“Then why did you buy me?”
His gaze burned into her with a malice that actually scared her. “You’re the one who was sleeping with Kere, correct?”
Zarya didn’t dare answer. Even now, after everything she’d suffered because of him, she refused to betray his trust. Why? She had no idea.
Actually that wasn’t true. She knew why. If nothing else in her life, she was loyal. Even when it was stupid.
Maris tsked at her. “Oh, that look says it all. You are definitely the one I need.” He took her arm and started forward. “Come with me.”
Zarya refused to blindly follow him or anyone else until she had more information. She stopped dead in her tracks. “Where are you taking me?”
“To save my best friend’s life.”
She felt as if they were speaking two entirely different languages. So much for having learned Universal. “I don’t understand.”
He pinned her with a warning glower as he let go of her arm. “You and your little rebel friends have destroyed the best man I have ever known. You took a noble, kind hero and turned him into a self-serving beast who is bent on total annihilation of everyone around him, including himself. So it only stands to reason that ye who broke him, might be the one to fix him.”
Those words made her see red. “If you mean Darling, he’s the one who sold me. I don’t ever want to see him again. I’m done. You hear me? No one treats me the way he has. No one.” What she wanted to do was beat him until he hurt as much as she did.
“And I’m the one who bought you, which means you will do what I say.” He tried to pull her forward.
Shaking her head, she refused to be budged. “You send me to him and I will kill him for this.”
“I seriously doubt that, sweetheart. Over the last month, I’ve seen him take down six League High Commanders without breaking a sweat. Three of them attacked him at once. And you don’t want to know how many of their assassins he’s killed in total. It’s actually kind of scary when you think about it.”
That she didn’t doubt. She’d seen with her own eyes just how skilled Kere was in a fight.
And Maris was right. In spite of her skills that were superlative, she was no match for him… which brought out a whole new fear. “He’ll kill me.”
Maris shrugged nonchalantly. “So he kills you. So what? If he gets five seconds of pleasure from either screwing you or killing you, then I’m happy.”
Yes, but she wouldn’t be.
Disbelief over his attitude flooded her. “Are you out of your mind?”
“No, but Darling is.” Maris glared at her as if he wanted to beat her as much as she wanted to strangle his friend. “Did you ever really love him? Tell me the truth.”
She started not to answer, but for some reason, she couldn’t keep it in. “More than my life.”
“And now?”
Zarya tried to stamp down her tears, but against her will, they swam in her eyes as she thought about Kere and everything they’d had.
Everything she’d lost.
There were so many tender memories. So many nights of laughter over their links. Sharing their dreams and hopes.
Their deepest fears…
No matter how bad she felt, he’d always made her smile. Just the sound of his voice, the smallest whiff of his skin, set her on fire.
She’d never felt for anyone what she felt for him.
But he’d betrayed her. He’d thrown her away like she was nothing, condemned her to this hole without a single regret or thought.
That was unforgivable. She wasn’t trash to be discarded the moment it became unpleasant.
Still, her emotions were tangled where he was concerned, and they weren’t simple. How could she love and hate someone as much as she did him? And all at the same time. It didn’t make sense.
Despising herself, hating her situation, and none too pleased with Darling or Maris, she sighed. “I honestly don’t know. Yes, I still love him. I hurt for him and I’m so mad, I could stomp him into the ground, and laugh while I do it. He’s hurt me worse than anyone ever has.”
One black brow shot north as if he couldn’t believe her words. “You? You were hurt?”
“Yes.”
He looked at her as if she repulsed him. “Are you in total denial or are you really that stupid? Or are you just that selfish? Please tell me. I have to know.”
Anger pierced her over his condemnation when he didn’t know anything about her. “Excuse me?”
“My God, woman, how can you talk to me about your hurt after what you put Darling through? Really?” He paused before he added another, “Really?”
A bad feeling washed over her. He wouldn’t be this angry without a good reason. Would he?
What did he know that she didn’t?