the silence and it’s as if it awakens me again to my anger.

I scowl. “Altair.”

He rises to his full height and I notice his tunic is loose, exposing his chiseled and handsome chest. I clear my throat, dragging my eyes away from his lean frame and back to his magnetic eyes. I close the door softly behind me, so I don’t alarm his guards. It’s just the two of us in the cluttered room, the walls lined with bookcases.

“What are you doing here?” He asks, brows furrowed. “How did you get here? I thought you were with Thal?”

“I needed to see you. I need you to explain something to me,” I say harshly. I narrow my eyes.

His gaze darts to my bloodstained hand and he gives me a knowing smile. “I see.”

“My mother,” I say. His eyes widen for an instant before they go hard. “You knew I’m half-Fae. Is that true?” My voice cracks. “Am I?”

He presses his lips into a thin line and circles the table. I step away from him, bumping into the door. “Verity, I wanted to tell you,” he murmurs, sounding guilty. “But the timing wasn’t right.”

“The timing?” I shake my head, voice quaking with emotion. “How could you use that weak excuse? I had a right to know!”

His hands reach for me, brushing over my arms before I can pull away. “I thought it was for the best.”

I laugh bitterly. “You had no right. You forfeited that right when you chose her! You chose her after I – after we – ”

Altair cups my cheeks, his eyes blazing. My breath catches in my throat as he locks his gaze on mine. “Never think such a thing,” he says fiercely. “Never.”

“But, it’s true,” I whisper, tears brimming in my eyes. “You chose her. You let me – and then you chose her.”

“I had to.” Altair sounds weak, broken. “I had no choice.”

“You could have told me,” I whisper. “You could have told me everything; about my parents, about Erzur, all of it.”

He clutches his forehead, clenching his eyes shut. “I know. I’m sorry.”

I let him pull me towards him, sagging into his chest. His warmth draws me to him, a silent, comforting sensation that eases my pain. I feel a single tear slip down my cheek and wipe it away roughly. Altair strokes my hair lovingly despite the dirt and grease from a week of rough travel. When his hand plays against my waist I feel like my heart might burst. For a week, I’ve pushed away any and all thoughts of him. It’s been too painful. I spent weeks stoking the flames of my love for him in Sadal’s captivity. I felt hope for the first time in months when Altair made love to me so gently that day. And then it was dashed. Dashed and now he’s spit upon me, as if I’m a child in need of protecting.

I push away from him, breathing hard as I feel my anger anew. His brows furrow with confusion. “I’m sorry, Verity, for all of it,” he says.

I know he’s sincere. I can hear it in the lilt of his voice. And that only makes it worse. “I hate you,” I breathe, dropping my gaze to his scuffed boots.

I don’t. I don’t. I could never. And he knows it. He knows how much I hurt. He must. We stand in silence, the short distance between us is overwhelming. Suddenly, his arms close around me again, strong like tree trunks. I squirm, scowling, but he holds fast. My anger flares again and I revel in its power. I open my mouth to curse at him, to curse him, but his lips fall over mine before I can speak.

He kisses me with the fervor of a starving man, and I kiss him back. Shocked for only an instant, every cell in my body leans into him. I throw my arms around him, nails digging into the thin fabric of his tunic. His lips tug at mine, tongue sweeping across my bottom lip sensually. I inhale sharply, desire mingling with my anger to birth a passion in me I’ve never felt before.

Altair has me up against the wall, my back pressed against the cold stone. I arch into him, rolling my groin against his instinctively. He groans, deepening the kiss. Altair’s tongue darts between my lips, tangling with my own. Heat washes through me and I feel my nipples stiffen in response to my desire. God, I need him.

Without thinking, I wrap my legs around his waist. He hoists me off the ground effortlessly, his fingers curling against my ass and caressing it. I pull him closer to me, desperate need fueling my kisses and searching fingers. I can feel his stiff member against my core, and I relish it, desire flooding through me. I feel addicted to him already and I know this will only make it harder to let him go. But I don’t want to. I want to stay here, in his arms, feeling his heat, for the rest of my days.

I moan into his lips and he chuckles. The sound sends a thrill through me. I feel him grin as his elegant fingers play over my chest. There’s little he can do with the leather armor I wear, but I relish his soft touch anyway. Altair nibbles my bottom lip sweetly, teasingly, and I moan as he tugs on it. I want him every single way.

My fingers tangle in his hair, mussing it. He growls into me and I feel the reverberation in my entire body. A pleasant shiver trails down my spine at the sensation and I press tighter against him. He rolls his hips, hands holding me tightly at the waist. Pleasure sweeps through me and I suddenly desperately wish I was wearing less clothes. As if he can read my thoughts, Altair’s fingers dance over the laces holding my leather breeches in place. I inhale sharply, realizing his intentions.

I push him away,

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