Wyatt backed off, muttering something, and Riven turned to walk away without even looking me in the eye.

I’d had enough. I wanted him, and I wanted him to admit he wanted me too. Fuck the rules. Fuck our current status as adopted siblings. Literally fuck everything.

“You run everybody off,” I called after him. “But you don’t want me for yourself. Make that make sense.”

He stopped, shoulders tense. “Don’t start something you don’t want me to finish, Lakynn. You’re not prepared for any of this.”

“You don’t get to control my life like that,” I said. “If you don’t want me, the right thing to do is stop playing bodyguard.” I didn’t mean what I was saying. I would have been devastated if he did stop protecting me, but I needed more from him. So much more.

He turned back, glowering. I could see the fury behind his eyes, but it wasn’t about Wyatt. Not really. It was because he knew he couldn’t do what I was asking of him.

Riven is frustrating. Maddening. Cold one second, burning the next.

As he stalked toward me, I felt my pulse spike.

And I ran.

I took off across the back field with a nervous laugh, not thinking he’d follow.

But he did.

God, did he follow.

He caught me by the waist, and we tumbled to the ground together. I landed flat on my back in the tall grass, breath stolen from my lungs, and when I looked up…

There was something feral in his eyes.

Riven’s hand went to my throat. Not hard. Just enough pressure to hold me still. Just enough to make my heart pound in a way that terrified and thrilled me.

I expected him to finally kiss me. I was sure he would.

But instead, he closed his eyes. Shook his head like he was banishing some terrible impulse.

And then he climbed off of me.

Riven lifted me gently to my feet, like he hadn’t just looked at me like he wanted to ruin me.

He didn’t say anything. Just walked away, fists clenched at his sides.

We never spoke about it, but I know that he realized I saw something in him that night that he tries to hide from me. I think what surprised him was that I liked it, matched it, practically begged him with my eyes to give me everything he hides from the world. I haven’t stopped wondering what would’ve happened if he hadn’t stopped himself.

I burst out of the field, and onto the old dirt road that leads home. To the Kozlov farm. To the place I should be running away from. Somehow, I feel like this is exactly where I need to be. This is exactly where he’ll come to find me.