“As I said, you are surrounded by liars you can’t trust. People who constantly lie to your face. They all keep massive secrets. Why? Because they’re not your friends, in spite of what you think. They don’t care about you, Nick. Not really. If they did, they’d tell you everything and keep nothing from you. But they don’t want you to be close to them. They don’t want you to know them or the truth, because you mean nothing where they’re concerned. You are nothing.”

The truth of those words bit him deep inside his heart. But he refused to let her know she’d hit her mark with them. He wasn’t the kind of guy to ever give that power to another person. He kept his hurt to himself. Only Kody and his mother were allowed to see his pain. “I need to check on Zavid.”

“Someone else who speaks one truth to your face and another behind your back.”

“What?” he gasped before he could stop himself. “What does he say?”

“He doesn’t trust you, either. He thinks you’re weak. A mama’s boy who can’t tie his shoes without her help. He pities you.”

Offended, Nick glared at Livia. So much for keeping his emotions in. But this … this had blindsided him.

He’d had no idea that Zavid had felt that way, especially since Nick had saved his life.

“I’m not the one who said it.” She blinked at him innocently. “I’m just telling you this for your own good. You should know how they really feel. What they say when you’re not around. I would never treat you that way. I think too much of you to do that.”

Biting her lip, she stepped closer to him. “I know what it’s like to be alone and to have no one to trust. To have nowhere to turn.” She stood on her toes to kiss him.

Nick stepped back before their lips met. While Livia was a very attractive female, she wasn’t the kind of girl he was interested in and he’d never hurt Kody like that. He wasn’t that kind of guy and he had no intention of ever being that type of slime ball. Hearts were sacred things and when someone entrusted theirs to you, it was your duty to keep faith. Nick had no intention of breaking his honor for anything. “I need to find out why Zavid left Caleb alone.”

“Malachai!”

He ignored her call and kept going. Every molecule of his body told him to put as much distance as he could between them, as quickly as possible.

For once he listened. He had to think through this without hearing her voice in his head, alongside the ones that told him how worthless he was.