Kicking off of the wall, I head towards his kitchen, finding another jar of the moonshine that Ares had and drinking half of it in one go. Otherwise I might not be able to survive the coming day, or worse, days. It’s clear now that I can’t leave Esmerelda in the hands of this man. I’m stuck waiting for her fever to break, for the inevitable conversation that will no doubt leave her disappointed.
Because I simply have no interest in forming a pack.
“And then?” the mage presses, and I turn to him with a snarl.
“Then we have the ‘discussion’ she requires before she can move on.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “And what if I don’t want her to move on? What if I want her to stay, and she agrees that’s what she wants too? Will you still rip her away from who she wants because it doesn’t serve your narrative?”
Licking my lips, I toss back the rest of the jar. As I slam the empty jar on the counter, the glass fractures, spider web cracks spreading over the glass.
“Worst comes to worst, I’ll find someone and bring them here to act as her guard.” The words feel false even to my ears, though. I can’t get that damned image out of my head that the shifters planted, of not being able to trust anyone beyond myself.
The mage scoffs, and I have to force my claws to retract one at a time before I tear his throat out. “Not sure where you’re expecting to sleep now that the couch is destroyed.”
My teeth begin to sharpen and I have to consciously pull back the shift. “The floor outside of her room will suffice.”
“I was sleeping on the couch, you know,” he counters, looking annoyed. “So thanks for that.”
I simply shrug a shoulder. “So after all of this time, she didn’t want you in your bed. Yet you think she’ll want to remain in this town.”
“With the way she came on my face, I guarantee you she would have welcomed me in her bed,” he spits, but I just grin.
“Yet you were out here on the couch. And by the scent of that room, it’s been at least a few days. Your senses aren’t up to par; perhaps she was faking it.”
At this point, I’m just lobbing digs in for the satisfaction of watching him squirm.
He stalks over to the door, shoving a broken piece of furniture in front of it to keep it shut. “There goes the damn heating bill.”
Dropping to the floor, I lean against the wall opposite her bedroom door, stretching out my legs. “Feel free to work extra tomorrow then. I have things handled here.”
His lips press into a thin line that has me smirking. “So kind of you to just decide to move in where you’re not wanted, really.”
“My mate asked me to stay until she’s well again so that we can talk. So, I stay.” His nostrils flare in annoyance and I outright grin.
Getting a rise out of the mage might just become my new favorite way to pass the time.
Sixteen
Esmerelda
“Still sick, no need to get up,” I deadpan, stepping over Rheyas’ legs as I head to the bathroom, swinging by the kitchen on my way back to my room to snag another water bottle.
The chair in the living room squeaks as Ian gets up and comes into view, the couch destroyed. “Want me to make some soup or something?”
As much as I try to cling to my annoyance, the only shield that I can manage while my magic is out of commission, it starts to slip from my grasp. “Don’t you need to leave in-“ I glance at the clock on the microwave “-shit, it’s that late already? Did you call off?” The sun might not have risen yet, but it will any minute now.
Ian simply gestures to Rheyas’ hulking form lounging in the hallway with an incredulous expression on his face. “Yeah, I called off. I couldn’t leave you alone with the psycho that’s been stalking you and broke into the house!”
“Painfully easy, too,” Rheyas retorts instantly with a small smirk. “Trust me, mage, if I’d have wanted to abduct her, I’d have done so in the beginning. And if I choose to leave with her now, it won’t matter if you’re here or not.”
“Nope, not ready for this yet,” I declare with a sigh. “I’m going to take a rain check on the soup; I’m going back to bed.”
Ian’s voice follows me as I start to close the bedroom door, sniping right back at Rheyas. “Well, look at that, you’re apparently more impressive than you already thought you were. You got her to pass up free food.”
A low growl. “You said food would restore her abilities quicker.”
The door snicks shut, yet their argument still bleeds through, just muffled. “And yet she’d rather suffer so she can avoid you. Weird, it’s almost like that’s a sign she doesn’t like you or something.”
