Cinder's Trial by Eve Langlais

Author:Eve Langlais [Langlais, Eve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary
ISBN: 9781773844961
Google: nMrqEAAAQBAJ
Amazon: B0CQTMTPNY
Barnesnoble: B0CQTMTPNY
Goodreads: 204259812
Publisher: Eve Langlais
Published: 2023-12-31T23:00:00+00:00

10

Awkward. The only word to use when getting ready to sleep alongside the man who made my pulse thump something fierce.

Actually, it might be better described as frustrating. I lay in the bed staring at the ceiling because I couldn’t help but think of Levi. Dumb, I know. With all the things I should be worrying about, whether he liked me or not shouldn’t be one of them. As a grown woman, why did I care? Not to mention, we were completely mismatched. Me, gentle and nonviolent, versus his brusque, let’s-kill-things-first attitude.

I’d assumed he’d fallen asleep until he said, “You don’t have to worry.”

“Who says I’m worried?”

“You’re still awake.”

“So are you,” I pointed out.

“I don’t need much rest.”

“Who says I do?”

He grumbled, “Is there a reason why you don’t like me?”

The query floored. “Why would you think I don’t like you?”

“For one, I’m the only person you argue with.”

Valid, so how to explain? “You are, but in my defense, you’re bossy.”

“So is Hilda, and yet you do your job without argument at work.”

“That’s different.”

“Not really. This is still work.”

“For you maybe, but for me, this is very personal.” I paused then added. “I’m an office agent so not usually the one dealing with the side effects of curses. Not since the ball decades ago has it ever focused on me.”

“That must be disturbing.”

“Very. Mostly because I don’t understand what it means.”

“We’ll figure it out.”

I snorted. “Scientists and everyone with a brain cell has been trying since the Grimm Effect emerged to find answers. We’re still waiting.”

“I think it’s obvious the curse is attempting to murder you.”

“But why? I’m not even a contender for the prince’s hand.”

“Maybe it wants you to be. Would it be so bad? Killian seems a decent sort.” His voice turned gruff as he said it.

“He’s not so bad. However, like I said before, I want love.”

“Even if it means your life?”

I thought about that before shaking my head on the pillow, only to realize he couldn’t see the motion. “I’m a person who wants her happily ever after but on my terms, not because of some curse. I want a man to fall in love with me, for me. Not because of magic.”

“Some people say love is its own form of spell.”

“Do you think love is magic?”

“I don’t think about love at all.” A flat reply.

“Surely you’ve cared for someone in the past.”

He made a noise. “Yeah, and it was a mistake.”

“Oh, what happened?” Yes, I pried, but given he seemed willing to talk, I wanted to understand him better.

“Let’s just say it didn’t work out. Before you ask, she decided I was too emotionally detached. She wasn’t wrong.”

“Then it wasn’t love.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because when you love someone, you do everything in your power to make them feel special. You understand them and their needs. You want them to be happy.”

He didn’t say anything for a second, and I thought he’d fallen asleep, only for him to say, “But what if that person doesn’t reciprocate?”

“Then perhaps they weren’t the right person after all.

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