“I’m a warrior, Sorin.” Elle’s voice shook with the rage coursing through her. She used her magic to manifest two more blades and threw them in quick succession. Later—much later—she might look back and consider whether throwing sharp objects at her mate was the smartest thing she’d ever done. But that was later, and this was now. “I’ve been fighting for longer than you have existed. It’s in my blood, built into my supernatural DNA. You cannot ask me to change.”
Sorin snarled and circled toward her, knowing that coming straight at her might earn him a blade between the eyes. “I know exactly what you are, female.” His voice was guttural with his wolf. “I do not doubt your ability. You know this. You are being emotional and irrational.”
Oh no, he didn’t.Elle reached back over her shoulders and pulled out two short swords. She tossed them on the ground and then backed up. “Pick them up,” she snapped and then manifested two more for herself.
“You will stay here with the other females. Guarding our home is just as important as fighting a battle.”Sorin’s words to Elle this morning echoed through her head.Who in the hell does he think he is?Ever since he’d made his oh-so-foolish declaration to her, Elle’s hands had been twitching, eager to cross blades with her mate. And it’s not that she didn’t agree with him. But Elle had always been in the action of battle. It was what she was raised to be. Not a guard, though there was no less pride in that position. But this was also personal. Alston was a high fae. A person she’d trusted for centuries. Sheneededto be there when he was brought to his knees. She needed to see the light fade from his eyes.
Sorin crouched, never taking his eyes off of her. He might be dumb, but he wasn’t an idiot. Slowly, he picked up the swords. Sorin rose and rotated his wrists, deftly spinning the blades. Elle wouldn’t lie to herself and say it didn’t turn her on that her mate knew how to expertly wield a weapon. It was a good thing, too, or she’d be worried about actually hurting him. As it was, he would—hopefully—only end up with a few minor slashes.
“There is no need for this, Elle.” Sorin’s voice had lost a little of its harshness, but his wolf was still evident. “We need to discuss the situation … like adults.”
“This”—she whipped her short swords around in circles—“isme discussing it like an adult.” Her lips turned up in a smile that was anything but happy. “Sometimes it’s necessary for me to remind you just exactly who you are bonded to,mate.” She bit out the last word, her teeth snapping together much like his wolf’s did when he was angry.
She didn’t give him time to respond. Instead, Elle lunged for him, propelled by her magic unnaturally high in the air. She tucked her legs and did a front flip over him with her arms extended so her blades came down over his head. Sorin raised his own weapons in a blur to protect himself. The blades struck so hard the impact radiated up her arms.That’s more like it.She grinned. Elle loved that her mate was a male who could hold his own against her wrath.
Sorin’s feet moved swiftly as he turned and immediately attacked. And he held nothing back, attacking like a man possessed. What happened to the man who thought she needed to sit on the sidelines and wait for him to return from battles? Metal sang and sparks flew when their swords collided. Elle’s feet danced, mimicking his every move. She began pressing forward, putting him on the defensive. Her arms were a blur as they drove him back.
“I can do this all day long, wolf.” Elle laughed, and even to herself, it sounded like the cackle of a fae who was a little unhinged. Perhaps she needed to get out of the sprite realm and breathe a little human air.
“If you’re trying to wear me down, I can think of other ways that would be slightly less violent.” His grin turned lascivious.
She jumped back, putting space between them, and laughed. “If you think I’m jumping into bed with you, then you’re going to be very disappointed.”
Sorin’s brow rose. “Who said anything about a bed?”
Intimate thoughts filled her mind. Thoughts that werenother own. No. Not thoughts, but memories. Of she and Sorin together. “It won’t work.” Her feet wanted to move toward him of their own accord, but she forced them to remain still. The damn wolf knew her weakness.Him. He was, and always would be, her only weakness.
She watched as his pupils dilated, and his arms lowered slightly. Elle wanted to taunt him. His own plan was backfiring on him. Sorin licked his lips, and his chest rumbled the way it always did when he pursued her. She could see the heat of his desire growing. Elle wasn’t above fighting dirty.
