Page 200 of Veil of Blood and Bone

Don’t touch her.

There’s no stopping me from grabbing her. Not when her shiver sets in. Not when she bows in on herself and lets me gather her into my arms. I’m no warmer than the woods. But the fire inside her has gone out.

“Let’s get you home,” I grunt.

She’ll try to run again. It’s practically guaranteed at this point. She hides behind strength the same way I hide behind being an asshole.

Only she’s too smart to let it go too far. Her escape plans will amount to the equivalent they did this time. Death. Destruction.

Next time we might be lucky. Or we might not.

She rests her cheek on my heart. Does she recognize the way we match now?

Her eyes flutter shut again and mine scans the glittering surface of snow where the others already tread.

“You did come for me. Audra and I would be dead if you hadn’t shown up.”

What does it prove?

Her scent intoxicates me. My fangs stay descended, brushing against my lower lip.

“We always will. But it won’t get easier. It’s guaranteed. The best we can do is hang on tight, as there’s no going back.”

Thick quiet greets my words, and they linger between us, devouring any comfort.

“Why not?” she demands finally. “Why can’t I go back? What happens if I don’t accept any of this? My life might not have been what I wanted it to be, but it was mine.”

Now it’s not. The curse assures it. There’s no room for a natural reunion, only forced proximity and pain.

I shake my head like it will dislodge the sheer terror at her questions. “Hiding from this is not who you are.”

“It is exactly who I am, not what you want me to be.”

“You want this. There’s no denying it, and you are too stubborn to accept an easy way out.”

Her tremor rolls through me.

“You take it all because you know you were ruined for anything else before you met us. Say it.”

I shouldn’t push her.

“I want to go back.” A shuddering breath seeps through her teeth. “I want to be safe.”

“You were never safe. It was only luck that kept you trapped in your small life,” I reply. “Now it’s done. Now, we’re going home.”

There’s no horror in her features at the harsh words. There’s no relief, either. Yet she refuses to back away when I stare down at her the way a predator would with bleeding prey.

“You don’t want anyone else. You’ll say it eventually. You’ll beg for the three of us. I’m willing to wait for you to admit it. We might not be lucky enough to get that time.”

I cut through the snow until the vibrations change. We’ve made it out to the road.

“Do you ever stop to think there’s more to life than struggle”? she asks in a dead voice. “You have a choice. You’re immortal. Powerful. I’m sure you’ve got the money to do and be whatever you want. Why not take it?”

I swallow hard. “What use is wealth or power when I don’t have you?”

She laughs but there’s no fullness to the sound. “Pretty lies.”

“Ugly truth,” I correct.