The man took her other hand and kissed her knuckles, an action meant to deliberately disrespect Edmund as Duncan barely even looked at him. He stayed where he was, acting unbothered as the man turned and hastened his way out of there. When his energy was gone, Edmund felt his shoulders slump. But it wasn’t over yet, so he tugged Alexa’s hand until she followed his route out of the forest, and they made their way through the streets without getting trailed. Close to her apartment neighborhood, he pulled her inside a boutique and finally turned to face her.
“So, what was that? Were you going to handle him on your own without help from your clan or your brother?”
She looked up, braced for it and as stubborn as they came. “Yes.”
“What about me? How long was I going to be in the dark? Would I never have found out about his return if I hadn’t come here and seen it with my eyes?”
Hurt slithered in at the answer that was clear on her face, but he gulped down the emotion.
“Yes…no. I don’t know. It’s not like I expected him to corner me in my workplace. Everything else had to be improvised.”
“He came to your workplace?” He took a step forward. She took a step back until her back was pressed against a building’s wall. “Last night. You knew he was back since last night and never said a thing.”
“As I said, I had to improvise.” Her chin lifted. “That included convincing him that I couldn’t miss work and he could wait if he needed to speak to me that badly. So, he waited.”
“And you took him close to your territory to imply that it’s where your son has always been residing,” he concluded. “Somewhere he can’t easily get into, and he’s aware of it. So, why lie to us?”
“I didn’t want my brother to panic and do something rash. He tends to do so when it comes to the protection of his loved ones.” She avoided his gaze. “I didn’t want you to be even more involved than you already are.”
“And that’s where you are mistaken,” he countered, unable to hide the anger in his tone. “I’m already involved. We have been playing house, and you have let me into your life, Alexa…your bed. Your son’s life. We have gotten closer over the weeks, and don’t you dare deny that there are feelings in the mix.”
“Then maybe we shouldn’t have done any of that,” she said. The words pierced his heart, but even more so what followed. “We got carried away. I’m not ready. We should stop this madness before we both regret it.”
“I won’t regret it,” he said, feeling frustration rise at where this conversation was heading and the fearsome ending that seemed to be on the horizon. “Alexa, how can I regret it when I’m in love with—”
“Don’t,” she cut in, slipping away from the wall and his grasp. She shook her head vigorously and gaped at him with haunted eyes, refusing to acknowledge his words. “Don’t say things you don’t mean, and don’t make this any harder for us.”
Oh, it hurt, like being stabbed with a knife and unable to get it out. He gritted his teeth and tried to come to terms with the truth that she wasn’t ready…then, refused to just let it go like that.
“Fine. You need space. I will give you that. But this is not over, not when I know there’s something there inside you that feels something for me, too.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it. She nodded and walked away, and Edmund was left with a feeling of hollowness that made it difficult to take in air. He watched her back and their surroundings, then made sure she reached her apartment without being traced. Then Edmund doubled back towards his art studio, his mind a whirl and his fingers itching to let it all out before it consumed him.
The painting was messy, but he unleashed colors he had never used before and filled up every space until his head was blank and no more ruminations of Alexa and the way she hurt him came to the forefront. Hours passed. When he was done, he stepped back, breathing hard to scrutinize the colors, and knew without a doubt that it was his best piece yet.
It didn’t give him any joy, however. When the adrenaline rush was gone, he felt numb all over again as he kept looking at the painting, wishing he could share it with the one person who would see through it and appreciate it. Instead, he set it to the side, not wanting to look at it anymore.
Edmund wept over the loss of something special and wished it was as easy as charming other people when it came to convincing the person he loved to trust with her heart again.
Chapter 15
“Are you sure you are okay here on your own, Alexa?” Charlie asked for the nth time, brows furrowed and ready to drop everything without hesitation. Alexa eyed his school books and folders, projects that he had labored over through the night.
“Sure. I promise I’m okay,” she said, shooing him away. “Go to school and do your thing.”
“And if your loser of an ex shows up?”
“He’s handled. He can’t touch our clan and won’t dare bring trouble there. Now, as long as you follow my instructions….”
“Don’t visit the clan for now and lead him here. Make sure I’m not being followed when I get back to the apartment,” he recited. “I got it, sis. Stay safe. Text me when there’s trouble.”
She nodded and watched her brother leave, then dealt with her nerves by getting busy around the house. That included making calls to inform her workplace that she wouldn’t be returning to work in the meantime, a decision that hurt but was necessary.
“Hey, there. What do you want to do today?”
“I don’t know, mama. Why can’t I make things fly and light up again?”
The pleading in her son’s tone squeezed her chest, so she crouched down until they were at eye level and massaged his shoulders. “Because your magic is very important and there are bad guys after it now. If you use it, they will find out and search for you, and they can hurt you and Charlie in the process. Do you want Charlie to get hurt?”