Page 68 of Love Bites Hard

“I guess.”

“Try it.”

“Is that an order?” My voice was upbeat, but there was a warning beneath it.

“A strong suggestion. Fueled by my desire not to let my mate starve.”

I rolled my eyes, but focused on his hand and tried to find his emotions.

They hit me immediately.

Comfort.

Uncertainty.

Shreds of hope.

I went deeper, and was surprised when I discovered that the emotions had shifted.

Guilt.

Self-hatred.

Sadness. A lot of sadness.

And below that?

Steely determination.

It was like someone had lit a fire inside him. The darkness of his past still lingered, and definitely didn’t look like it was goinganywhere. But that determination? It was unlike anything I’d ever felt from him before.

I wanted to ask what he was so determined to do or change, but we weren’t there.

We were still at war.

I drank his emotions until I was sated, feeling him light up more as I continued to feed.

When I finally released him, he let out a long breath. “Shit.”

“I don’t try to hurt you when I drink,” I defended myself, starting to pull my hand away.

His fingers tightened on mine. “It didn’t hurt that time. I think I’m adjusting to it.”

I lifted my eyebrows, but didn’t say anything.

What was I supposed to say?

The relief that washed through me eased the tension in my shoulders entirely, though.

“Your magic feels like being injected with life, Izzy. That’s the only reason I couldn’t handle large amounts of it. I let myself become so used to barely staying alive that it hurt. If not for you, I’d still be in the forest, hiding from the pack.”

“Trying to cope isn’t the same as hiding.”

“Maybe not, but they’re similar. I shouldn’t have left. And when I heard about Curtis, I should’ve come back. I was just so angry, I knew I’d end up as bad as him.”

“You weren’t ready,” I said simply.

“I don’t know that I’m ready now. My dad would be furious with how little I’m doing in the pack. I’m going to fix that.”

---