"You shouldn't do this," I whispered.
He smiled, tired and sad. "You're always mad at me. I can live with that. But I've come to hate when you're really angry… when you won't even look at me."
"I almost died, Kael."
"I know," he said. "And it's my fault. I'm sorry."
The words weren't smooth or calculated. They cracked as they left his mouth, like they'd been buried too long. Something real flickered in his eyes, and it twisted something inside me.
"I should hate you," I said.
"Do you?" his voice remained soft but that faint glow of deviousness flashed in his eyes.
I didn't answer.
He reached up again, fingers tracing my cheek like I was a bruise he wanted to kiss better. "I'm sorry for all of it… not just the danger. I'm sorry for not being someone you could trust."
My heart clenched.
"I didn't ask for you to be someone else," I murmured. "I just… I don't even know what this is between us."
