“Nothing,” I shrug again. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
Delilah takes a step forward and stares squarely into my eyes as if she's trying to read my soul. A shiver of discomfort passes through me, but I refuse to show it and keep my shoulders square.
“I know something happened back there when Gwen touched you,” Delilah presses, and I force out a scoff.
“Oh, so you're on a first-name basis with that witch now?” I sneer.
“That doesn't matter. She told me what she saw when she accidentally touched you, and you saw it, too. Whatever it is, it's heavy enough to have you running off like you did.”
“Oh, so you believe whatever she says, huh?” I throw my head back and laugh incredulously, not wanting to reveal that I'm lying. “That's absurd, Delilah. Even for you. You've known her for what? Three minutes, and suddenly you believe everything she says!”
“I've known you for four years, and yet it feels like I don't know you at all,” Delilah retorts with a snort.
Frustrated that I can't drive Delilah away, she's so adamant, so stubborn, I feel like a deer caught in the headlights.
“Delilah, it's not—” I'm about to tell her off when footsteps crunching the dry leaves and stones nearby snap my attention behind me, only to see the prince emerging into the forest.
“Pardon me, you two…” Prince Damion presses a hand to his chest, brows furrowed as he approaches us. “I heard some noises out here, and I was worried.”
Instantly becoming protective of Delilah, I step in front of her. “It's just us, Prince Damion. There's nothing to worry about.”
“You were fighting…?” Prince Damion suggests hesitantly, and my inner wolf snaps with that same jealous surge I always feel in the prince's presence. My blood is boiling now, ready to explode.
Especially when Delilah steps out and politely bows her head.
“Don't worry, Prince Damion. My husband and I were just discussing something,” Delilah says softly, glancing at mefrom the side with a disappointed, sad glint in her eyes. “It's a private matter.”
Prince Damion nods as he stares at Delilah, but she doesn't say anything more before pushing past me and running off toward the town. My jaw drops in shock, but the jealousy I feel for the way she's so soft around him is pushed back as I become worried about her.
I can't ignore that sadness in her eyes, my inner wolf compelling me to go after her instead of taking out my frustrations on the prince. I lift my head only to offer him a terse, “Excuse me, Prince Damion,” before running after Delilah.
She's already behind her parents’ house, making her way to her cottage.
“Delilah! Wait!” I call out after her, but she picks up speed and rushes to her porch, only spinning around when she's at the door.
“Wait for what, Hunter?” she snaps, glowering at my face. “Are you gonna give me an explanation?!”
“I can't, Delilah,” I wince and hang my head. “I can't tell you what she saw, what I saw. It's too…” My voice tapers off.
“It's too what? Dark? Is that it?” she asks as if she can read my thoughts.
I lift my head with a frown, staring into her eyes, which threaten to see right through me, into my soul with all its darkness. “Forget it.”
Delilah throws her head back and groans in frustration. “I really wish I could!” she yells before turning toward the door.
In two quick strides, I'm on the porch, grabbing her wrist and stopping her from entering the house. The electric awareness is frightening from where it pulses through myfingertips and spreads through my arm, and Delilah feels it too, turning slowly and setting accusing eyes on me.
As if I can control it.
As if I'm actively doing something to control the effects of the mate bond.
Her fragrant scent enters my airways, turning my world upside down and threatening to change things as I know them, just like it did years ago when I held her in my arms and felt the connection we had when we were at our most vulnerable.
It's the same now, and there's no denying it. The words that leave my mouth are the truest words I've spoken all night when I say, “I wish I could too. I wish I could forgetyou.”
I'm not sure when or why the shift happens, but Delilah closes the distance between us, and I move in tandem with her to crush my lips to hers. The kiss is as electric as ever, sparking awareness in every nerve ending my body possesses, and igniting my soul in ways only Delilah can. I tilt my head and deepen the kiss, my tongue entering the cavity of her mouth to taste her, and she doesn't protest; she doesn't push me away. Memories of the passion we once shared come crashing forward, and there's nothing either of us can do to stop this; the array of emotions of tonight intensifies the kiss.
Chapter 13 - Delilah
