“What message wouldthatbe?” I seethed, pulling my dagger away so I didn’t accidentally slit his throat.
“I don’t need you in my head.”
“Well, that’s great. If only you had given me that option when the bond first formed. But you are my mate, and —”
“Lyra, I’m only going to say this once . . .” Kaden’s voice was laced with such venom that I had to fight back a shudder. “Stay — out — of my — head.”
“I only opened the connection to warn you,” I shot back. “Do you know what we found in Körkis? The entire village fucking burned to the ground — razed by Alfrigg’s army. Females and younglings slaughtered in the streets. Their bodies left to rot.”
Kaden’s face went slack with shock, and I felt an ugly swell of satisfaction that I’d managed to break through his defenses.
“Alfrigg sacked Körkis?” His voice was a low rumble against my chest, and I suddenly became aware that my entire body was pressed against his.
My thighs were clamped around Kaden’s hips, my breasts flat against his chest. Our mouths were so close that our breaths mingled, and if I lifted my chin ever so slightly, my lips would brush his.
Liquid desire bloomed in my core, and my skin heated everywhere we were touching.
“Yes,” I gritted out, annoyed at the effect he had on me,even when he was being an ass. “I thought —” I broke off, not wanting to admit that I’d been worried. “I only opened the connection to warn you and Adriel that Alfrigg’s army might be headed here next.”
Kaden’s expression softened briefly, remorse flickering behind those stormy gray eyes. But he quickly tucked his emotions away and hauled that stony façade back into place. “Well, as you can see, everything is fine here.”
I stared down at him in disbelief, hurt and indignation swirling inside me.
Here was the male I’d had between my legs only a few days before. He’d called me his mate and burrowed into my heart, and yet he was looking at me as if I were lower than his father’s wretched demons.
Deep down, I knew I should turn and walk away. Kaden had endured unimaginable horrors and endless pain. All to protectme.The least I could do was give him his space.
I could handle his silence.
I could handle his rage.
But I could not deal with him acting as though I were his enemy. Not after what we’d been through.
“Fine?” I murmured, frowning down at him. “You mean to tell me that everything isfine?”
Tossing my dagger onto the bed, I shoved to my knees to put some distance between us. Then, before I could think better of it, I slammed my fist into the side of his face.
Unhinged satisfaction bloomed in my chest as his head snapped around. His jaw flexed as he ran his tongue along his bottom lip, where a bead of blood appeared.
In that instant, I saw a flicker of . . .somethingin his eyes. A ghost of the old Kaden.
“Why did you try to hurt me through the bond?” I demanded. “Why are you shutting me out? I know they hurt you, but —”
“Because it’s not safe!” Kaden shot back, gripping me by the hips and tossing me onto the pallet beside him.
I landed on my ass and pushed myself up, heart fluttering like a bird trapped behind a pane of glass. “What?”
He sighed, running a hand over his face. “When I was in Dorthus, Fleshtalker did everything he could to discover why I was protecting you. He drowned me. Beat me. Nailed my wings with those fucking rowan-wood spikes.” Kaden’s jaw clenched. “Anything to worm his way into my mind so he could understand why I was linked to a huntress.”
Nausea roiled in my gut. I knew that Kaden had been tortured, but to hear all they’d put him through made me sick to my stomach.
“Whenever he touched me, he’d get flashes of memories,” Kaden muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “Snippets of the two of us. But he still didn’t get everything he wanted, so he sent in another demon . . . one with a talent for manipulating magical bonds.”
“The female,” I whispered, thinking of the bitch who’d clawed me with those long silver talons.
He nodded, his expression guarded. “I wasn’t completely honest with you when I told you about the sire bond. The connection doesn’t just allow my father to see into my mind. It . . . allows him to summon me. To take over my body if I am not vigilant.”
A cold chill sliced down the back of my neck at the thought of the demon kingpossessingKaden.
