Page 32 of A Sanctuary from Shadow
Through my daze, I met Briar’s solicitous expression and saw Uncle Neel’s shade over his bare shoulder. I wrenched away from him and rose to stand, my heart splintering.
“Was any of it real?” I snarled.
Briar goggled, rising as well.
“You and me. It was all just a fucking farce, wasn’t it?”
Gasping, Briar reached for me. “Amy, I promise what you saw outside with Laurel—it wasn’t what it looked like.”
I shirked his hand before he touched me again. “I’m angrier about how it sounded.”
Realization setting in, he scraped his face. “Youheard?”
“As much as I needed to.”
“Fuuuuck,” he growled. “You must have exceptional hearing, even for a Danann.”
“Sorry I didn’t warn you it would be harder to enact my uncle’s schemes with me around.”
“There’s no scheme.”
“So, you didn’t ask me out that first time because my uncle told you to?”
He flinched.
“Answerme!”
“You don’t understand! Yes, I asked you out at your uncle’s suggestion, but he barely has anything to do with it. Iwantedto go out with you!”
I scoffed. Why the fuck would I believe him now?
“Listen to me!” Briar pled. “I’ve loved being with you these past weeks. Every moment.Especiallylast night.”
I cringed at what I’d done with him last night. “You’re so full of shit!”
“No, I’m not.” He clasped his hands, begging. “There’s just so much you don’t know, that I’ve been wanting to tell you for years but haven’t been allowed to!”
I started toward the door. Briar caught me, and this time his gentle touch made my skin crawl.
“Please hear me out.”
“Let me go!” I had to get out of there. If tears were brewing, they were falling. And I’d be damned if they’d do it in his presence.
“Not until you hear everything.” He palmed the back of my wet head. “I’m not your enemy. Neither is your uncle. We care about you—Icare about you more than you realize. I’ve been waiting—for forever, it seems—for you to be ready to be with me.”
He made me sound like a muffin that was too slow to bake.
“Laurel was just a diversion, one that went on far too long. She and I were never going to amount to anything because I knew I was meant to be with you.”
Mist blurred my eyes, and I tried pulling away, but he wouldn’t let me go.
“If you only knew how special you are—” he breathed. “How sweet and kind and funny. If you only realized how everyone else sees you—”
“As Sasquatch.” A tear slipped past my eyelid. “Your nasty girlfriend made that abundantly clear just now.”
“She’s not my girlfriend. I told you—”
“Right,” I snapped. “She was a diversion.”
