Until sunrise.
Or we die.
Say the words, baby…please help me help you.
His fingers twitched against the horse’s neck. The animal snorted as if sensing his tension, and Reaper forced himself to exhale.
Think, damn it, think.
Just do it.
The trail narrowed, forcing them into a single file. Cian’s horse fell back half a step, close enough that Reaper could feel the heat radiating off him. He didn’t speak, or push. He just rode in silence, giving Reaper the space he clearly needed.
It should’ve been a relief… It wasn’t. Because the silence left too much room for the memories.
Derek’s venomous voice,“You’re nothing without me, Michael. Just a broken little bitch who doesn’t know his place.”
The sting of a belt across his back, the taste of blood in his mouth, or the way his own body had betrayed him, freezing up when he should’ve fought back. His throat tightened.
No.
Not now.
He dug his heels into the horse’s flanks, urging it to go faster. The beast surged forward, eating up the ground, but the past clung to him like a second skin. He could still feel the phantom weight of Derek’s handson him, the way they’d pinned him down, the way they’d?—
A hand closed around his wrist and he jerked, nearly losing his seat. “Shit.”
The warrior had reached across the gap between their horses, his fingers warm and rough against his skin. “Breathe.” He stroked his thumb over the back of his hand. “Just breathe.”
Reaper yanked his arm back. “Don’t.”
Say the words, baby…please help me help you.
“If you want to go back.” Cian didn’t let go. “We go back and let the fates decide what happens at dawn.”
“I said don’t.” The words came out harsher than he intended, raw with something he didn’t want to name. He didn’t want comfort or pity. He was a Navy SEAL, goddamnit. He’d faced down worse than this.
Haven’t I?
Say the words, baby…please help me help you.
The words kept resonating in his head. Why the hell had he been so insistent on saving Cian earlier, only to let them both die now?
This is fucking with my mind.
Cian’s grip tightened for a heartbeat before he released him. “Fine. But if you want to live past dawn, we don’t have time for this.”
Reaper barked a laugh, bitter and hollow. “Time for what? For me to get my shit together? Newsflash, warrior—I don’t have my shit together. I’ve never had my shit together.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “I don’t even know if I can do this.”
Cian’s horse surged forward, cutting him off. The warrior twisted in his saddle, his moss-green eyes burning into his. “You think I don’t know what it’s like?” His voice was rough with something that sounded an awful lot like understanding. “To be bound to someone you didn’t choose? To have your body betray you?”
Ah, fuck. I’ve hurt him
Hurting Cian was the last thing he’d wanted to do. Reaper’s chest ached. “This isn’t the same.”
“Isn’t it?” Cian’s mouth twisted. “My father has spent my entire life trying to control me. Trying to own Failinis. And now?” He gestured to the red marks snaking up their arms. “Now I’m bound to you. A man who doesn’t even want me.”
The words hit like a punch to the gut. He opened his mouth and shut it again.
