Chapter 28: 28_Enemies again
He was racing into the cave in seconds, reaching the dome where she was screaming.
Her blindfold was gone and she was screaming at the top of her lungs, staring into the water as she scrambled away from the pool edge, his white shirt clutched against her body.
There was a dagger in his hand in seconds as he made a beeline for the pool. He saw the pointy tip of a wiggly tail first and then the rest of the reptilian monster.
*“A s-s-s-s—”* she was struggling to say, pressing herself in one corner.
With an annoyed groan, he jumped into the water to capture the bothersome thing. Where the hell had it come from?
With one hand, he caught the swerving head and drove in his dagger, much to Amie’s horror.
With another scream, she hid behind the fabric of his shirt, hearing the splashing sounds of the thrashing creature as it wrestled against Thoran.
“Quit yelling, me eardrum’s bleedin’,” he growled.
“Oh, whatever!” She was in tears, terrified out of her mind. His casual remark only added anger to the flood of her already turbulent emotions. “You said there were no snakes!”
He tilted his head as he raised the defeated creature, studying it. “I was talking about the cave. This must’ve crept in from outside.”
She scoffed. “You mean outside where you were standing? Why did you not spot something that big?!”
Sighing, he tossed it into a dark corner of the cave. He’d been too busy getting filthy thoughts, that’s why. “I must’ve missed it.”
“Oh, my God…” She shuddered. “Oh, my God, it touched my leg.”
“That one didn’t even have venom,” he murmured.
Frowning, she watched him swiftly lift himself out of the pool where the water had barely come mid-chest. “Are you implying that I exaggerate?!”
He straightened with a sigh. “Yes…” Trailing off, Thoran stared at her. With darkening grey eyes, he slowly took in the silky glimmer of her exposed skin, the curl of her wet hair against her face. Her hair got darker when it was wet. His head tilted, dark lashes lowering as he heatedly studied her.
How odd. He couldn’t see everything, not with the way she was seated and not with that damned shirt against her chest, but this much was enough to plummet his self-control with merciless blows of temptation.
Fuck, but she was sexy. Fair and shapely, the body of a seasoned seductress but the eyes of an innocent angel, the combination was maddening. She sat a little straighter and her hips plumped with the action, making him clench his jaw. Damn her. Did she absolutely *have* to possess such delectable curves?
He turned away, cursing the William bastard who was likely going to enjoy the delicacies of this infuriatingly tempting poppet.
Only when she realized he’d been staring at her did Amethyst remember the state she was currently in. With a gasp, she scrambled to wear the shirt she’d clutched against her breasts.
She quickly stood, buttoning it up and thanking heaven it stopped above her knees.
“I uh…” Glancing awkwardly at him, she smoothed back her wet hair. “Sorry, I wasn’t—”
“Did you take your bath?” he asked flatly. “If yes, we should leave.”
She blinked. It was an odd feeling to get, but there was something really unpleasant about his nonchalance at her provocative state of undress. Not a blush on the cheek or a sparkle in his eye.
“Yes, I…” She trailed off, something suddenly occurring to her. Pausing as her inexplicably dulled mind was suddenly awakened, she became fully aware of the complete mountain stacks of treasure that surrounded her.
Her mouth slowly fell open and she looked around her. “Oh, my God…What is all this?”
He watched her gape at the contents of the cave, impatience unsettling his temper. “Who said you could take off the blindfold?”
Looking at him, she frowned. “I’m sorry, I should’ve stood there and allowed a snake the width of my thigh to eat me.”
Her tone of voice was the first warning of the coming argument. Then her eyes sparkled with a sudden glint of anger like she was fully immersing herself in the mood to fight him.
“What is this place?” she demanded.
He tensed. “None of your concern. If I wanted to answer your little questions, there would’ve never been a blindfold.”
She raised a brow. His defences were up and it was so obvious.
Attempting to dismiss her query, he turned on his heel. “Come out.”
“Not until you explain just what this is.” He stopped and she crossed her arms, waiting for him to turn around. “This… is everything you’ve stolen?”
Just like that, their earlier truce vanished. The brief sense of comfort she’d gotten from him and the inexplicable moment of desire he’d felt for her, pulverized like neither emotion had ever existed.
His broad back tightened, tensing with his rising defences. Slowly, he turned and looked at her. “Stolen? *Taken.* I took every single thing in this cave because I have the right to.”
Her expression slowly morphed, the sheer disbelief she was experiencing showing on her face. “The *right?* The right to take from people? Do you not care about the impact you’re having on their lives?! You’ve got this much and you still want more?!”
“You’re speaking on matters you have no idea—”
“I can’t believe this. People work hard, okay? They work hard and they earn every single thing they have. What gives you the right to just waltz in and snatch it away?! Look at this!”
She stretched both arms out at the piles of priceless treasure, turning around to take it all in. “Gold, diamonds, silver, pearls, jewels, all of it *stolen!”* She turned on him, eyes blazing. “That’s disgusting!”
“You came here knowing there was something in this cave!”
“I didn’t think it would be literal mountains of treasure! Anybody with this much would never steal, you could live twenty lifetimes of reckless spending and still be filthy rich with this much wealth!”
His jaw was so tightly clenched, he heard a click in his ear. How *dare* she judge him?! She had no idea! “I suggest you shut up and walk out of this cave—”
“I can’t believe…” She released a quiet breath. “In the past few days, I’ve… I’ve almost started to see you differently. I almost started thinking you weren’t as bad as I’d assumed. But you are. You *are!* You’re the cold-hearted brute who walked into our castle and tried to take it, you’re still… *still* the criminal who enraged me enough to make me pick up a sword.”
She shook her head slowly, eyes glimmering with a mixture of sadness and loathing.
The air crackled with the intensity of her emotions and the electric heat his aura exuded. His rage was palpable and when he took a step forward, she realized it.
For him to be enraged when she spoke nothing but the truth made her disgust grow. How selfish and cruel could one be?
“Every… *fucking* word you say,” he growled. “Is grating on my last damned nerve.”
She swallowed hard, standing her ground even though she was fully aware she had no weapon of protection. “It’s the truth!”
“You know nothing of the truth—”
“You’ve taken from innocent people, just like you plan to take from my father!” she cried. “You have no regard for all the lives you ruin in the process! Gadon is a kingdom of tens of thousands of people and every single one will be affected by your heinous actions! Just like the homes of all those you’ve taken from before. Lady Hadgar had countless servants. What do you think happens to them after you’ve ruined her?”
“I don’t give a damn!”
Her eyes widened, lips parting in silent shock. “How can you not care?! What kind of cruelty must your heart be twisted in that you would disregard the calamity you’ve caused in the lives of the innocent—”
“Innocent, my arse!” His roar echoed through the cave, silencing her. “None of those bastards are innocent, how dare you pretend they are?! You know nothing… *Nothing!”*
She was shaken, her limbs stiffly trembling from the cooling water on her skin. Nevertheless, she would press on. Somebody had to stand up to him, there was no time to worry for her own safety. He had to be stopped. “Tell me then. Because I cannot imagine a single thing in this world that could justify what you’ve done, what you are—”
His cold, bitter laughter was already interjecting her words. “Such a pampered little brat, aren’t you? Speaking like you’ve seen the world, like you know the cruelty that exists out there! Have you ever looked death in the face? Have you ever seen it drag away the people you loved and were powerless to stop it?! You sit on your pretty little throne, high in the fucking sky and think you can judge those who fight to survive down here in hell! It makes me sick.”