Widow
Forty-Three
Irubbed my temples, feeling a migraine pulsing through my skull when there was a knock on my door.
It was late, but most of the Vipers were nocturnal.
I glanced at my watch, frowning before I strode over to the door, pulling it open.
Rory stood there with a wicked grin spread across her lips, and heat flared through me at the look in her eyes.
Before I had a chance to say anything, she pushed her way into my office and kicked the door closed, cornering me against a wall.
Her hands tangled into my black tee as she stood on her tippy-toes to slam her lips against mine.
The kiss was fast, intense, and everything all in one.
Her hands raveled in my hair, her lips urgent and demanding.
I could feel the heat of her, her pulse racing against my chest. Everything in me was screaming to kiss her back, to give into this temptation and let orders fly out the damn window.
But I couldn’t.
I knew the rules.
The kiss was over before I could fully comprehend it.
I was tempted to pull her back into me, but I needed to stay stoic.
I needed to push her away before this festered into anything else.
Rory blinked up at me with those gorgeous blue eyes, fear, hope, and a hint of lust dancing in the ocean hues. Fuck.
She leaned forward, kissing me again, this one softer and barely there. “I love you, Widow. I don’t care what Cin says.”
“Don’t.” I lifted my hand.
“Widow, please. I know you love me, too.”
Yes. “I don’t love you, Rory.” The lie was like hot venom on my tongue.
Her cheeks heated and tears swelled in her eyes, but she did her best to push them back. Don’t cry, phoenix. Please don’t fucking cry. “You’re lying. You would protect me, attempt to take a bullet for me, come to my aid. You love me, Widow.”
“Rory, you’re a child. My best friend's little sister. What happened between us was a lapse of judgement.”
“I don’t believe you.” She tried to wrap her arms around my neck, but I stopped her. If I let her touch me, I would shatter. “Widow. Please.”
“No. We were a mistake, Rory. I need you to go. Now.”
I pushed her away from me with enough intent to show her that I was not interested without her hitting the ground.
She wanted to say more, but tears spilled from her eyes.
Rory hated crying in front of people, and here she was about to sob in front of me.
She angrily wiped at them as she all but ran before looking back at me.
“I know you love me, but I won’t wait for you forever.” And with that, she stormed out of my office and slammed the door behind her.
Rage filled my bones like an inferno twisting with regret, spreading from my chest to my fists.
With a primal growl, I screamed and slammed my fist into the wall closest to me.
The impact sent a sliver of pain up my arm, and I welcomed it, a distraction from her words.
But it was not enough. I punched the wall again, harder this time, until the drywall cracked beneath my hand and I felt blood seeping from the split knuckle.
I collapsed into a chair, burying my face in my hands. She was right. I loved her. God, I fucking loved her, but I couldn’t be the reason she and her sister severed their bond. Rory needed Cinder, whether she knew it or not.
I watched as blood dripped from my knuckles, the pain nothing compared to the agony inside me. Fuck. Out of all the people on this godforsaken planet, I fell for the girl that was unattainable and forbidden. Fate was a cruel bitch, and she was laughing in my face.