“They’ll be here to erect the stadium in a few days,” I confirm.
Thane curses and scrubs a hand over his jaw. “I was hoping she’d come to see reason.”
“There isn’t any reasoning with her,” I point out. “It’s not just about getting more soldiers. She’s hoping the games will boost the morale of the troops. The situation out there must be worse than we thought.”
“Yes, because nothing fosters hope like watching the slaughter of the next generation of warriors,” Thane replies dryly.
We’re silent for a moment, and I continue along the academy wall, testing the magic as Thane follows me quietly. Another few minutes passes before he says, “We’ve been patient, Knox.”
That makes me pause.
“Can’t you at least try?” he asks, and I stiffen, because I immediately know where this conversation is headed. “If the games are almost upon us as you say, she needs you,” Thane goes on. “You may be the final connection she needs to remove the block.”
I turn to him, anger coursing through me. “Is that what you’ve taken from this? You’re all still playing stupid games,” I snarl. “Your chance to play with your little mate has almost come to an end.”
“Ourmate,” Thane corrects gruffly.
My jaw tightens, my heart pounding at his words though I tell myself they shouldn’t affect me. “My only mate was taken from me,” I state, coldly.
Thane grunts in frustration, running a hand through his hair. “We haven’t ruled out that Shade could be that same mate. And yet, you’d condemn her?”
“Condemn her?” I round on him. “I told you that’s impossible. I know what I felt. Our mate died all those years ago.”
He moves closer, not shying away from my anger. Not even as my shadows coil around me, just waiting for the command to attack.
“Taste her, and I’ll believe you,” Thane rumbles, getting in my face. “She survived Raith’s monster, and she’s growing stronger every day. You can’t run from this, Knox. She could be a fresh start for all of us.”
I give him a bitter smile. “She’s not a fresh start. She’s a curse. And when she dies during the games and you’re all left in pieces, you’ll finally understand what I’ve been trying to warn you away from.”
Thane doesn’t budge. “Don’t punish her because of something that happened in the past.”
My jaw ticks. “I’m not punishing anyone. She’s better off without someone like me, and you know it.” I close the last distance between us, and Thane’s gaze falls to my lips. He grips my jaw roughly, and I smirk, enjoying the way his fingers dig into my skin.
“She’s ours, Knox,” he growls. “I know you feel it. Just like you felt it when I fucked her in that clearing.”
My face twitches, my cock hardening at the thought. “She doesn’t need me.”
He scoffs. “If you think that, then you’re blind.”
“Then let me be blind! For all our sakes,” I snarl. “Because I will not survive the loss of another mate.”
His chest rises and falls as he stares at me, and I know he sees the truth in my eyes. No one else understands me like Thane does.
“I fear none of us will,” he growls back, and then his lips crash to mine.
I kiss him back just as roughly, our shadows clashing as we collide. Her scent clings to him, and I grunt as Thane grabs the back of my neck and pushes me face first against a nearby tree. The bark scratches against my cheek, the scent of pine filling my nose, and I let him hold me there. I could fight him. I could easily win, too, because Thane would never hurt me, but that’s not what I want nor what I need right now.
Using his boot, he forces my legs wider, and I groan as his shadows yank down my pants. “Time’s running out, Knox,” he growls, his lips by the side of my face, and his whiskers scraping against my skin. “Don’t let her be another regret.”
My nostrils flare. “You’ll be the one with regrets when she’s dissected by the queen and displayed for all to see,” I tell him coldly, hating that I speak the truth.
He growls loudly, spitting on his cock and fisting himself before he drives it into me. He isn’t gentle, and I grunt as he thrusts into my ass, giving me exactly what I want. What we bothneed, after that fucking display we just watched with Raith’s monster and the human.
I enjoy the sting of pain that gives way to pleasure as he groans, pounding into me until he reaches a furious pace, the tree punishing against my cheek.
This man is my fucking anchor, and I feel my sanity returning as he drives hard into me, pumping into me over and over, helping to chase away my demons, even if it’s for the briefest fucking moment.
But for the first time in a long while, it’s not enough. Not when her scent stains his skin, and when her face haunts my thoughts. Not when the queen’s threat is still fresh in my mind. And not when the human’s scream pierces my mind.
