Julian grabbed my arm before I could follow after Tate, his gaze hard. “I don’t think you should be encouraging him.”
“I’m not,” I grunted, keeping my eyes on the retreating werewolf. “And you don’t need to antagonize him. You sound like a jealous boyfriend.”
Julian released my arm abruptly, taking a step back. “You’re right. My apologies. You’re an adult and one of the best hunters in the guild. I’m sure you can handle an over-muscled horn dog like him.”
I tried and failed to keep from smiling at his description. Pulling the strap of my bag over my shoulder, I bumped Julian’s shoulder with my own.
“Careful there. That almost sounded like a compliment.”
Julian sighed, removing his glasses to rub a hand over his face. “Should I expect you tonight?”
“Trying to get rid of me already?” I arched a brow.
“Simply making sure I have food on hand.” He wiped his glasses on a cloth from his pocket. “For such a small woman, you eat like a pack of wolves.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”
Julian stood there, waiting for my answer.
“I don’t know.” Sighing, I cracked my neck. “I guess we’ll see how the masses are today. If you’re lucky, they’ll be tame and I won’t have to intrude on your solitude tonight.”
“Yeah, right, of course. Good luck.”
My gaze followed after Julian’s back. The way he had agreed with me almost sounded disappointed. But I was sure that was wishful thinking on my part.
Pushing those thoughts aside, I headed out the door, preparing to face another one of my demons.
I found Tate leaning against the wall outside the classroom door. He lounged there without a care in the world, his eyes scanning the hallway. A few males and females gave him lingering looks, but he never once showed interest more than what was polite.
“So... I’m here.” I stopped in front of him. “Did you really switch classes just to be close to me?”
“I’d do more than that to be next to you, Jack.” Tate pushed off the wall and closed the distance between us. “I love you.”
I shifted in place, not able to look him in the face. “Yeah, you said that already.”
“And I’ll say it again until you understand.”
I blew out a breath. “Understand what? Because you seem to be the one who doesn’t understand. We can’t be together.”
“And I say bullshit.” Tate moved toward me, my feet moving back in an attempt to keep space between us. My back hit the stone wall behind me. Tate’s hand propped against the wall, letting him crowd in around me. “I don’t care that you’re a Durand. I don’t care about what happened between you and Kyren’s sire. I only care about you. Me. Us.”
His finger traced the line of my jaw, and I leaned into his touch. My eyes started to close as Tate’s face came closer. His breath brushed along my lips. I wanted nothing more than to fall into him. To let him kiss me and take comfort in his arms, his lips.
Kyren’s face flashed through my mind.
The exact moment he realized who I was. The disbelief. The anger. And then hatred. It crushed any lingering desire to let Tate kiss me.
“Stop.” I placed hand on his chest, giving him a little push.
Tate pulled back. “I’m sorry, I thought...”
“I know.” I sighed, dragging my fingers through my hair. “Look, Tate. I care about you. I do. But I can’t see past how we could ever be together if your master—”
“Kyren’s not my master,” Tate snapped, annoyance in his voice.
“I know,” I quickly added, “but you know what I mean. You’re his human servant. You’re bound to him forever. The only way to break that bond is to die. Not only that, but you’re together. Like together together.”
I paused, staring at the ground my voice growing low. “You love him, Tate. Longer than you’ve loved me. And I can’t be the one who comes between that. I’m sorry, but I just... can’t.”
