The womenandthe men.
It’s because he tried to hurt my mate and our baby.
Our baby.
I’ve barely had a chance to grasp the news, and as I sit in the car, I think it’s finally hitting me.
Diego looks at me for a moment, as if he wants to say something but thinks better of it. Then he gets up and heads for the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts, my emotions.
I suck in a breath and let it out slowly, closing my eyes. When I open them, I notice the light in the doorway, notice the figure standing there against it.
My gaze meets Auryn’s and the relief that hits me mixes with a string of fear. I freeze as she takes two steps forward and shuts the door.
I want to get up, I really do, but my legs feel like Jell-O.
Somehow, I manage to move them, though. I slowly get out of the car and lean against it, sliding my hands in my pockets as she approaches me. My blood runs cold, and I can’t take my eyes off of her.
“Hey,” she says softly. She leaves a bit of space between us, as if she, too, is nervous. There’s a long moment of silence as I swallow harshly, focusing on those dark, warm eyes.
My Auryn.
My mate.
In a lot of ways, she doesn’t look any different than the first time I saw her. Her hair is a mess, dirt and blood smeared on her like little specks of glitter from a darker place.
She stands tall, fierce, like I remember.
But she’s different, too. Dressed in tactical gear which has seen better days, but it’s not just her clothes that are different. It’s her.
Gone is the anger and the rage I felt when we brought her here. Gone is the feral terror that was five-seven-six.
Standing in its place is Auryn.
If she can stand here, surely I can, too. So, I push myself off the car and take a solid step towards closing the gap between us.
“Hey.”
She slumps her shoulders, biting her lip. I watch as she flashes her gaze up at me. She takes a step forward, closing the gap another inch.
“You uh…” Her voice falters for a moment, and I can hear the adrenaline ringing in it still. I know it’ll take a while for it to leave her system. I look down at her hands. Covered in blood.
Sneed’s blood, but also the blood of our enemies and allies, too.
My brain decides that this is the perfect time to replay the worst fucking sight: Auryn with that blade, slicing through my stolen skin.
I wince at the memory, and I hate that I do.
IknowAuryn would never hurt me. On some deep level, I know that, but my brain isn’t rational right now. All I know is it’s tearing me apart from the inside.
Sneed is gone. Dead. I watched him die at Auryn’s hand. So how is it he still haunts me like this? Why can’t I just let go of this?
Auryn’s hand strokes my jaw, and I open my eyes immediately.
“Want to stretch our legs?” she asks, her voice shaky.
I know without a doubt we need to talk about this, but I’m not sure I can put words to what is going on right now. But I know I need to move, or I’ll crumble, and I don’t want to do that. So I nod.
“I could use a little stretch, sure.”
