"You haven't been lying to me this whole time, either."
Before I could stop them, harsh and piercing, the words spilt from my lips. Luca stopped, his back to me exuding a maelstrom of tension.
He turned slowly, his grey eyes watchful. "What are you conversing about?"
"Don't play dumb," I said, approaching closely. My wrist burned where the tattoo gleamed weakly, as if responding to the mounting strain. "The necklace, the relationship, the trials—you know more than you have been sharing. Never you?
He paused without responding, his jaw clenching as he fixed my eye.
His voice low, he replied at last, "You wouldn't understand."
Then make me understand, I said, my irritation spilling over. Luca, you cannot keep excluding me. Not if we are expected to survive this together.
His quiet was deafening, and it only made my chest clench tighter. At last he let out a quick breath and ran a hand through his hair, his normal serenity breaking under strain.
