Page 26 of Wedded to the Deviant Duke (Duke Wars #2)

CHAPTER 26

T halia paced between her bed and her small pile of suitcases, some partially filled with her possessions while others remained untouched. It felt like mere moments ago, a fire burned in her chest to be rid of this place, and she nurtured that flame through the act of packing her things.

Half-folded gowns had been tossed without care, followed soon after by books gently placed within. Thalia’s hand hovered over a small bouquet of wildflowers—a gift from Charlotte, picked earlier that day—and she felt her eyes fill with tears once more.

“What am I doing?” she asked, returning to her bed’s side before dropping across it. Her burning desire had since diminished into a small smolder, a gentle glow of coals that needed effort to maintain.

But Thalia had no desire to put in said effort, and instead curled up against the plush of her bed, staring above at the silken curtains and wood-carved canopy. “Why did I say all those terrible things?”

She knew in her heart that Gabriel had been wounded by her words. And some small, disgusting part of her enjoyed that idea quite thoroughly. A modicum of control in her life, at the expense of a man’s peace.

“A man who has been nothing but kind to you,” Thalia chided herself. “Who you slandered in front of the entirety of his staff. And in his own home—oh, Thalia Sutton, you’ve really done it this time.”

She groaned, arm stretching across the mattress as she snatched her pillow and buried her face deeply. Maybe she packed in fear that Gabriel would send her away tonight. Maybe she hoped he retaliated in such a manner, to prove her cutting words held weight.

“Maybe I deserve to be abandoned,” she muttered into the silken pillowcase. “He would be entirely in his right to throw me out.” Thalia fully deserved such a punishment, after the way she acted. She had known from the start their courtship was fake; it was her fault for indulging in the fantasy so carelessly.

Someone knocked gently against her door, and she barely had the strength to lift her head. Slowly, Thalia sat upright and ensured she was decent before calling out an invitation.

“Come in.” She half-expected it to be Charlotte, coming to commiserate with her over their shared revelations. It was well past dinner, of course; perhaps the staff wanted to ensure she wouldn’t wither away. Perhaps Gabriel sent something up out of concern.

“May I, really?”

Thalia’s face flushed with heat, immediately standing upright at the familiar tone. She rushed to cross her room, grasping the door before pulling it open. Sure enough, the spoken-of devil himself stood stiffly in the hall, wearing a night jacket that lingered with the scent of smoke and alcohol.

“Gabri–” Thalia paused, bowing her head slightly. “Y-Your Grace.”

“Gabriel,” he insisted. “I…ask that our familiarity doesn’t deteriorate any further tonight.”

Thalia nodded, stepping aside before bidding him to enter.

“Is that what you truly wish for?”

Her breath hitched, a moment of hesitancy paralyzing her completely. After a beat, Thalia nodded once more, and as Gabriel passed her by, a rush of air escaped her lungs. Gently, she closed the door behind her, standing awkwardly in place as she watched him inspect her space. His gaze clearly lingered on her suitcases, and she cleared her throat to explain herself.

“I wish to apologize,” Gabriel began softly.

Thalia’s mouth hung open, and she closed it quietly.

“You… clearly have not felt as safe as I would have liked, here in my home.” His back remained turned, and he stepped towards her things, picking one of the books out from within the luggage and seemingly inspecting the detailing of the cover. “However it happened—whenever it occurred—I bear responsibility as Duke of Stonewell.”

Thalia blinked, taken aback by the lack of edge in his tone. No. It was far more than that. She’d never heard him sound… remorseful, before. Warm, even.

“I have always felt safe here,” she insisted.

Gabriel shook his head, turning to face her with the book still clutched in his grasp. “That outburst earlier says otherwise.”

“I—I simply was emotional,” Thalia said. “Lingering hysterics from yesterday, perhaps. It wasn’t your fault, I simply–”

“Don’t speak about yourself in such a way.” It was back, but only briefly; that cold, precise tone Gabriel used when trying to intimidate someone. When stalking after his prey. “You treat yourself as badly as your cousin does.”

Once more, Thalia fell silent, wringing her hands as she leaned against the door. “I’m sorry.”

“No, that isn’t–” Gabriel exhaled loudly, starting forward to try and close the distance between them. “Thalia, I don’t want your apologies.”

