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22
"Impressive," Nox said as he held the heart up to the light. Harley and Dustin had returned to her home only to find the Major was already waiting for them there. Dustin didn't stick around though. His ears were still aching, so he went to his dorm to rest for the night. Harley didn't blame him. She still had a lingering headache from the screaming Banshee. But most of it had already worn off, and so she faced Nox all on her own.
"The deal is done. I got you the heart just like you asked," Harley said with her arms crossed. If he only knew the hell she and Dustin had to go through to get it. But, she was certain he was already fully aware it was no walk in the park. That was why he asked for the heart in the first place. A test most likely.
His golden eyes shifted to her with a sly smile on his fine lips. "How did you manage to get ahold of a Faerie heart?" His head inclined with the question. Harley simply shrugged and sat in one of the chairs by the hearth, crossing one leg over the other one as she looked up at him. "I went through hell to get it," she replied with a dry laugh. "Dustin and I had to steal some wood from the courtyard so we could make a weapon out of a sacred tree. Then it was a matter of finding and killing a Faerie." Nox tilted his head the other way and set the heart down on the shelf over the fireplace. "You must have found yourself a Faerie hunter to learn about the sacred tree," he observed. Harley nodded. "We may have found ourselves a hunter," she said with a pleased grin. Then, her grin vanished as she added, "We also found a witch."
His eyes snapped to hers, full of intrigue. He blinked with the silent question to continue, so she did. "The Commander's wife. She's a witch. And...they're my grandparents." Nox glanced off at something in the distance, considering. When he said nothing in return, she furrowed her brow at him. "You don't look surprised." Nox forced himself to look back at her and he began to saunter closer, "I may have suspected a relation between you and the Commander. He treats you as his own daughter, and you two share a unique...aroma." Slowly, Harley nodded. "Do you think he already knows?"
A shrug, "I haven't the slightest idea. Regardless, you can't afford any distractions. I suggest you keep your distance from him and his little witch." Harley wasn't sure she wanted that. Some part of her longed to know what was left of her family, while another part feared her own grandmother was the witch that was being hunted when her family was slaughtered and her village was burned to the ground. Yet again, she would never know the truth if she didn't speak with them. At the same time, Nox was right. She couldn't afford to get attached to them. Not when she was planning to destroy everything.
Harley rose from her seat before Nox could get any closer to her, and she added distance between them as she made her way to the front door. He gave her a questioning look, "Where are you going?"
"To check on something," she replied, and she closed the door behind her. The dorms weren't typically allowing visitors late at night, especially from women. But she was a fellow soldier. That alone gave her the right to enter, despite her gender. So getting in was simple enough. Finding Dustin's room, not so much. She had to ask around, ignoring the odd looks she got from the other men. It was her first time going to the dorms to see anyone. And the last time everyone looked, she and Dustin hated each other's guts. No one was aware of their journey together. Even Harley couldn't deny the changes between them. Especially after knowing the truth about how he felt about her. She couldn't get it off her mind. That in itself, was a distraction. A distraction she needed to quell.
She knocked on his door. Moments later, it opened. Dustin was dressed in a simple loose white shirt with the same trousers she had last seen him in. The look of pain in his eyes seemed to have faded some. Somehow, she was relieved. He blinked with surprise to see her standing there in the hallway, and he took a second to glance around as if he expected someone else to be there with her. "What are you doing here?" he asked. The innocence in the question was painful.
"I need to speak with you," she admitted firmly. He blinked at her again. Then, he stepped to the side and allowed her to enter his room. She took the offer and stepped past the threshold. Immediately she was wafted by his scent as it surrounded her. It was musky and strong, yet not unpleasant. He closed the door and turned to face her with confusion on his face. "What do you want to talk about?"
She spun on her heel, her brow furrowed, "How dare you tell me that you actually care about me. How dare you pretend to care what I stand for and how I do things. All these years you have been nothing but cruel to me, walking all over me and putting me down. How can I possibly believe that you were only doing it to push me to do better? Why should I believe anything you say?"
His shoulders visibly slackened as if he had been defeated, and he shook his head with a heavy sigh. He didn't seem surprised at all by her reaction. It was almost like he expected it. Sooner or later. She should have questioned him in the first place when he admitted those things, but they had more important things to worry about. Now, they had time to discuss it. He ran a hand through his hair, his emerald gaze averting to the floor, "I guess you have no reason to believe me. I have been horrible to you after all. And not just for a little while, but for years. Ever since you joined our squad. But," he paused to lift his eyes to hers. "None of it was a lie. In fact, I never really lied to you, except for how I felt about you. I really did pretend to hate you because I believed you needed it."
Harley shook her head with a scoff, "What the hell, Dustin?" He raised his hands in defense, "I know how it sounds. I wouldn't believe me either."
"So what do you expect me to do? Why are you telling me all of this? If you really were trying to push me, shouldn't you be worried that telling me the truth will make me stumble?"
"No," there was no hesitation from him. He spoke firmly as he went on, "You're stronger than that. Even if you are using Nox to get what you want...I still believe in you. I see a fire in you, one that burns so brightly that it nearly blinds me. A fire that I can't put out. No one can. And...I really do admire that about you. You're a strong woman with a will like iron. And I know that Nox didn't make you that way. You were like that long before he ever came along, I can sense it." Harley laughed and crossed her arms, shaking her head in disbelief, "Now you want to pretend you know me? You don't know anything about me."
"I know enough. I don't need to know your past. I don't need to know your ambitions or your pain or your thoughts in order for me to know who you are. Your actions speak for themselves. You fight no matter the odds, you keep pushing yourself to get better even though you're already more than enough, you don't back down from a challenge and you're afraid of nothing. You don't fear failure, and you don't fear the consequences. Nothing phases you. You are the unstoppable force and the immovable object in one. You are..." he paused as he sighed again, dropping his gaze with a light shake of his head. Then, he spoke more quietly, "You asked why I'm so bothered by you sleeping with the Major. I told the truth, but...It wasn't the whole truth. In all honesty...I'm jealous of him, because I want to have you for myself."
