“What are you doing here?” Alinthia asks, turning around to face me with a wary expression.
“I could ask you the same thing.” I step up to her, fingering her new red hair. “What have you done?”
She peers up at me with those gorgeous, big blue eyes, hiding nothing. This girl has bigger balls than most guys I know. I’ve done and said horrible things to her these past couple days, and yet here she is, looking at me with determination, willing to keep on fighting.
I don’t deserve her.
I don’t deserve her at all.
But I’m determined to be a better man for her.
The door clicks as Kylie exits the room, leaving us in private. “I thought if I changed my appearance, if I didn’t look so much like her, that it might help,” she explains, and my heart does a funny twist.
I sink to the floor, pulling her down with me, and tears prick my eyes again. I’m turning into a pussy. If the guys knew, they’d never let me live it down. “You don’t look like her. She looked like you, and you don’t have to do this.”
“I know I don’t, but I wanted to. And if it helps, that will be a good thing.”
Tentatively, I touch her cheek, and the sensations shooting up my arm are breath-stealing. My body reacts to her on a deep level. My soul recognizes her as its equal. “I don’t want you to change for me, Alinthia. I want you to be you. These issues are mine to face up to, not yours.”
Her face drops a little. “You don’t like it? Is that it?” Her hurt filters down the line, and I hate that I’m causing her pain again. I’m so bad at this.
“I love it,” I say, winding my hands into her red locks. “I would love you with blue hair or green hair or no hair.”
Her lower lip wobbles, and tears leak out of her eyes, and I figure I’ve said the wrong thing again. “I’m sorry. I’m not good at this.”
“No, Dane,” she whispers, reaching out for my face but pulling her hand back at the last second. I did that to her too. Made her afraid to touch me, and I know it’s going to take a shit-ton to win back her trust, respect, and love, but I’m stubborn enough to do it.
“Do you really mean that?” she asks, sniffling. “What you just said out loud and what you thought?” I’ve lost control of my shields again, and I’m relaying everything where usually I keep it all locked up tight. Maybe I need to do that a bit more.
“I meant it all. You don’t have to do this, Alinthia. Just be yourself, and just be patient with me. I want to make this work.” I chew on the inside of my mouth, dampening down my worry, as I slowly press my forehead to hers. The usual panic simmers in my veins, but I force it aside, concentrating on the smell and feel of the girl in my arms, not the one who haunts my dreams. “Starting with speaking to that therapist you mentioned.”
She pins me with a hopeful expression. “That’s great, Dane.” Her face is wet with tears. “And I’ll be patient. To be honest, I need time to work through my feelings too.” Pain radiates from the back of her eyes, reminding me we don’t have an easy road ahead of us. “It hurts,” she whispers. “I can’t get the images of you and her out of my mind, and it’s fucking killing me.” Fresh tears pool in her eyes and I’d do anything to take them away. “I’ll do whatever it is I can to help,” she continues, “but please, please don’t shut me out. Just talk to me. We don’t have to do anything more than that. We shouldn’t attempt anything more than that, but please open up to me.”
I press a soft kiss to her lips, and it feels good. More than good. “I’ll try. I promise.” I pull her into my arms, closing my eyes as I absorb the feel of her in my arms. “She’s not going to win, Alinthia. She won’t come between any of us. I’m not going to let her.”
TO BE CONTINUED
The Rightful Queen, the fifth and final book in the series, is slated for publication in 2020.
Looking for another alien fix in the meantime? Check out my fully completed Saven series. It’s free to read in Kindle Unlimited or save $$ and purchase the heavily discounted Box Set.
About The Author
USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis writes emotionally intense young adult and new adult fiction with swoon-worthy romance, complex characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists and turns that will have you flipping the pages beyond bedtime! She is the author of the bestselling True Calling, Saven, and Kennedy Boys series.
Siobhan’s family will tell you she’s a little bit obsessive when it comes to reading and writing, and they aren’t wrong. She can rarely be found without her trusty Kindle, a paperback book, or her laptop somewhere close at hand.
Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in human resource management.
She resides in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.
You can connect with Siobhan in the following ways:
Author Website: www.siobhandavis.com
Author Blog: My YA NA Book Obsession
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Twitter: @siobhandavis
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Email: [email protected]
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Books by Siobhan Davis
TRUE CALLING SERIES
Young Adult Science Fiction/Dystopian Romance
True Calling
Lovestruck
Beyond Reach
Light of a Thousand Stars
Destiny Rising
Short Story Collection
True Calling Series Collection
SAVEN SERIES
Young Adult Science Fiction/Paranormal Romance
Saven Deception
Logan
Saven Disclosure
Saven Denial
Saven Defiance
Axton
Saven Deliverance
Saven: The Complete Series
KENNEDY BOYS SERIES
Upper Young Adult/New Adult Contemporary Romance
Finding Kyler
Losing Kyler
Keeping Kyler
The Irish Getaway
Loving Kalvin
Saving Brad
Seducing Kaden
Forgiving Keven
Releasing Keanu^
Adoring Keaton*
Reforming Kent*
STANDALONES
New Adult Contemporary Romance
Inseparable
Incognito
When Forever Changes
Only Ever You
No Feelings Involved
Second Chances Box Set
Reverse Harem Contemporary Romance
Surviving Amber Springs
ALL OF ME DUET
Angsty New Adult Romance
Say I’m The One^
Let Me Love You^
RYDEVILLE HIGH ELITE SERIES
Dark High School Romance
Cruel Intentions^
Twisted Betrayal^
Sweet Retribution^
ALINTHIA SERIES
Upper YA/NA Paranormal Romance/Reverse Harem
The Lost Savior
The Secret Heir
The Warrior Princess
The Chosen One^
The Rightful Queen*
^Releasing 2019
* Coming 2020.
Visit www.siobhandavis.com for all future release dates. Please note release dates are subject to change based on reader demand and the author’s schedule. Subscribing to the author’s newsletter or following her on Facebook is the best way to stay updated with planned new releases.
Copyright
Copyright © Siobhan Davis 2019. Siobhan Davis asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actu
al people, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.
Conditions of Sale
By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, shared, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the Author.
E-Book edition © June 2019
Editor: Kelly Hartigan (XterraWeb) editing.xterraweb.com
Cover design by Victoria Cooper – La Voisin Art
Cover © www.depositphotos.com
Formatting by Polgarus Studios
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