I arch into his touch, a gasp escaping as he pinches the sensitive peaks. "About—ah—Erik's mood?"
"Because he's being a fucking idiot," he growls before capturing my nipple between his lips. The wet heat of his mouth sends electricity shooting through my body. "And it's pissing me off."
I pull back, ignoring the whimper of protest that escapes my throat. "About what?"The need for answers temporarily overrides the burning desire coursing through my veins.
His big paws claim my ass, yanking me forward until I'm pressed against the impressive bulge straining his leather pants."Angel..." he growls, his lips finding that sweet spot on my neck that makes my toes curl. His teeth scrape along my collarbone, marking a path of fire across my skin while his fingers knead my ass with possessive intent.
"Rhyland..." I try to create some distance, but he's having none of it. He rocks up against my core, the friction sending sparks of pleasure through my body.
Frustrated with his noticeable deflection, I grab his face between my palms. "Are you going to answer me or just keep trying to distract me with your considerable... talents?"
A heavy sigh escapes him, his eyes clouding with something I can't quite read. "No, baby. I can't."
The words hit me like a tidal wave. This is new territory for us—dangerous and unsettling. We've never kept secrets since that first night when he finally opened up to me. It was an unspoken pact, sealed with trust and strengthened by our bond. The fact that he's holding something back now makes my stomach tense.
"Why?" The word comes out sharper than I intend, worry starting to gnaw at my insides.
Rhyland's eyes drop, his jaw clenching in that way that tells me he's struggling. "He asked me not to say anything. I gave him my word."
His tatted hands capture my face, forcing me to meet his eyes now stormy with conflict. "Don't look at me like that, Angel. I respect my brother, even if he's stubborn about this. But it has to come from him."
My mind spirals with dark possibilities, each theory more terrifying than the last. The way Erik acted on the training grounds—those intense stares that seemed to burn holes through the air, that suspicious coughing fit that felt more like a cover-up than actual distress. Is there something wrong with him? Did the wards do something to him? Or worse—is he showing signs of corruption, like those other vampires who lost their humanity and turned feral?
I've seen what happens when vampires go dark side, and the thought of our refined, controlled Erik succumbing to that kind of madness makes my blood run cold.What could be serious enough to make Mr. Stoic—the vampire equivalent of a Swiss vault when keeping his composure—swear Rhyland to absolute secrecy?
The possibilities swirling through my head are enough to make me feel sick. Erik's been there for me through everything—the thought of something being wrong with him, something so profound that Rhyland won't even tell me about it, makes me worry more.
"Is he okay?" I press, worry, making my voice crack. "You're freaking me out here. What's wrong with Erik?"
"He'll be fine, baby." The words sound hollow even as they leave his lips, his expression doing nothing to ease my concerns.
I slip from his grasp when he reaches for me, trying to draw me into a kiss. My bare feet pad across the fur rugs until I reach the bed, crawling under the thick pelts. Behind me, Rhyland releases a frustrated growl that echoes off the stone walls. I get it—he's caught between loyalty to his brother and honesty with his mate. But Erik isn't just Rhyland's brother anymore—he's my family, too.
The thought that something's wrong with him, something serious enough to warrant secrets between us, makes my stomach twist into knots.
I can't lose Erik.
The bed dips under Rhyland's considerable weight as he slides in beside me. I roll onto my side, facing the dancing flames in the hearth, putting my back to him.
"Goodnight," I mutter, knowing I'm being petty but unable to help myself.
Through our bond, I feel his emotions warring—frustration and anger mixing with guilt and worry. The feelings wash over me in waves until exhaustion pulls me under, dragging me into uneasy dreams.
Rhyland
30
I'm shoveling breakfast into my face while my mate gives me the Arctic fucking treatment. After last night's shitstorm, she's ready to hang me by my balls for keeping Erik's secret. I'm this close to saying 'screw it' and spilling everything, but my brother made me swear on my honor in the bathhouse.
Fucking honor.
"Thanks to you, asshole, Dani's not only pissed, but I'm officially in the doghouse. You need to fix this shit, pronto," I grumble around a mouthful of smoked fish.
Erik's sigh could freeze hellfire. "I have no intention of pursuing the matter, brother. Therefore, there is nothing to divulge to the Little Huntress." His voice is clipped, each word as precise as a surgeon's blade.
I damn near choke on my breakfast, fish going down the wrong pipe. "What the actual fuck do you mean you're notpursuingit?"
Erik's steel-gray eyes flick meaningfully over my shoulder. I turn to look, and there's Dani with Bryn—who's currently wrapped around some mountain of muscle like a vine on a tree, their faces practically fused together in the middle of the damn hall.
