“Rinah means pure or something like that.” I’d looked it up once in a desperate attempt to understand where I came from better.
He shrugged. “Maybe to most. That’s not what it means to your bloodline.”
It was almost surreal to sit and have a calm discussion with him. Instead of him existing near me while he snarled. That he could tell me more about my family than I’d ever managed to research or remember. “Well, none of these witches claimed me, so I ended up in the foster system.”
“Foster system?”
“Temporary homes with temporary caretakers for children who don’t have homes.” Where I’d found family after family of people using the system to get close to kids to abuse.
It wasn’t all garbage. Some people really wanted to love kids. But by the time I got to families like that, I couldn’t trust them.
The good people I pushed away were probably my biggest regret.
I owed them an apology. I needed to tell them it wasn’t their fault that they couldn’t fix someone who was already ruined.
That even thinking about their soft love made me want to flee. And that was on me, not them.
Rot started pacing the camp nervously. The same thing he’d done the day before, right when he snapped. I watched him, waiting for him to do something.
He was unstable. Just like yesterday, there wasn’t any perceivable reason for him to behave like this. I hadn’t done anything to create this response. I had my own demons to fight, how could I handle his?
Like fighting the urge to run from everything that made me uncomfortable. Like I had yesterday.
The realization clicked in place, and I fought the urge to slap my forehead. Each time his emotions suddenly pivoted, I’d been considering running away.
An emotion he probably wasn’t used to. So he paced yesterday until he couldn’t tolerate it anymore and ran away from me.
My agitation from the morning hit me with new understanding. I hadn’t been in a bad mood. He was, because he lost his prey.
He wasn’t the one who wanted to run. That was me.
He stopped in his tracks to look at me curiously, as he considered whether my thoughts were true or not.
Right then, one of the students ran straight into the clearing. I watched him barrel closer with determination in his eyes. Even Rot watched with a raised eyebrow, probably wondering what this man’s plan was.
He grabbed me by my pits, hauling me to my feet. My cup and plate clattered to the ground. Mild irritation filled me.
“I’ll save you,” he proclaimed. Great, a hero. That’s exactly what the situation needed.
“Hands off the woman.” Rot growled threateningly.
“Run!” The guy grabbed my hands and tried to pull me behind him.
“Maybe you should focus on yourself.” I broke his grip at the thumb, forcing him to release me. “Worrying about me isn’t going to help you.”
Before I could shove him to run in the other direction, he held out his hand for me to take. The desperation in his eyes made me feel bad.
Rot’s oppressive shadow came over us, making the man’s eyes grow wider with terror.
He should have listened. There was nothing he could do to save me, and there was nothing I could do to stop what was about to happen.
Rot’s mouth went round his wrist and slammed down like a sledgehammer. The student screamed in horror as his arm went flying, landing next to my feet.
Hot blood sprayed across me and into my mouth. At that point, he finally tried to run away, but it was too late for that.
Rot’s rage was boiling in my chest. It was bad enough his swamp was under attack, but no one would touch his mate.
I hated how the possessive edge of his thoughts made a need race through me. I was his. Not a stray.His.
