Page 72 of Interion

I lost my balance, staggering to the right. Apparently, I couldn’t stay on my feet without support. I thought of the bond and met Zion’s murderous expression.

“You were the one shaking it. That’s how you saw, isn’t it?”

“How was I supposed to ignore it? After you practically flooded the bond with desire for other people.”

I laughed again and raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Are you jealous, General?”

Now he looked like he wanted to tear the house apart.

“How could you grind on other people? You have a partner. Did you even think about that?”

“I have a partner? Wow! Now I’m really shocked!” I exclaimed, clapping a hand over my mouth for dramatic effect. The alcohol hadn’t just stripped away my shame—it had taken my judgment too. “I thought you made it perfectly clear I don’t have a partner. But it didn’t matter anyway. You were never anything more than a stranger in my life. And speaking of consideration, what right do you have to say that? What consideration have you shown me all these years?”

Now I was the one spitting fire.

“And what did you expect from me? A fairy tale? You already knew everything, Kyller. I never promised you romance—I promised you a safe life. But you like putting that at risk.”

“I never agreed to any of this, man! You never asked what I really wanted, how I felt. I don’t want a fairy tale! I want to be a normal girl!”

“You can’t be any of that if you’re dead! Tonight you almost died because of some damn party drowning in booze and depravity. Is that what you wanted?”

“Tonight I almost died because you made me leave the party and go out into the street alone!” I shouted back, jabbing a finger at his chest.

“How dare you kiss other people? How dare you test my self-control like that?” he said, stepping closer. I felt danger caressing my skin, almost as if it were something physical and hungry.

“How dare you forbid me from having a normal life?”

I faced him, chin tilted up. We were inches from touching, and the air grew heavy.

“Listen here, Kyller. Things don’t work like that for a...”

“No, you listen here!” I cut him off mid-sentence. “Do you really think I’m going to spend my whole life huddled in this creepy huge house, all alone, waiting for you to come back someday and say this time you’re staying? Zion, I waited five damn years, and this shit bond keeps insisting I’ll only be complete by your side. I proposed a friendship—” I ranted, poking his chest angrily, “—so we could have some kind of interaction, some relief from the emptiness. But you don’t make it easy. You come and go like I’m supposed to wait forever. You lie, you hide things, you leave me in the dark, you leave me alone. I don’t want this. I’m tired of you and all this silence.”

I pushed him toward the door.

“Go away. I can’t stand another minute of this.”

I flattened my palms against the wall of his chest and pushed. He didn’t even budge.

“You said the house is mine, so now I’m claiming it. Go away and leave me alone. Wasn’t that what you always wanted? Distance?”

“I’m not leaving. Not while you’re this out of control. Not until you take a shower and wash that smell off your skin,” he said, not moving an inch. I kept pushing, but it was useless.

“Oh, you’re leaving all right. One way or another, Zion. And you’ll only set foot in this house when you actually decide to stay. And only if I want you to!”

He grabbed my hands, forcing me to stop. His hands were enormous around my wrists. We were so close I could see the green flecks in his blue eyes.

“If you don’t stop this insanity, I’ll throw you in the shower myself. I’ve never seen a fae stink this bad.”

My cheeks flushed, but I kept pushing and he still wouldn’t budge. I felt him inhale, scenting me, and his eyes grew darker.

“You wouldn’t dare,” I hissed through gritted teeth, throwing all my weight into it.

“I don’t bluff, Kyller,” he said, unyielding, as a crooked smile spread across his lips.

My blood boiled at that smile. Zion had no idea what war he was starting. I quickly executed the move he’d taught me in our last class—twisting my wrist until I found a pressure point on his forearm, then squeezing hard to break free. I threw myself backward and shoved him away. By the time Zion realized what was happening, I was already at a safe distance. I snapped my fingers twice and the barrier responded, turning blue, ready to obey my command.