"Why w...would you t...think that?" Sylas asked quietly, his voice breaking apart.
Theo stared at him, her lips trembling as she tried to find an answer that wouldn't destroy what little remained of her composure. She couldn't, "I just..." She swallowed, but the lump in her throat refused to go down. "I just am."
"Venom."
"Don't call me that."
Both men went still, and Theo immediately regretted saying it. She saw the way Zeke's expression changed, how something wounded flashed across his face before he quickly buried it.
She wanted to take it back. She wanted to reach for him, pull him against her, and apologise for every hurtful thing she might say tonight, but she couldn't.
Because if she knew that if she touched him, if she allowed herself to feel the warmth of his skin against hers, she might forget why she was standing here in the first place...and she couldn't afford to forget.
Not again.
"You don't understand," She whispered instead.
