“No, I’m fine, Jared. You didn’t hurt me.”
“I threw you against a fucking tree!”
“Yeah, I know.” I smirk. “Feel free to do that again any time you want.”
“Are you seriously making jokes right now?”
Yikes, now he looks pissed off. Still, I prefer that to the broken expression he was wearing a second ago. This I can work with.
“Who’s joking? It was hot.” I shrug, winding him up further.
“That’s not the point, I—” He cuts himself off. “No. I know what you’re doing. That’s not going to work.”
I step towards him, wearing my best innocent look. “What is it you think I’m doing? I’m just being honest.”
“That right there.” He points at me. “Stop it. This is serious.”
“It is,” I agree, edging closer. “You’re trying to be all honourable and fall on your sword or some shit because you think you’ve done something wrong. Well, I’m not having it. You didn’t hurt me, and I’m not letting you throw away this relationship in some misguided attempt to be a gentleman.”
“But I?—”
“No, Jared.” I step right into his personal space. “You’re my mate. I’m not letting you run away just because you’re scared.”
“That’s not what I’m doing,” he argues.
“Isn’t it? You just experienced your first shift, and I’m betting you’re only now starting to understand what Huxley and I meant when we said you’d be an incredibly powerful demon—that’s enough to scare anyone.” I let him sit with that for a minute before continuing. “On top of that, you find out we’re fated mates. Now I understand if you’re upset. I should have told you before?—”
“How could I ever be upset about that? I remember now—what happened when I had Devil’s Brew. Do you know why I got so upset that night?”
Huh. Releasing his powers must have unlocked his forgotten memories. “Not really, but you kept asking me not to leave you.”
“Mav told me you didn’t date because you were waiting for your fated mate. I thought some perfect guy was going to swoop in and you’d realise I wasn’t worth sticking around for.”
“Never.”
“I know that now.” He laughs. “And I can understand why you didn’t tell me we were mates before. I’m the one who said I wanted us to take things slowly.”
“It’s not that I didn’t want you to know, but I was worried you’d feel pressured or trapped. You’ve had so many bombs dropped on you since coming here, I didn’t want to be another unwanted surprise.”
Warm arms pull me into his firm chest. “I’ll always want you, Selene. I’m sorry I made you feel like you couldn’t tell me.” He kisses the crown of my head. “I’m glad you’re my mate. I couldn’t stand the thought of you leaving me for someone fate said was perfect for you.”
Rising to my tiptoes, I press a kiss to the underside of his jawline. “You’remy perfect match, Jared. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I love you. So fucking much.”
“I love you too.” Snuggling closer, I rest my head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. After a while, the wind picks up, and even Jared shivers. “Come on, let’s get you inside. Your body’s been through a lot today—you need to rest.”
Chapter 21
Jared
Walking into The Chronicle office without my amulet on is strange. I could sense how many people were here before I even opened the door. Hux spins his office chair to face me the moment I place my satchel under my desk, and rolls to a stop right beside me.
“Bloody hell, your magical signature sure packs a punch now you’re not wearing the dampener anymore. People are definitely going to notice.”
“Really? What should I tell them?”
“To mind their own business.” My face must give away my surprise because his expression softens. “Just because this town loves to gossip doesn’t mean you have to share anything you don’t want to.”
