“Not much,” I admit, chancing a glance up to meet his eyes. “Though I’m quite curious how I ended up in your bed.”
My teasing falls flat, and Bash leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees.
Nothing would've happened between us last night. Bash would never take advantage of me in that condition, regardless of how much I begged.
I cringe.
I'msureI begged.
“Lay back,” he finally says, then stands and hovers over me.
My neck cranes to follow his eyes as I try to read them. They’re intense, and I swallow hard as I nod and let my back fall onto the mattress.
Bash tugs the blankets, then levels me with a stern glare as I scramble to hold on to them. I force another hard swallow as I let my hands fall limply at my sides.
He pulls the sheets away, and shame burns hot on my face as he stares at my thighs.
Slowly, he kneels, then slides his arms along the mattress until he grips my hips and tugs my body closer. Deft fingers lift my shirt and push the side of my underwear down.
His fingertips drift over my mark. “What happened?”
“Bash, no,” I whine.
“I deserve to know.”
The firm grip on my hips leaves no room for argument, but the sternness of his voice is countered by the gentle way he leans forward and kisses that cursed skin.
“Xen, please,” he murmurs as his lips drag over my hipbone.
My resolve falters, and I squeeze my eye closed. “I told you they found out,” I finally say.
He freezes like he didn’t expect an answer before he sits back on his feet, his thumb still tracing delicate little shapes over my skin.
“But,” I continue, “I didn’t tell you everything that came with that.”
“I’m listening.”
My eye opens and I stare at the ceiling for a minute, gathering my courage.
I never wanted him to know about this part of my past… never wanted him to carry the weight of what was done to me.
My hand slides to my hip, covering his as we trace the mark together. “This was my penance.”
“For what?” he asks.
“Hiding us. Lying about being mates. It was the price I paid to keep you safe.”
His hand stops moving in those comforting pets and flexes against my hip. “What do you mean by that?”
My breath shakes as I brace myself for what’s coming, the silence stretched so thin that one heartbeat might crack it wide open.
“When Aeliphis found out, she was going to report it to Leadership,” I explain, “and I couldn’t allow that to happen. I couldn’t put you in that sort of danger, so I begged her. Told her I’d do whatever it took to keep you safe, and she… offered me a deal.”
“What sort of deal?”
“I don’t want to talk about this,” I whine.
Bash cups my hip like he’s hugging it, soothing me even as I prepare to break his heart all over again.
