The others had just left and I stood in front of the mirror in Egan’s – my – bedroom. I didn’t cringe or back away in disgust. For once, I actually liked what I saw. Smiling, I stepped out of the heels, sighing at the relief.
“You know how bad those things are for your ankles?” Egan asked from the doorway.
I smiled. “Mikayla convinced me to wear them.”
“You like it though. I don’t know what Mikayla said to you today, but it must’ve been pretty good to get you walking around like that.”
“Like what?”
Egan walked towards me. “All confident and happy.”
“Is there something wrong with that?”
“No. I’m just not used to it.”
“Well, get used to it,” I grinned.
Egan smiled. “But really. You need to be able to run from demons.”
“If you taught me to fight them I wouldn’t,” I replied sternly.
Egan’s smile faded. “I am not teaching you to fight demons.”
“That’s fine,” I shrugged. “I’ll just get Mikayla to teach me.”
“No you won’t.”
“You going to stop me?” I asked with a grin.
Egan looked at me for a moment. “I don’t think I like the confident Ailia.”
“Yes you do,” I replied. “You just don’t like the fact that I can learn to fight demons and you can’t stop me.”
In a millisecond Egan had me pressed against the wall, his breath in my ear. “You know what demon hunting does?” Egan breathed. My heartbeat increased as he did so.
“Yes, I do. I also know that I can handle it.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” I whispered, feeling more confident by the second. “I’ve been to a battle. I may have only seen a portion of what you do, but I’ve seen it. I know that you’re trying to protect me, Egan, but what if I don’t need protecting? I can learn this. I will learn it, with or without your help.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying, Ailia,” Egan nearly growled the words. “You don’t understand what kind of life that leads to. What I live with.”
“You mean the loneliness?”
Something changed in Egan’s eyes and I knew I hit a nerve.
“I know, Egan. I can tell you’re lonely. You want nothing more than to have someone you can trust, who you can rely on, but you won’t let yourself. You believe you’re doing the right thing, but what if you’re not?
“You’re only lonely because you push other people away. I live in your house and you still push me away. Egan, you’re only lonely because you choose to be. I can choose differently and don’t tell me demon hunting is dangerous, I know. I don’t care.
“I don’t want to rely on other people to protect me. I don’t want to have you keeping me around just to protect me. I don’t care what warnings you give me or what amazing speech you’re going to come up with to talk me out of this. It won’t work.”
Egan’s breathing slowed. “You...” the sentence remained unfinished.
His hand reached up to brush my face. The look in his eyes had my stomach doing circles. Egan’s hand dropped behind him, his face leaning closer to mine. I could almost feel his lips on mine. Almost.
Egan turned away quickly, running a hand through his hair as he went. I let out my breath not realising I’d held it.
“Nothing to say, Egan?”
Egan stopped at the doorway and looked back at me. He looked me up and down softly speaking words I never thought I’d hear him say. “You look beautiful.”
The warmth from Egan’s words reached every inch of my body. I was stuck to the spot staring at him. He left the room without showing a single expression on his face.