“Are you alright?”he asked, his deep voice a caress to hertiredmind.
“I am now. What happened, Gustavo? Why are you soangry?”
“Do you know what I would give to hold you in this instance?”he asked her, ignoring her questions.“Anything.”He answered his own question.“I would give up anything, walk away from anyone, pay any price, sacrifice everything, if I could simply touch you right this minute. I want to know what you smell like. I want to know what your lips taste like. I want to know what you feel like. Most of all, Anna, I want to love you. I want to take away all of your pain and wrap you in the protection ofmyarms.”
Anna couldn’t breathe. She’d never had anyone say anything to her like that before. She’d certainly never felt the truth in those words through the emotions that Gustavo was so freely sharing with her. She gasped when she felt Gustavo’s hand graze the skin of her stomach. She wanted to recoil, to hide from him. She didn’t want him to see how Volcan had marked her. But his touch continued to whisper across her skin. Then she felt his breath replace his hand, and his lips pressed against the tender flesh of her stomach, right where the carving waslocated.
“I would take this away for you,”he said gently as she felt another kissagainsther.
Tears gathered in her eyes. She hadn’t wanted him to see that her body had been marked, violated. Knowing and seeing, those were two very differentthings.
“How did you find out?”she asked him, her breath shuddering from both his touch and her own sorrow. She’d told him that she and Jewel were having something carved into their skin, but she hadn’t wanted him to ever see it, even if she didn’t know what it said. She didn’t have a clue how she’d hide it once they eventually met, and they would, but she’d planned on figuring out a way todoit.
“When you sleep, your mind is relaxed. I give you your privacy, Anna, but this time your soul reached for me while you slept. I couldn’t deny you. So I entered your mind, and your soul shared your memories with me. I saw through your eyes what has been happening to you. I wasn’t prepared for how it would affect me or my wolf. To know what you’ve been enduring while I’ve been able to do nothing is eating me alive. I lost it. My wolf took over, and I couldn’t stop him from lashing out. Adam happened to be an easytarget.”
“Please tell me you didn’t kill him,”shebegged.
“He’s a formidable opponent. I gave him a few scratches, and he returned the favor. He is otherwiseuninjured.”
“Andyou?”
“I am as I’ve never been before,helpless.”
The brokenness in his confession was heartbreaking.“Gustavo, you have helped me. You’ve given me strength and comforted me. You’ve shared yourself with me. I don’t know if I would be able to endure this with my sanity intact if you hadn’t been with me. Please, believe me when I tell you that you havesavedme.”
“You wouldn’t think that if you knew what it said,”he told her, and she felt him run a finger across the marksagain.
“What?”sheasked.
“It’s written in AncientGreek.”
Anna didn’t know if she really wanted the answer to the next question, but that didn’t stop her from asking,“And what doesitsay?”
She felt his pain through the bond and felt his arms wrap around her and his face press to her stomach. The feeling was so intense she actually looked down to see if he was really with her, even though she knew hewasn’t.
He spoke the words in their original language before he translated.“It says ‘Tainted’ and then has the letter V using the Ancient Greeklettering.”
Anna felt like she was going to be sick. Volcan had branded them with a reminder of what he’d done to them. He’d taken their pure gypsy-healer blood and defiled it, tainted it.“He said he was using an enchanted blade. What doesthatmean?”
“It means it’s a fae blade. It’s the only kind of blade that can cause a scar on a supernatural being. No magic canhealit.”
“So it will be there forever?”she asked, her voice a near whisper. Her eyes closed as tears fell. She wept quietly for the loss of a form of innocence. She hated knowing that Volcan’s mark would be on her body, along with Gustavo’s. It was like a slap in the face to the mate bond. She’d heard Sally talk about the markings of true mates and how sacred and private they were. Now her body wouldn’t bear only her mate’s markings. Volcan had robbed her ofsomethingpure.
“Criña,”Gustavo called gently to her.“I’m so sorry this has happened to you, but it doesn’t change how incredibly proud I am to know that you will wear my markings. Nothing can taint what the Great Luna has blessed. Not even Volcan. I can’t wait to see my markingsonyou.”
Anna could feel the truth in his words. It was strange to be able to discern someone’s true motivation, but in a moment where she doubted everything, she was so thankful for their bond. She could feel Gustavo’s adoration, unwavering devotion, and love, and that chased alldoubtaway.
“Are you alright now?”sheaskedhim.
“I am in control, but no, mí amõr, I will not be alright until you are with me. But you have tamed the beastfornow.”
* * *
Gustavo wantedto strip off his clothes and phase, but he knew better than to let his wolf take over in his current state of mind. He also didn’t know if Adam’s magic would still keep him from phasing. It had been very wise of him to keep Gustavo in his human skin. If he’d been able to phase, he didn’t know if he’d have been able to regain control. As it was, only Anna calling out to him had caused the fight between the two malestoend.
“You need to rest, Criña,”he said.“I can feel how exhausted you are.Pleaserest.”
“I will if you promise not to flip your lidagain.”
