“He’s done more than enough.”
“You’re not going to hurt him again,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Won’t I?”
“What do you want fromme?” I demand once more.
Ryker sucks in a breath. “You’re going to come with me for the foreseeable future.”
“You really think I’ll come with you after what you’ve done?”
“If you don’t, I’ll make you kill him yourself.”
The urge to lunge at him and rip out his throat is rife, but I refuse to leave Evan vulnerable for a second longer.
“Taking him away from me is only going to make me a shell of a person,” I rasp heavily. “It will destroy me from the inside out.”
Ryker laughs. “Oh, please. Spare me the matebond nonsense. You’re coming with me, and that’s final.”
“Like after mum died, you didn’t break inside,” I spit.
His eyes flare at the sudden change in subject. “That woman was weak.”
“Mymother was strong enough to endure everything you did to her.”
Ryker stares at me for a long time before his eyes rest on Evan in my lap.
“You’re not killing him.” I shake my head sternly.
“No…you will.”
All of a sudden, his eyes sharpen, and in the next second, my hand is on Evan’s narrow throat through the forcefulness of his powers. I groan painfully in protest as my hand squeezes around his windpipe, and it’s the most chilling sight I’ve ever seen.
“Stop it,” I shout. “Stop it.”
Evan’s mouth pops open as I feel him attempting to breathe through the suffocation I’m forcing. Tears spread through my eyes as I stare down at my own hand doing the damage, but not being able to move.
My stomach lurches as our matebond fights between us. His face starts to turn purple as his eyes crack an inch, and I release a sound that haunts me.
No. No. No. No. No.
“I’ll–” I choke back the nausea rising through my sternum. “I’ll go with you. Just fucking stop!”
My cheeks are damp with tears, unable to hold in my emotions.
I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,I chant through our mindlink.
But he keeps me still. My hand covers his neck completely, nearly crushing his throat, and I can’t bear another second. I release a bellow as I do everything to drag my hand away, but I can’t.
“I’ll go with you. Stop! Fucking stop!”
Ryker releases my hand, and Evan gasps for a weak breath. I can barely see him through my blurry vision as I hold him to my chest and press kisses to his temple.
I inhale his scent and rest my forehead against his, my tears dripping onto his broken skin.
I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.My eyes squeeze shut as I exhale a jagged breath.
“Reject him,” he states simply. “And you’ll never see, think, or hear from him again. Do I make myself clear?”