Elle walked slowly toward him, letting her hips sway suggestively. Sorin’s eyes dropped and then moved slowly up her form, drinking her in. She still held a sword in each hand, but he no longer noticed them. Sorin was too busy watching her tongue run across her lips. His arms dropped further until he held the blades at his sides.
Moving with the inhuman speed of the fae race, she stepped around him and pressed the tip of her weapon to his throat. A tiny drop of blood appeared where the blade touched his skin. Elle wasn’t surprised he didn’t struggle or act surprised. He didn’t even move, which meant he’dlether get the drop on him. That pissed her off, but her ire lessened a bit with the continual flood of emotions flowing from him to her. Elle leaned forward until her mouth rested against his ear. She had to stand on her toes in order to reach that high, but she liked that. It made her feel feminine. “I will let you seduce me, my mate.” She purred. “But it will not change the fact that Iwillbe joining you tomorrow when we attack Alston.”
Sorin leaned back against her. She heard the weapons fall to the ground with a thud, and then felt his arms pulling her tighter against him. His hands ran up and then down to her backside. His head fell forward as a sigh that sounded exhausted rushed out of him. Elle slowly removed her sword from him and then magicked them away. She tried to take a step back, but Sorin turned quickly, his hands only gone long enough for him to face her, and then they were wrapped back around her waist. The pain and worry in his eyes made her flinch.
Elle lifted her hand and wiped away the drop of blood from his neck. Sorin closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. It was something she loved about him. The fae didn’t crave touch. When they’d first mated, it had been something she’d had to get used to. Sorin took every opportunity to touch her in any way he could. Over time, she’d gotten used to it and now found herself missing it when they weren’t physically connected in some way. Her teeth ground together, irritated with herself for wanting him even now. She was supposed to be angry at him. Shewasangry with him. But at the same time, she wanted peace with her mate. Elle didn’t like it when there was strife between them.
“Then don’t fight with me, my mate,” he whispered. “Let me protect you. As you said, being a warrior is in your DNA. Being your protector is in mine.”
Elle leaned forward and bumped her head against his chest. Sorin’s hand pressed the back of her head, holding her close against him. “Youcanprotect me,” she said, and then added, “as I fight at your side. We are one, correct?” She lifted her head and looked up at him.
He gave her a nod. “We are.”
“Then we cannot be separated at a time like this. That would be the equivalent of being cut in half and becoming two. When you cut a cord in half, the fibers weaken and begin to unravel. The rope loses its integrity and its purpose. Do not make us like that cord.” Elle reached up and cupped his handsome face. “True mates are stronger together.Weare stronger together.”
Sorin looked as if he wanted to roar like an angry lion. Instead, he gripped her face in his hands and took her lips with his own. The kiss was possessive as much as it was passionate. Warmth flowed through Elle, and lightning danced across her skin as every nerve in her body came to life. The open intimacy he showed her was something she was still getting used to, but Sorin was very good at making her forget their surroundings. Sorin’s scent enveloped her. He devoured her like a starving beast, and she willingly let herself become his sustenance.
“You will not leave my side,”he said through their bond as he tilted her head so he could deepen their kiss.
“I have been in battle with you and without you before,”she reminded him.
He growled but didn’t take his lips from hers. The kiss softened as he bit gently at her, only to then return to kissing her.“No more,”he told her.“If we are stronger together, then we stay together. Always. No matter the enemy, the location, or the battle.”
Elle reached up under his arms and wrapped around him until her hands rested on his shoulders. She pulled herself up and wrapped her legs around his waist. Then she flashed them to the room the sprites had given them.
“You drive me crazy, female,” Sorin said against her lips as he laid her on their bed.
“That sounds like a personal problem,” she teased. Teasing him was something that was still new to her. Elle had found that being around Jen and the other females of the pack had changed her attitude. They’d helped her loosen up and made her realize there was more to life thanjustbeing a warrior. She was also a woman, a friend, a lover, and a true mate.
