Shadowburn (2)

Chapter 25

Andreas kissed Sin's cheek, and Thorn vanished from her head in a storm of helpless anger and jealousy. She sighed faintly and took Andreas' hand, leading him from the room. Once they were out of hearing range of the Fae, safely sequestered in Andreas' room, she snicked the door shut and clicked her tongue at him.

"You really shouldn't provoke him like that."

He sighed wearily. "I honestly was not trying to provoke him. If I want to kiss you, I am going to kiss you whether he's in the room or not. If he doesn't like it, he can leave."

Sin hated herself for feeling a thrill at his possessive words. She smiled and walked toward their bed, taking his wrist to pull him along with her. "He doesn't see it that way."

"Not my problem."

She glanced at him as she sat on the edge of the bed, removing her boots. She wanted the two of them to get along--but it was obviously not going to happen. So she just shrugged. "But it is mine. He's trying to leave it be--it's hard for him. And it hurts him. I hate to see that."

She tossed her boots aside and snuggled under the covers, tucking the baby dragon under her arm.

"What better way for him to get over you than to see that you are in love with someone else? Babying him isn't going to help anything. He'll delude himself into a false hope that maybe you'd change your mind. And that would be even more damaging. Sure, it hurts now. But you'd rather have him hurt now, than to keep thinking he has a chance."

Andreas fell onto the bed, flopping onto his back beside her even as he kicked off his boots. She tugged at the covers until he moved enough to let her pull them over him. He sounded exhausted, and his eyes were already closed as she snuggled into his side, Ember curled comfortably between them. He pulled her more tightly into his arms, and she shifted Ember to make sure the baby dragon didn't get squished--he made an adorable sound bordering on protest as she did, but she just kissed his head in response.

"Trust me, he knows there is no chance. He's inside my head, remember?"

"Even so, he still holds out hope that you'll tire of me. You can see it in his eyes. He hasn't given up yet."

"No, he hasn't," she agreed, because she'd seen it in his head. "But I've asked him to, and that's what I meant when I said he's trying. He's just not very good at it." She tossed an arm over his torso, snuggling closer to him as she closed her eyes.

"Which is why he needs the encouragement."

Sin chuckled faintly, feeling a wave of tiredness sweep over her. She hadn't been weary before, but she'd gone through quite a bit that day, and the warmth and contentment she felt curled up against Andreas were making it all catch up to her.

She hadn't been lying when she said she slept better with him, even if the words had been hard to say--hard to admit.

"You may be right," she murmured, her tone bordering on sleepy.

She felt his lips brush against her cheek. "I always am."

She chuckled again, shaking her head a little. "I don't believe it."

But she got no response, as both he and Ember had already succumbed to sleep. Sin blanked her mind--absently placing a block around her link with Thorn to keep him out while she slept--and followed them into Mithos' realm.

*****

He couldn't remember the last time she'd blocked him like that.

Sitting at the table, staring at a plate of food that he had no interest in, Thorn struggled to control himself. She had said that things wouldn't change--but they had. She'd changed. Because of him.