Page 24 of Thunder's Reckoning

Don’t cry.

Don’t you dare cry.

Crying was weakness. Weakness got punished.

I dragged in air like it might steady me, but all I could taste was smoke still clinging to the back of my throat, laughter echoing like a ghost from below. Her laugh. His smile.

It shouldn’t matter. I didn’tknowhim. He owed me nothing. But still, something ugly clawed up through me, something I didn’t have a name for.

I pressed both hands against my ribs, trying to hold myself together.

Inside, Zara stirred, a faint sound through the thin walls, and Malik muttered something in his sleep. My heart twisted. I couldn’t fall apart. Not where they could see. Not where they might think safety was just another lie.

So I breathed. And breathed again. Whispered the old phrases in my head—stand still, be silent, obey—but they rang hollow out here. Out here, there was no Gabrial to satisfy, no fire to appease. Just me. And this new, terrifying pull toward a man who wasn’t mine, wasn’t safe, and had already reminded me exactly how easy it would be to shatter.

My fingers dug deeper into the railing until my knuckles whitened. I told myself it was nothing. That the world downstairs was his world, not mine. That he could smile for whoever he wanted, and I had no right to care.

But the truth pressed in anyway, Ididcare. And that truth scared me worse than anything Gabrial ever did.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

LEENA’S PERFUME WASa goddamn assault, sweetenough to choke a man, clingin’ to my shirt like it had a claim. Her nails scraped down my chest, draggin’ like she owned the skin, like she had some right to mark me. She leaned in, lips too close, breath hot and cherry soaked. Whispered filth curled in my ear, the kind that might’ve done it for me once.

Not tonight.

Tonight, she was just noise. A screech I didn’t wanna hear. Ever since I laid eyes on Sable—those wide, haunted eyes, all that dark hair and quiet that cut deeper than any scream—everyother touch felt wrong. Like tryin’ to sleep in a bed full of sand. Didn’t make a bit of sense, but hell, not everything’s supposed to.

“Thunder, baby,” Leena purred, draggin’ her tongue slow across her lip like she was puttin’ on a damn show. “Let’s go to your office so I can lick you from head to toe.”

“Not tonight.” Came out rough, flat. “Can’t leave the floor.”

“C’mon,” she teased, leanin’ closer, “I promise the boss won’t mind one bit. He may even want to watch.”

And for some reason—hell, maybe it was the sheer stupidity of it, a quick grin tugged at me. Not ‘cause of her, but ‘cause it was ridiculous.

I shoved her off, already gettin’ to my feet when somethin’ twisted in my gut. Movement by the back door. A flicker of dark hair. Eyes that didn’t belong down here in this pit of noise.

Sable.

Shit.

I stood all the way, Leena’s whinin’ nothin’ but static in my ears, and headed for the door. My boots hit the floorboards heavy, warnin’ anyone in my way to move. I shoved the door open, empty hall. A soft click echoed, basement door easin’ shut.

I followed.

Not outta duty. Not even curiosity.

It was the look on her face. Wasn’t shock. It was judgment. And for some damn reason, it got under my skin.

The stairwell was cold, shadows crawlin’ the walls like bad memories. I hit the top, pushed through to the hall, and there she was, standin’ stiff in the pale wash of moonlight through the window. Arms crossed so tight I wondered if she was holdin’ herself together.

“Sable,” I said low, steppin’ out onto the porch. Didn’t wanna spook her.

She didn’t answer at first. When she finally turned, her face was locked down, flat as a closed door.

I tipped my head, narrowed my eyes just a touch. “Why’d you come downstairs?”

Her voice was calm. Too damn calm. “I was curious. You’re right, I shouldn’t have gone down there.”