The Glass Man - Lila Gray Book 1

Chapter Twenty-Six

I paced in my room, cursing to myself. Cursing Gallagher for his mental shit. Cursing Nix for being more powerful than I'd given him credit for. Cursing Liam for screwing me over yet again. How could he just leave like that? I could lose him along with the two remaining members of my family.

Nix leaned against the wall opposite the bed. Purple bruises bloomed below his left eye where I'd decked him while trying to go after Liam. Gallagher had appeared during our battle and did something to knock me out. He and I'd be having a talk later. With my fists.

"You knew what Liam would do when you showed him that note." I stomped past Nix for the hundredth time. "And go put something else on, you look ridiculous in that white tunic."

His peaceful demeanor and underlying joviality had disappeared, replaced by tense muscles and a creased brow. "I give my oath I will never lie to you," he said. "Do you believe me?"

I stopped and scowled at him. "I'm not answering shit for you until you admit you did it on purpose."

"Yes, I gave it to him knowing what he'd do."

I snatched a hairbrush from the bedside table and hurled it at the blond Musketeer. He didn't flinch when it smacked into the door beside him and fell to the floor by his feet.

"Why?"

"My duty is to protect you, and although I think he's a dick, I know he feels the same. Better he risk himself than you. Besides, he has a better chance of getting Garret back than you do. He knows the city. He can fly. He can suppress a fae's Light." Nix took a hesitant step nearer. "You know it was the right thing to do."

"Don't tell me what I fucking know. All I know for sure is that he'll die right alongside Garret and my...Donovan if I don't do something. So now instead of two hostages, I have to rescue three. Brilliant thinking, Mr. Genius."

"Not if he succeeds."

"You don't get it," I growled, unsure what to do with the fury swelling in my body, an angry beast about to break free of its cage. "Parthalan is completely bat-shit crazy, and now he's pissed. Liam...won't...succeed." I threw up my hands to punctuate my point.

"As I said, my duty is to you. I saw an opportunity, probably the best one we have of fixing this without putting you in danger, and I took it. I won't apologize for that."

"Duty." I spat the word out. "I don't want anyone feeling obligated to me."

Nix stood up straighter. "I'll take care of you because I want to, and for no other reason. Yes, I was given the privilege to protect you, but I asked for this long ago."

I angled away from him. Maybe looking at something else would take away the urge to rip his head off. "I can take care of myself."

"I know, and when this is over, I'll back off."

I paused, tried to think clearly, and failed. Liam betrayed me and continued to lie to me, so why did my heart feel like it was shattering all over again? I'd tried to contact him using my Sight, but I received images of feathers again. If he'd heard my commands for him to come back, he ignored them.

"The ones we love always hurt us the most." A note of sadness deepened Nix's voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you didn't love him, you wouldn't be hurting so badly."

I shook my head. "I'm not hurting."

"You can hide it from some, but not from me."

I choked on a bitter laugh. "I've known him for a few days. From what I know of love, it doesn't happen that fast. It's just this damn bond screwing with my head. I don't love, or need him, but that doesn't mean I want him to die."