Talk about cockblocking.
Shadow wasn’t satisfied with that response, the fire in his eyes surging to greater heights.
With a sigh, I added a little more to the story. “The beta took his interrogation a little too far, and his branding iron left a mark.”
Shadow’s chest rumbled under my touch, that deep reverberating sound he made when he was truly furious. He’d made it the day he’d killed Alpha Victor, and when he’d faced off against Torin. Both times it had been about me, and no lie, I was into this grouchy, alpha, kill-everything-that-got-in-his-way side of him. Especially when it wasn’t directed toward me.
“I have a lot of scars,” I told him, forcing the words out, their truth burning my throat. “Both inside and out, but they don’t define me.”
He still wasn’t talking, his breathing harsh, same as mine, our scents mixing together. Needing to lighten the mood, or I’d self-destruct, I said the first thing that came to mind.
“I’m pretty sure we’ll get Shadowshine.”
His lips twitched; he hadn’t forgotten the last time I’d said that, either, and thankfully, my reminder had the desired effect.
“Sundow sounds like a pet’s name,” I babbled, saying whatever words entered my head.
I was gently set on my feet, and wanting to keep him in sight, I tilted my head back.
“Shadowshine is exactly how I see us,” he rumbled. “One too dark, the other too light, and nothing but destructive storms between us.”
I swallowed roughly at the tone of his words, almost broken. He didn’t really believe we would ever have a couple name because we’d never truly be a couple. “Storms are my favorite,” I said fiercely. “I always dance in the rain.”
He leaned down, his nose running along my cheek as he scented me. “You forgot the destructive part, little wolf.”
I hadn’t. I just didn’t care.
I shivered as he pulled away, those serious eyes still on me, even as our fires faded to almost nothing. “I won’t let you be swept away in the deluge,” he warned, and then he was gone, walking away from me, leaving me naked and alone.
Once again.
13
Angel helped me pull my shit together, dress, and get the backpack onto my shoulders. By the time I was done, Shadow was just a broad-shouldered speck in the distance.
My friend kept glancing at me as we started after him, and I was sure that the shock on my face was a permanent imprint.
“Are you okay?” she finally asked, no doubt hoping to jolt me from my dark thoughts.
“I have no idea what just happened,” I breathed, blinking about fifty billion times, like that would clear my head. “My aim was to calm him down, but it appears I might have done the opposite.”
Angel shot me a knowing smile. “I’ve never seen anyone rile Shadow like you do. Or, to be more accurate, it’s not the riling that’s odd, it’s the way he doesn’t kill you when it happens. If I know anything about the beast, it’s that he doesn’t like to come undone. He doesn’t want to be out of control.”
I snorted. “Isn’t he always out of control, bursting into flames, growling and grumbling at everyone?”
She actually laughed out loud. “Firstly, you’re probably not going to believe this, but Shadow was rarely out of control before he met you. And secondly, most of the time, even when he’s using his power and rumbling his words, it’s still controlled. The smoke show is all deliberate to achieve whatever end he’s after. But with you, it’s an actual loss of control.”
“He’s not the only one,” I admitted. “How can I hate him so desperately one minute, and then the next, feel like I’ll die if I don’t kiss him?”
My fingers lifted to brush across my lips. “That was my first real kiss,” I whispered. That bullshit with Torin didn’t count. Fucker. “How pathetic.”
Angel ground to a halt. “He kissed you?”
In my surprise, I stumbled forward as well. “Uh, yeah, he did.”
She swallowed roughly. “Are you sure?”
What?Whaaat?
