Dark Spirits by Rebekkah Ford

don’t want to argue with you, Nathan,” I said, feeling my irritation grow. “Ever since we came home, all we’ve done is argue, and I’m through with it.” I flung the afghan off me and stood. He stepped back, but I got in his space anyway. “Look. I love yo--” A scent on him halted my train of thought. I leaned forward and sniffed his T-shirt. It smelled like cheap floral perfume. I looked up at him, and he had a strange look on his face like somebody getting caught stealing. I sniffed him again, and he backed up. Yup, it was perfume. Tears sprang to my eyes.
    “It’s not what you think, Paige,” he quickly said, placing his hands on my shoulders.
    I lifted my arms through the space between his and smacked his arms off me. “This is what I’m talking about,” I said, poking his chest. “There should be no secrets between us, and we should be working as a team. Now you smell like a whore!” With shaky hands, I yanked the silver Claddagh ring off my right ring finger.
    “Oh, God. No, Paige,” he croaked when I handed it to him. He wouldn’t take it.
    I held the ring up. “This ring is supposed to represent friendship, love, and loyalty. Us, tied up into this clever little ring.” I pointed at him, feeling the tears streaming down my face. “Your exact words when you gave this to me. But this isn’t us, not anymore.”
    “Please don’t say those words. They’re not true,” he whispered.
    “It is true!” my raspy voice cracked. “And I’m not going to keep repeating myself, because you know why.” I thrust the ring back at him, but he still wouldn’t take it. I breathed in through my nose and consciously hardened myself, feeling the water in my eyes dry up. I looked at him. Tears were clinging to his long eyelashes, and he silently pleaded with me not to do it.
    I ignored him.
    “Fine.” I slammed it on the coffee table as a terrible ache trembled my heart. I didn’t want to do this, but I had no other choice. No matter how much I loved Nathan, I couldn’t be in a one-sided relationship.
    “I didn’t cheat on you, Paige,” he said, his voice hoarse, and I believed him because despite the emotional distress in his face, I saw the honesty in it. “You’re the only person who matters to me in this world. I love you. I don’t want to lose you.”
    I took a deep breath and tucked my hair behind my ears. “In case you’ve been wondering, I don’t want to be with Brayden. But I have to tell you, he has more faith in me than you do, and it shouldn’t be like that.”
    He took my hand, and I desperately wanted to fall into his arms and forget about all of this. But when he pulled me closer, I could smell that dime store perfume on him again. I drew away, glaring at his shirt. He looked down, then yanked it off, tossing it aside.
    Great. How was I supposed to continue with this conversation when his magnificent, muscular body was in my face? I just wouldn’t focus on it. Yeah, don’t focus on it.
    “I have faith in you,” he finally said, staring at his empty hand and then looking at me.
    I shook my head. “You don’t, Nathan, because if you did, we would never have had this conversation.”
    “Why would you say Brayden has more faith in you than I?”
    “Because he does,” I shrilled. I felt like Nathan wasn’t getting it. Sometimes I wondered if guys were born with a dense cell in their brains. “Two dark spirits came up to us tonight,” I continued, “and he stepped aside when the female went to attack me beca--”
    “What?” Nathan said incredulously. He shook his head like he wasn’t sure he heard me right. He looked at me, his eyes hard on mine. “I can’t believe you’d put yourself at ris--”
    I raised my hands. “Let me finish.”
    “I don’t like this,” he said between clenched teeth.
    I rolled my eyes and chopped the air with my hand. “This is what I’m talking about. You freaking out when there’s any sign of a threat toward me. Anyway, he stepped