Dessie pretended to be asleep when Garrett returned. When he moved into the bathroom to take a shower, she rolled over to listen to the storm. Where had she been? None of this made sense, and that was becoming her new mantra. Who was Ulric, and why was Hope in that creepy dream world with her? More importantly, how did she even get to that place while her body remained here in bed? She must not have physically moved, because there weren’t any scratches on her. Yet her arms still hurt, deep down.
Garrett exited the bathroom, his injuries now healed. She peeked at him through her lashes. He’d tugged on jeans and thick-looking socks. The wide expanse of his chest gleamed in the darkness, beckoning her in a way that made her mouth water. Then he reached for a T-shirt and drew it over his head. “Just to be safe,” he drawled.
She swallowed. Did he know she wasn’t sleeping?
He twisted on the bedside lamp.
She scooted over and then sat, drawing her legs to her chest. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes. How about you?” His tone was level and his face calm.
She swallowed. “Fine. I was just sleeping.” Yes, she knew his niece would tell him about their journey into that terrifying world, unless somehow it was a dream. But she wanted time to think it all through. Without him looking at her like she was a deadly assassin about to decapitate him.
That little voice in her head whispered that his future mate would be an assassin. He’d mated her—kind of. Was it possible they could get the mating mark to stay?
Not that she was ready to mate. “Should we get some sleep?”
“Have you really been sleeping?”
“Yes.” She tried to keep eye contact with him, but lightning zapped outside and tree branches snapped, so she looked toward the door.
He curled his hand around her nape and drew her near, compelling her to meet his glittering gaze. “I thought I told you not to lie to me.”
Darn it. Had Hope called him in the middle of the night? “Iwassleeping.”
“Then what?” His voice was soft. Velvet soft.
She shivered and goose bumps rose down her back. The quieter he became, the more terrifying he seemed. But whatever had happened to her wasn’t resolved yet in her mind, and she didn’t want to share. Plus, she was tired of being bossed around. “I am not prepared to discuss the matter with you yet.”
His fingers tightened at her nape. “Listen to me, Destiny.” His minty breath feathered across her lips. “You’re in my world and under my protection, and that means you don’t keep secrets. You don’t hide danger, and you sure as hell do not lie to me. Tell me you understand.”
“But I’m not yours,” she whispered right back.
Something dark flashed in his eyes.
Her mouth opened slightly as her breath caught painfully in her upper chest. “You know it’s true.” While the language was certainly archaic, she’d spent enough time in the vampire holding to recognize the possessiveness inherent in the male members of Garrett’s family as well as his friends. “I’ll never be yours.” Not as a human, especially one who had a shortened life span, no matter how many times she might attack him and shrink the tumor. She took the pang to her heart and kept talking. “So stop telling me what to do.”
“You’re not mine?” He pulled her even closer, so that his nose was almost touching hers. “Who marked you? Who exactly was inside you the other night?”
Warning radiated through her with a roll of heat. “Garrett.”
“Answer me.”
“You were.” She gulped as her face warmed. “That doesn’t mean—”
“Let me tell you exactly what it means.” He plucked her out of the bed, sat with his back to the wall, and planted her on his groin, facing him.
Longing smoldered through her, tightening her nipples and spurring her irritation at them both. “I’m not—”
“Destiny.” His tone was a low command. One she instinctively heeded. “While we’re together, you are mine. In every sense of the word. You understood that when you gave yourself to me the other night. Correct?”
“We’re temporary,” she said, her gaze dropping to his full lips.
“Wrong.” His wrist twisted, and he grabbed her hair, yanking her head back. “My marking appeared. For you. Right now, you’re in this, and you’re staying in this until we figure everything out, including that tumor in your head. There’s no out until I say there’s an out. Tell me you understand.”
“You won’t force me to mate. Even if you could,” she snapped.
“No, I wouldn’t,” he agreed. “But for now, we’re sticking together until we figure out what happened to you. Then you can decide what you want to do for the rest of your life.”
