Page 50 of Vengeance and Vipers

‘I thought I’d find you here.’

I shriek at the voice, throwing the book I’m holding at the speaker as I scramble back. I didn’t hear the door.

Axel catches the book and takes a step back. I try to get myself under control while I level him with an accusatory look.

‘Sorry, I thought you’d have heard me come in.’

‘Well, I didn’t,’ I reply breathlessly as I crawl out of the reading nook, a feat made that much harder by yet another of the long, expensive dresses that have appeared in my closet.

I stand up and take my book back from him, careful not to touch his skin.

‘Sorry,’ I mumble.

‘No, Jules, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for what happened in the Mountain. I wanted to tell you that. I tried to wait, to give you some space after everything and let you come to me. But you’ve been avoiding us.’

I don’t let the cringe out when he mentionseverythingso casually.

‘It’s fine,’ I say. ‘I understand. You needed to get out of there, and I knew how. I would have done the same.’

I give him a polite smile and side-step him in an attempt to escape the room.

He frowns. ‘I don’t think you understand.’

He steps closer, boxing me in, and I move back, feeling the ledge of the reading nook at the back of my knees.

‘I’m not sorry for what happened between us …’ He rubs his temples. ‘Well, I am sorry for how it happened. You deserved better than what I … What I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry for not seeing what Maddox was up to, for letting myself get drugged and not being able to help you, save you. We tried to get back, but Maddox wouldn’t let us leave.’

I look up at him, trying to take in his rambling apology, getting angry with myself because his pretty words have already begun to make me think he really cares. What is wrong with me? I know better than this.

‘I’m not a princess, Axel, and you’re not a white knight. I got myself out of the Mountain fine. You don’t have anything to beat yourself up about. I didn’t need you.’

The last part makes him wince, but I press on.

‘And let’s just call apples, apples. The time we spent together in the Mountain was just a way of passing the time for me and a way of getting out for you.’ I shrug. ‘I don’t hold a grudge. It meant nothing. I’ll be telling Jayce the same thing if I see him before I leave.’

‘You’re leaving?’ he asks.

‘As soon as I’m able.’

He frowns like that’s the last thing he expected. ‘You can’t mean that.’

His hand cups my cheek, and my eyes widen in panic before I realize that there’s not that sharp spike of lust that I felt with Daemon and Maddox. Instead, all I feel is his misery as our physical connection makes the faint tendrils between us that I buried in the dungeon flare to life.

I push them away again, the act making me want to burst into tears.

‘I do mean it. Stay away from me.’

His sadness intensifies and merges with what might well be my own deep despair. My lower lip wobbles, and I bite it, but that doesn’t help. I feel as if I could start sobbing at any moment and never stop. I don’t want to know how he’s feeling, how I’m making him feel. I’m hurting him, but it’s not real. It can’t be. This is a trick because they want something from me.

They’re stuck at the chateau, and they’re going to need to feed. That’s what he wants, and he’ll do and say anything to get it since the lull won’t work.

I need to get away from him before I cave and give him what he wants, before I do exactly what I did in the Mountain and let myself pretend that they give a fuck about me when it’s so obvious they don’t.

I don’t look at him as I sidle past and leave the room quickly, glad when he doesn’t follow me.

Why are there tears in my eyes?

I blink them away, wanting to go back and tell him that none of that was true, but I can’t. I need to follow the rules. I need to get out of here with the prospect of …