Threads of Fate

Chapter 43 ~ A Thousand Words Felt

Azael was granted privacy for a little more than half an hour, much longer than he had expected. In fact, he'd been in a hurry to bathe himself right after getting in, just in case someone else came to make use of the washroom's facilities. He only lingered now because no one had, and he was trying to give Tissaia as much time as possible while also sorting through his flustered thoughts. The images she had placed in his head today...

He blinked them away before they could take shape and torment him further. It was too soon to be considering anything of that nature...wasn't it? And besides, her brother would be right next door, and he didn't doubt for a moment that the male knew Tissaia had lied about their bedroom furnishings.

Azael closed his eyes, combing his fingers back through his drying hair, and a hesitant smile tugged at his lips. He had wanted to hold her again ever since the first time, and it seemed she must want that too if she was willing to share a bed with him. That would be enough. Simply holding her throughout the night and ensuring she was safe.

Azael lifted his head from the rim of the tub, hearing someone enter the washroom. He glanced over his shoulder and around the half-wall that gave him the illusion of privacy. But it wasn't a Human he saw in the doorway. Talarion nudged the door shut and strode over to him.

He arched a brow as Talarion paused beside the wall and leaned his hip against it, folding his arms across his chest. "Can I help you?"

The male's answer came in a gruff tone. "I know exactly what kind of shit Tissaia is pulling."

Azael bit back a groan and somehow resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I suspected as much. If you've come to cut my dick off as a precaution, don't bother. I don't intend to do anything untoward."

Talarion chuckled at that. "My sister will make her own choices of that nature regardless of anything I might do or say, and I suspect you will as well. But I've actually come to do the opposite. I've come to tell you to use what's attached to your dick and be the male you claim to be. Be honest with my sister for a change."

He furrowed his brows and crossed his own arms. "I have been honest with her."

"Not completely. She's told me a little bit about what has changed between you two, but I can tell she still has questions and she's still confused about many things. She has no idea what you expect from her although you have made it very clear what you don't want."

"What is she still confused about?"

"Ask her, not me. And when she tells you what she wants to know, be honest with her. She's been hurt more than enough for one lifetime and I'm tired of watching her heart break over and over again because of you. You know it has always been yours. If she were able to give it away, she would've done so long ago." Talarion pushed off the wall and turned abruptly.

Azael leaped for the first defense that came to mind. The only explanation he could offer. "I've only ever tried to protect her."

Talarion paused and looked back, meeting his gaze. "From what, Azael? You say this, and yet you're the one who's been breaking her all these years." He flinched at the words, even as he recognized the truth in them.

"She doesn't know what you want from her, and neither do you, so maybe it's time to think about something else. What does she need from you, and what are you willing to give her?" He left without another word, and this time, Azael didn't stop him.

He mulled over the words as he emerged from the tub, and dried and dressed himself. As much as he hated to admit it, Talarion was right. He was the one who had been breaking Tissaia for the past centuries. Chipping away at her indomitable spirit one harsh word at a time, and he had only recently begun to try to make it right. But he could do more. As he'd told her this morning, he couldn't promise to make her his Queen. Not yet.