“Then what do you want?” She asked, feeling her legs grow weaker the closer he drew. Five paces, two paces—he was a mere arm’s length away now, dark eyes burning with a desire to…t o be heard? Understood?

Gabriel sighed, his breath prickling against the exposed parts of her chest. She suddenly felt quite cold in her nightdress, and Thalia wished she had thought to put on some sort of robe.

Without a word, Gabriel shrugged off his outer jacket, gently draping it across her shoulders. Thalia’s fingers grasped at its collar, a familiar earthy scent mixed with smoke warming her core completely. Her cheek brushed against it, and she inhaled deeply.

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and she hastily straightened herself, trying to give the jacket back. Gabriel’s hand gently pressed against her shoulder, ensuring it stayed in place.

“I-I’ll ruin it,” she said through gritted teeth, trying to keep her tears from spilling.

“I don’t care,” Gabriel insisted.

Thalia allowed herself a few tears, wiping her face before speaking once more. “I had no right to speak to you that way. You told me the truth from the start.”

“I did.”

“You said this was to be a ploy to please your sister.”

“It was.”

Thalia’s heart skipped a beat. “Was?”

Gabriel seemed to think long and hard about his next sentence, finger tracing the seam of his jacket while seemingly committing every detail of Thalia’s face to memory.

Those midnight eyes… far more complex than she originally assumed. But, everyone was more complex beyond their walls. Everyone held up a mask for the social masquerade.

“I apologize if my actions toward you muddled our understanding of each other.”

She was holding her breath, hoping—daring to hope—that the conversation wouldn’t go where she thought it might.

“I do not—I did not intend to insinuate your usefulness ended at…” Again, Gabriel sighed, brow furrowed in clear frustration towards himself. It was the first time Thalia had heard him speak so ineloquently. “What happened in the library… that isn’t your only purpose to me.”

Thalia let his words wash over her, wrestling between a desperate desire to believe him, and the stinging ache of distrust. “Why won’t you say it?”

Gabriel fell quiet, unable to hold his gaze with her any longer.

“Charlotte told me,” Thalia continued. “On the way home… she told me you had no intention to marry.”

He looked as if she’d just slapped him across the face.

Gently, Thalia pushed him away, removing the jacket from around her shoulders. “I almost wish you had said otherwise. That you required more from me, that our arrangement simply wasn’t beneficial enough.”

“Thalia.”

“Because, at least that way–” She struggled to keep her voice steady. He had to understand; he had to. “At least that way… I wouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. I wouldn’t have allowed myself to be misled so easily.” Thalia held the jacket outward, forcing her arm not to tremble under its weight. And, after a long, terrible silence shared between them, Gabriel took it back. “I’m sorry I was short with you,” Thalia said.

“I’m… sorry it came to that point at all,” Gabriel replied.

She felt as if she would come undone, there and then. It wasn’t his fault—he wasn’t the reason she’d placed so much emotional trust into him. That wasn’t fair; it wasn’t what he asked from her. Thalia let her next breath burn in her chest, tears blinking free and streaming down her face. Then, she let it out in a rush, forcing herself to face Gabriel one last time.

“The dresses really are lovely, thank you. You have excellent taste.”

Why was he doing this to her? Why couldn’t he go back to that glimmering-eyed predator during Orion’s Hunt? Why couldn’t they be strangers once more?

“I… hope to get a chance to wear them soon.”

Gabriel nodded, taking a step back before donning his coat once more. “I had planned to take you and my sister to an art gallery.”

“I would like that. It would be a nice opportunity to… be seen in public together.”

Silence hung between them after that, and Thalia’s fingers drifted against her neck. It was so choking between them, so lifeless; and he stared at her with those haunting, dark eyes, as if the night sky itself had wanted to share some intimate secret with her. Whatever starlight might’ve been was gone, now; it was for the best.

“Then…” Gabriel gestured toward the door, and Thalia opened it with a gentle twist. He nodded her good night, passing by without so much as a glance. She closed the door once he fully left her room, and only then did her legs finally give out and the tearful sobs came in full, miserable waves.

I wish I could run from you more , she thought. Do anything to lengthen this chase between us.

Before it all came to an end in a little more than a day’s time.