He looks over at me, his citrine eyes meeting mine while he maintains a quick pace, as if he’s in a hurry. The name Sunny shouldn’t still fit this creature, but somehow, it does. His hair is an ashy white blond, lacking the darker hues that were present at the base of his grayish fur. He’s leaner than Kage, thoughcomparing them probably isn’t the smartest thing to do. “You can stay with me because there’s about to be a vacancy,” he states as his eyes slip down to my mouth.
“About to be?”
“Yeah, right after I kill my roommate.”
I freeze, and he does as well when he realizes I stopped. “I don’t need you to kill your roommate.”
“You want to do it yourself?”
“No,” I scoff, shaking my head. “I earned a bunk in the nest. I don’t need to kill someone for a bed.”
He faces me then releases my hand to reach up and cradle my cheeks. “I have no fucking clue what your other mates are like, but I don’t plan on having you on another floor, let alone a whole fucking different institute. You will be with me, and if I need to kill a few people to make that happen, then so be it.” He shrugs with indifference.
“I think that might get you in trouble.”
He smiles, revealing sharp white teeth, before he leans forward slowly, giving me ample time to stop him from what he’s about to do, but I don’t. Just as his lips brush over mine, he whispers, “I love trouble.”
A riot of feelings overloads my system. Guilt, relief, fear, happiness, and desire rush through me, making me feel dizzy. My gut tightens with anticipation to the point of pain. I know this euphoric feeling—it’s too familiar and reminds me of everything I lost. As happy as I am to no longer be alone, I can’t help but wonder how long this will last. When will he decide I’m not worth the hassle? No one really loves trouble. It’s exhausting.
There’s a part of me that just wants to ignore all the doubts and pretend my concerns aren’t important, but I’m too afraid.
He pulls back after a lifetime passes in my head, but only a heartbeat elapses in real time, and I know when his warm breathfans over my lips that I tainted our first, and possibly our only,kiss.
Regret makes it impossible to meet his eyes, but I can’t force myself to move away from him. Even now, all I want to do is to bask in his heat and feel protected, even if I know it’s a lie.
When his hands leave my face, an overwhelming sense of loss has me sucking in a breath as I prepare to apologize, but he stops me with a single finger pressed against my parted lips.
MOROS
Briar’s pain is raw, and it’s the first thing I feel when our lips connect, but not the only thing, thank fuck. There’s desire and need almost as strong as my own under all the guilt and doubt weighing on her. I pull back, knowing I’m pushing her too fast. The fact that she has other mates, mates who aren’t here, is shocking. I don’t question if she’s telling the truth, but I do question if there’s more to the story she’s leaving out.
When her eyes drop to the ground as if she’s afraid to look at me, I make her my first vow. “You will never have to wonder if I had a choice. If I’m not with you, it’s because there is something keeping me from you, and I promise I will do everything in my power to kill whatever is in the way until I’m by your side again.”
Her eyes flash up to mine. The way she’s looking at me makes me want to kiss her again and reassure her that my words are true, but a single kiss isn’t enough to fix this. I’m not sure what can.
My instincts are telling me to take her home to my pack, where I can assure her safety, but I can’t do that. If I leave Frostburn, it would be seen as an act of betrayal in the pack’s eyes, proof that I couldn’t handle the Undertaking, which means I don’t have a choice but to stay here or risk losing my pack. That realization forces me to consider that her other mates may nothave a choice either. I don’t want to think about the other option—they may already be dead. She would know that, but would she face it? I’m not sure.
There’s one thing I’m certain of though—Briar’s heart is broken.
Broken is not even the right word, because pieces are missing, and I don’t want her pushing me away because of it. If she rejects me or refuses my bond, it might not kill me, but I might as well be dead.
“That’s sweet of you to say, but you don’t even know me. I don’t expect you to make me any promises.” Her easy dismissal makes me wonder just how many times she’s been let down, because it sure as shit seems like she’s trying to absolve me of any responsibility before I ever have the chance to disappoint her. I know self-preservation when I hear it.
“I know you’re my mate, and that might not mean a lot to you right now, but it will. I don’t make promises I can’t keep. Hell, I don’t make promises period, but to you I will. I will always come for you.”
“Okay,” she agrees too easily. I know without a doubt I’m going to have to prove myself to her, but I’m used to doing shit the hard way. If it takes a little time for me and my wolf to convince her that her heart and soul are safe with us, so be it.
“I know you can’t believe me right now, and you have your reasons, but I will show you loyalty, Briar, even if they didn’t.”
“Theywereloyal,” she defends quickly, as if her instinct demands it, but then her expression changes into a frown as if her own denial is just now registering.
“I can’t believe I’m even about to say this out loud, but maybe they still are. Just because they haven’t found you yet doesn’t mean they aren’t looking, or that there isn’t something stopping them from getting to you.” I don’t want to give her false hope, but it’s really the only option that makes sense. Mates arecherished not only by shifters, but by all. I have to imagine there is something at play here she may not understand.
Briar searches my eyes for a long moment then replies, “Maybe.” Her response lacks conviction, but the outright dismissal and denial is absent. I think it’s the best I can hope for, especially since I don’t want to vouch for them when I have no fucking clue what is really going on.
“Alright, now let’s talk about murder.” I feel a little joy when her bright eyes widen in shock.
“I’m pretty sure being accused of murder is what started this whole mess—well, that and my ability, but I would still like to avoid it if possible.”
