“You have no concept of the real world,” he growled. “Or the creatures stalking it. Creatures likeme.”
Simone refused to rise to his baiting anymore as she knew he was trying to draw her away from the subject he wanted to avoid. “Why did you come for me?”
Killean tugged on the wrist he held to draw her a step closer, but she didn’t try to pull away as he’d anticipated. He couldn’t believe that, not only had she hit him, she refused to be intimidated by him. The woman was completely baffling and infuriating.
“Why did you come for me?” she asked.
“Do you really want to know?” he growled as his control over his temper started to fray.
“Yes.”
“Because you’remymate.”
And somehow, deep inside, she’d already known that was the reason. “What does that mean?” she asked.
“It means, whether we like it or not, we’re at least partially tied to each other for the rest of our lives.”
“So, because of what I am to you, you gave up everything that meant anything to you, even though you don’t know me, not really?”
“Yes, but you have one thing wrong.”
“And what is that?” she asked.
“I didn’t become what I am now because of you; I did itforyou. And I would do it again.”
Simone’s breath rushed out at those words. She never would have believed anything remotely sweet could come out of Killean’s mouth, but she’d been mistaken.
“So we’ll be mates now?” she asked, uncertain how she felt about that. No one could make her feel as alive as he did, but the whole mate thing was a prettybigcommitment and he could be a prettybigjerk. They might kill each other if they were forced to live together for an eternity.
“Our bond won’t ever be completed,” he stated.
“Why not?” she demanded and realized her emotions were completely out of control. He’d thrown her off completely with all his revelations, and she had no idea how to react to all of them.
“Because I won’t condemn you by binding you to the thing I’ve become. You’ve consumed my blood, and if you’re feeling any pull from the mating bond, it will make things difficult for you to not have me in your life, but it’s best for you if I’m not.”
“I’m capable of handling more than you give me credit for.”
“Are you capable of handling the darkness I possess now that I’ve killed humans?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Yes!” she insisted.
Even as she said this, a part of her screamed,No! What are you, an idiot?This man is dangerous. He’s bordering on the edge of losing control and becoming more Savage than not; he’ll steal your heart and tear it out if he loses control.
And he could so easily steal her heart; he already owned a piece of it for sacrificing himself to save her. Never had she imagined someone like Killean becoming a part of her life. Every image she ever had of her future husband was of someone who was kind, considerate, and a hunter.
Killean was the exact opposite of everything she’d dreamed of in her life, but she wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anything else. Maybe it was the mating bond at work, or maybe it was that no matter his harsh exterior, she knew a kind man lurked beneath; one who’d denied himself love since the death of his family but who so badly needed it.
“Then you must know that when I kill now, all I want is to feel the suffering of those I feed on,” Killean said and held her gaze as he revealed the worst part of himself to her. When he was done, she would never again consider taking him as her mate, which was what he wanted.Liar.But Killean didn’t stop.
“You should also know that when I’m not imagining all the things I want to do to you in bed, I’m thinking about how many different ways I can kill and feast on someone. Since reaching maturity, I’ve been obsessed with killing, but I managed to keep myself restrained from destroying any innocents. Now that I’ve finally given in to my darkest impulses, my need to kill has become this ever-constantthinggnawing at my insides, and all it craves ismoreblood, death, and pain.”
Simone inwardly cringed at his words, but years of wearing a demure mask came in handy as she held his gaze. “I can handle anything.” Before her capture, she wouldn’t have been at all certain of this; she was now. “I’m not saying let’s complete the bond, but you won’t scare me off either.”
Killean released a snort of laughter. “You have no idea the things I’m capable of doing.”
