She let out a loud sniff, but she still refused to look at him.
“Can I ask you something, Brooke?”
“Yeah,” she muttered into her knees.
“Do you truly have feelings for me?” he asked, his voice quiet. His tone sounded strange and unfamiliar to Brooke’s ears. “Or are you just using me to get to the Elysian Fields?”
Brooke glanced up to meet his gaze, and she was surprised to see such a vulnerable expression on his face.
“I need to know,” he said, his jaw tight. He seemed nervous.
“I’m not using you, Leo,” she replied emphatically. “Why would you think that? This was all your idea, remember? The escape from Hades’ palace, the journey to the Elysian Fields…I didn’t even know how badly I wanted to get out of there until you offered to help me.”
“You deserve to move on to the Elysian Fields,” he said quietly. “Truly.”
“Is that why you’re going to so much trouble to help me get there?” she asked. “Is it because you have feelings for me?”
The question seemed to make Leonidas stiffen, as though he was afraid to answer truthfully. Admitting the truth aloud would change their dynamic, and Brooke’s question hung heavy with importance in the quiet space between them.
Here’s a sneak peak of Chapter 20 from my book, “The Beauty and the Omega.” The story is available exclusively on Dreame, and it’s free until completion in December. Catch it now while it’s still free!
