“Where are we going this time?” He kept his voice calm, though he wanted to growl and snarl at her. His wolf hated the rift between them. It longed to hold her, connect with her, and love her in a way that only he could.
“I’d rather you not go,” Jewel’s words felt like a slap across the face.
“You know that’s not happening.” Dalton folded his arms across his chest. He was so damn frustrated. “It’s not safe out there.”
“It’s never safe, Dalton.” She stood up and looked at him. Her eyes only met his briefly before darting away. “It never will be for someone like me.”
In addition to shutting him out physically and emotionally, she’d also shut the bond down tight. Even in her sleep, he couldn’t get past her walls. Dalton was getting desperate, and he was very close to calling in the other healers for help. Maybe they would tell him what the hell was going on.
He followed her from their room and then through the mansion until she reached the garage. She grabbed a key from the rows that hung on the wall, then headed to one of the smaller sports cars, which he was convinced she did on purpose because it was difficult for him to fold his much larger frame into the little box. Still, he managed it—barely.
This wasn’t their first field trip. They’d visited a half a dozen different places in recent weeks, always some sort of supernatural hangout contained within some ramshackle old building. Some were close by, but others were a few hours away. Jewel refused to explain how she knew about these places. The first couple of times, Dalton had attempted to get the information out of her, but Jewel was stubborn. Once she’d made her mind up about something, that was it. She was one of the strongest, most determined people he knew. The only thing she’d tell him was that she was getting help to deal with the darkness, but she refused to say how. Eventually, he’d given up, and they rode in silence.
But his mate’s stonewalling wasn’t the worst part of the whole situation. The worst part was that he couldn’t enter any of the damn supernatural places they visited. There was some sort of ward that kept him out. Jewel had said it had something todo with her witch blood. And she hadn’t prepared him for this little fact before their first visit. They’d come to a dilapidated shack somewhere in the middle of nowhere. The sight of the rotting boards holding the place together, combined with the eerie stillness in the air, immediately put Dalton on edge. They reached the front door, and Dalton opened it for Jewel. She passed through quickly, but when Dalton tried to follow, he hit a barrier and bounced off it. Jewel hadn’t even turned around to give him a reassuring glance before disappearing into the darkness within.
Both Dalton and his wolf went berserk, attacking the shack, trying to rip the place apart. Normally, his beast could have easily accomplished the task, but the rickety shack must have been supernaturally protected. His claws didn’t so much as scratch the wood. Dalton’s alpha, Dillon, had sensed his emotions through the pack bond. He’d reached out and offered to have a fae bring him to help. Dalton had told him no, mostly because he didn’t want to admit that there was some sort of problem in his relationship. Why? Because Dalton felt like a failure. He was scared to death that she regretted jumping into this relationship with him, and now she was simply trying to cope with it. Dalton didn’t want her tojustcope. He wanted her to want him as much as he wanted her.
An hour passed before Jewel emerged. Dalton was so angry he didn’t even yell. He was afraid he might say something he couldn’t take back. Instead, he simply held out his hands for the keys. When she hesitated, his wolf snarled at her. Jewel’s eyes widened, and she immediately dropped them in his hand. When they finally arrived back at the mansion, the steering wheel bore ragged claw marks.
But on this particular outing, some sort of magic had happened while they were driving. It felt as if they’d passed through a portal to another dimension along the way and thatthey’d gone much farther than they’d actually traveled on the road.
Like all the other places, this was a ramshackle structure that looked like a strong breeze would send it crashing to the ground. Dalton knew better.
“I don’t suppose I will actually be able to come inside of this one,” Dalton grumbled at her.
“You know the answer.” Her tone was soft, and Dalton thought he heard a hint of regret in her voice, though it might have simply been wishful thinking.
They climbed out of the car. “Why?” He slammed the door, shaking the entire vehicle, his emotions getting the better of his control. They’d been through so much. Why the hell didn’t she trust him to handle this with her?
“Because there is no darkness in you.” Jewel walked toward the door.
It was the closest thing to an actual answer she’d given him. Dalton lunged and grabbed her, wrapping his arm around her bicep, turning her to face him. “What the hell does that mean?”
She looked up at him, appearing so small and vulnerable. “Exactly what I said, Dalton. Our bond pushes the darkness from you, but the witch blood in me does the opposite. I may have been good at one time, but the Great Luna was right. The evil in the world can continue to taint us.” Jewel bit her lip and shook her head. “I thought it would go away, but it didn’t. Not even your love can take it away.”
The words were a knife in Dalton’s heart. “Why would you want to enter such a place? A place that allows only darkness?” he choked out.
She clenched her lips tightly together.
“How long are you going to do this? Do you want out of our relationship? Is that what this is about? Do you regret becoming my mate?” He needed to stop talking because he didn’t knowif he really wanted the answers to his questions. But the words kept flowing against his will. Dalton hated feeling so vulnerable. Whether she meant to or not, Jewel was tearing him apart, and she’d been doing it for some time. “Is there someone else that you think understands you better?” He’d never heard of a true mate leaving their mate for someone else, but, lately, it seemed like anything was possible.
“What?” Jewel’s face scrunched with confusion. “Why would you think that?”
Dalton laughed, a dark, bitter sound. “Are you serious?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t serious.”
“Okay.” He nodded then shrugged. “Let me see if I can put it in a way that even your ridiculous brain can understand. Tomorrow, I’m going to get in the car and drive somewhere. I’m not going to tell you where I’m going or why. I’m going to drive to some skeevy place and go inside, but you won’t be able to go in with me. You will be forced to remain outside and wonder what the hell I’m doing and who the hell I’m doing it with. You will ask me what I did, but I will refuse to answer any of your questions. We will drive home in silence. When we get home, I’m going to eat, shower, and go to bed without a word, without touching you, or allowing you to touch me. I will show you no affection. I will live with you as a roommate, and one that I do not respect, which will be obvious in the way that I barely speak to you.”
He slammed his fist down on his thigh. “Maybe, just maybe, after you have endured all that, you will understand what I’m going through.” He released her and stepped aside to keep from throwing her over his shoulder and cramming her back into the car. The only reason he didn’t was because he would never take away her right to choose what she wanted. She’d been forced to do horrible things by Volcan. Dalton refused to deprive her of free will. If she wanted to walk away, he would force himself to let her.
She took a step backward, but her face was no longer emotionless. It was full of horror, pain, and guilt. Her mouth kept opening and closing as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t. Jewel’s steps continued until her butt hit the door of the building. She reached behind her and grabbed the handle. Then she whipped around, pulled it open, and disappeared inside. The door slammed shut hard enough to shake the surrounding trees.
Dalton lifted his arms and rested his entwined fingers on top of his head as he closed his eyes, clenching his teeth to keep from roaring like a damn lion. He wanted to kill something. But he wouldn’t leave Jewel. Like a puppy, he’d sit outside and wait for her again.
“Why do you let her treat you like that?” a voice said from behind him.
Dalton moved fast, crouching down and baring his teeth at the intruder.
