off my feet.

“All those tattoos on your back. We’ll find a way to do them,” I vowed. “Why the daffodils and bare feet?”

She shrugged, the goosebumps on her slim shoulders spreading down her arms. “Daffodils symbolize rebirth andhope, but also resilience. One day I’ll walk barefoot in a field of them, stronger than ever.”

I knew she was waiting for a reaction, some reason to dismiss me, so I treaded carefully, schooling my expression. “And origami?”

“I want to become an expert at making them.”

My brow furrowed. “Why?”

She tilted her head, looking out into the distance. “Did you know that people used to believe folding a thousand paper cranes fulfilled wishes?”

“No,” I admitted. Kian’s words rang in my ears.She’s broken.I hadn’t known her long, but I could probably guess what she’d wish for.

“Lia?” Her head whipped my way. “Is it okay if I call you Lia?”

“I suppose.”

“I will never hurt you or hold you back, Lia,” I told her gently, hoping she could see the sincerity in my eyes.

“Are you sure?” She took a step toward me but stopped halfway. She was someone who liked to keep her distance, not that I could blame her after all she’d been through.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

She let out a sad sigh, the kind that could shred a man’s soul into tiny little pieces.

“You’re holding me back now,” she said fiercely. The seeds of self-doubt sprouted. “You clipped my wings. Just like the rest of them.”

The conviction in the soft slopes of her face cracked through my chest. I was so blatantly wrong for her.

But infatuation was a selfish fiend like that.

EIGHTEEN

LIANA

Life kept throwing curveballs my way, but this latest one seemed different than all the others. I felt way out of my depth.

After Giovanni uttered that promise not to hurt me, I was forced to admit that he could be different. Yes, he’d technically kidnapped me. Yes, he’d left me with little option but to marry him. But it was different because despite all the opportunities to hurt me physically, he hadn’t.

In fact, he seemed to go out of his way to be… nice. Patient.