Page 83 of Hero of Havoc

“I’m thinking,” she grumbles, continuing on without looking at me, and I can’t stand it.

Instinct tells me to grind us to a halt, force her to listen to me, and find a way to make it all better, but I know in my heart it’s not that simple. Instead, I take her lead, letting my walls fall further.

It’s only when the wind whips around my face that I realize she’s brought us over to the cliff’s edge, where the pathway leads down to the beach. For some reason, I had assumed we were heading toward the dorms.

“What are we doing?” I ask, and she scoffs.

“I’m still thinking, and you’re keeping your mouth shut,” she retorts, holding my hand tighter as she starts to navigate down the side of the cliff, but I quickly maneuver us so I’m walking on the outer side of the path, protecting her instead of the other way around.

Reaching the sand, she releases my hand and makes quick work of slipping her shoes and socks off, leaving them tucked at the base of the cliff before she heads toward the water. In awe of her, I quickly do the same, lingering back a step or two so I can watch her.

Her hair flutters in the wind as she tries and fails to tuck it behind her ears. Giving up, she shakes her jacket off, folding it neatly and placing it on the sand right on the edge of where the sea laps at the shore. Her tie follows before she wades into the water, stopping when it hits her knees.

Captivated, I follow suit, watching as she tilts her face up to the sun.

Coming to a stop at her side, I roll my jaw, trying to ease the tension, but it’s futile.

“Are you okay?” I breathe, and she glances at me out of the corner of her eye.

“Are you ready for the real weight of that answer?”

No. I nod.

She purses her lips before she speaks. “Don’t ever take that tone with me again. I’ve spent my entire life having people talk to me like that, and I’m not going to stand for it going forward.”

“I’m sorry, I⁠—”

“I’m not done.” She turns her full attention to me this time, and I nod, silently encouraging her to proceed.

“What you just did to Silas was embarrassing, uncomfortable, and derogatory.” She shakes her head as if replaying the scene in her mind, still in disbelief. “And I hate that you did it.” Another nod, but I keep my lips sealed as she sighs. “I also hate that I understand.”

My eyebrows pinch together as I stare at her. “You understand?” I dare to breathe when the silence stretches between us, and it’s her turn to nod.

She glances out at the horizon, brushing her hair back off her face once again as she rubs her lips together. “The minute that asshole called you useless, I think I was about to burn him alive,” she admits, and my jaw falls slack.

“I’m sorry,” I rasp, and she shakes her head.

“I don’t want your apology; I want you to let me help you figure it out because I’m done having our fucked up parents mess with everything else in our lives. Silas shouldn’t be able to get under your skin like that. Francesca shouldn’t be able to bring me to my knees again and again. It ends if we make it end.”

Exhaling, I drag my hand down my face. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Neither do I,” she admits. “But that shouldn’t stop us from trying. If we want to survive the carnage that continues to crowd us, then we need to be focused and unwavering. We’re never going to achieve anything if we act like that.”

I hate that she’s right.

I love it too.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, and she rolls her eyes.

“Stop apologizing. Or if you are going to apologize, say it to yourself.”

Spinning on the spot, I turn her to face me, capturing her waist in my hands as the gentle waves brush over our legs. Her hands lift to my chest, and I smile.

It’s panicked, tragic, and filled with sorrow, but I wear it anyway.

Leaning in, she doesn’t back away, not even when the tip of my nose ghosts across hers. If anything, she moves toward me, and it’s impossible to confirm who takes the lead when our lips collide.

Soft, effortless, and intertwined with care, our mouths meld together, again and again and again. My fingers find their way into her hair, tipping her head back slightly as she clings to me.