“Why don’t we sleep on it,” Lilly suggested. “It’s not good to make decisions when emotions are high. Skender and his mate aren’t going anywhere.” She looked at Costin and gave him a small smile. “Your mate needs you right now. Not your anger, indignation, or alpha possessive, protective stuff. She needs you … her mate.”
“We will meet here again in the morning. Nine o’clock,” Vasile said.
Costin stood stone still as Alina hugged Sally. He didn’t release her, making the hug a little awkward. “If you need anything, you know we’re here.”
Sally nodded, afraid if she spoke that she’d fall apart. Lilly was next, wrapping her familiar arms around her. “Draw on the light from your necklace,” Lilly whispered, reminding Sally of the power it held. “I can’t imagine how painful this is for you right now, but I want you to know that if you need a break again, we can head back to the realm of the sprites at a moment’s notice. Okay?”
Sally smiled, remembering how it felt to have the magic of the sprites flowing through her. “I’ll let you know if it gets to that point.”
“Good.” Lilly patted her one last time before stepping away.
“Stay strong, Sally,” Peri said. She didn’t embrace her, and Sally decided it was because Peri wasn’t exactly in control of herself at the moment. Sally just now realized the high fae was giving off a faint glow, a sign that her power was leaking out.
“Thank you,” Sally said.
Costin released Sally and took her hand. Without saying anything to anyone, he pulled her from the room. He walked quickly, and she struggled to keep up. “What’s the hurry?” she asked him.
“I want to take a bath,”Costin said.
Sally’s head snapped back as she frowned at his back.“A bath? Right now?”
“Yes. Right now.”
“Care to explain why?”
“Because if you’re naked and sudsy, I’m less likely to go kill Skender.”
Sally sucked in a sharp breath. Her stomach filled with the frolicking butterflies that often appeared when her mate flirted. Though he wasn’t really flirting now. But how could she not get butterflies when he was talking about getting naked and bathing together?“I never said I wanted to take a bath,”she said. Giving his wolf a different kind of hunt might help just as much as the naked and bathing part.
Costin growled and paused long enough to swing her up into his arms. The breath whooshed out of her at the sudden movement, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as he took off at a run. She often forgot how fast he was.
“Don’t be difficult, woman,”he said, letting his voice drop as it filled her mind.
“I have to admit, I’m a little surprised that this is where your mind is, considering…”
Costin’s brow drew together as he looked at her, his gait slowing to a walk. “I told you, my wolf wants one of two things right now: Skender’s blood beneath our teeth or our mate beneath our body. Which one are you willing to allow?”
“You didn’t put it quite like that.” Sally was used to his frankness and appreciated that he didn’t play games. He always simply told her what he wanted or needed. This directness, no doubt, prevented a lot of hurt feelings and unnecessary confusion. “I don’t want you to kill Skender,” she answered. Sally ran her fingers through his thick, dark hair as she watched the emotions play across his face.
“Bathtub it is,”he said and once again picked up his pace.
Chapter Nine
“Passion is a beautiful thing when it is wielded in love. But passion comes in other forms, and those aren’t always so beautiful. For instance, a male werewolf is passionate about protecting his mate. Sounds beautiful, right? It’s not. It’s annoying and absurd, and I want to stomp on his stubborn feet with pointy shoes.” ~ Bethany
“I’m goingto meet Jen, Jacque, and Sally tonight for hot chocolate,” Bethany said as Drake, freshly showered and wearing only his sleep pants, walked into the living area of their suite. Bethany forced herself not to stare at him. She’d decided that torture was just a part of her life. First, the vampires, and now a mate with a body that would make a nun question her vows, even with the scars his previous Alpha left upon Drake’s chiseled torso. Though they’d completed the mating ceremony and consummated their bond, now Drake held himself back from her. The second time they’d made love, Drake had been a tad more aggressive than the first, and his hands had phased during the process. His wolf’s claws had scratched her, and they’d been far from superficial. The self-loathing he felt the moment he realized what happened broke her heart. Since that night, he’d kissed her and held her, but that was the extent of his physical affection. They’d talked about it until she was blue in the face, but he refused to budge on the issue. A part of her was afraid to admit it, but she feared his rejection. It had been so long since she’d been able to give or receive affection. Having him offer it so freely only to then take it away caused insecurities concerning their relationship to grow in her heart.
Bethany sighed. The exhaustion she’d been plagued with for the past couple weeks only made her more frustrated with the situation. She turned back to the book she’d been reading. Bethany could feel his irritation through their bond, but she didn’t address it. She knew he would say something if she continued to pay her book more attention than him. Drake had learned that one thing Bethany didn’t handle well was lack of communication, which made her feel guiltier than she already did about the suspicion she hadn’t shared with him. Though she was still in denial, which could be another reason she hadn’t said anything to him.
“How long will you be gone?” he asked, taking a seat on the coffee table in front of the couch. He leaned forward so his elbows rested on his knees, which also brought him closer to her.
“A couple hours, maybe three.”
“You’re going at midnight?”
She nodded.
“So you won’t be back until three in the morning?”
