Page 208 of Problematic

Her breath caught against my mouth.

The split in my lip sealed first, followed by the shallow tear at my temple. She pulled away as if the kiss had burned her too, though her hands stayed against my face.

“I’m still mad at you.”

My voice came out a little gruff. “I would expect nothing less.”

Her lips trembled. For one dangerous breath, the room thinned around her. Guards, chains, shouting, the city tearing itself apart overhead, all of it faded beneath the sight of Liv trying to hold on to her anger while tears threatened her control.

She had every reason to leave me here, but she came anyway.

That was love, maybe.

A gunshot struck the stone beside the doorway and sprayed dust over Kalon’s shoulder. He moved behind me, silver picks already between his fingers. “Is your make-out session over yet?”

Liv rose and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “That’s not what this is.”

Kalon eyed her. “If that’s what you have to tell yourself.”

She noticed the shadows reaching for my boots. “Lux?”

“I need the collar off.”

“Great, easy. Ummm, how exactly?”

“Three-pin silver lock. Old southern make.” I angled my head a fraction. “Kalon.”

Kalon knelt behind me and found the lock at the back of the collar. “Already on it, boss. I snagged the pins off a guard in the hall.” His pick slid into the mechanism. “Hold still.”

Kalon worked the lock without acknowledging the blood sliding from his split lip, which irritated me almost as much as his competency did. Honorable, useful under pressure, and unfortunately pretty enough to make jealousy feel reasonable. Liv had excellent taste in allies. Her taste in men remained questionable, considering she had chosen me.

Sam stepped into the hall with both hands raised, fire throwing wild light over the stone. “We have company.”

“How many?” Liv asked.

Sam peered around the doorway. “Too many.”

Mandi leaned out beside her and jerked back. “Six, eight, I think . . . maybe more?”

Liv crouched in front of me again, careful to keep her hands to herself, her mouth still pink from mine. “Tell me what to do.”

The request tightened something ugly inside me. I wanted to tell her to run, hide. Get behind me. Let me put every door in the city between her and harm. Let me become the monster again while she stayed untouched and safe.

I forced the instinct down. “Stay where I can see you.” I held her gaze. “Beside me. Never behind me.”

Her face shifted. “Lux.”

“I know what I did. I know why you’re angry and that none of this repairs it.” The collar burned deeper into my skin as I moved toward her. “Scarn built his victory around the belief that you were my weakness.”

“And?” Her voice went quiet, her eyes getting watery now.

“He was half right.” I let her see the truth, even the part I hated. “You are my weakness.”

Pink flashed through her eyes.

“He mistook weakness for liability.” Thin ribbons of nightmare climbed my arms and recoiled from the cuffs. “He never understood how much damage a man will endure once the person he loves walks into the room holding a knife.”

Her breath stopped.