Page 168 of Hunters and Prey

“…I would’ve thought he was raping you,” he finished, his voice thick. “Again.”

I swallowed, watching his face, watching his gold eyes spark with light.

The pain in my chest worsened.

Even now, there was nothing I could say.

Pointing out that he’d just described the exact reason why I’d drugged him in the first place wasn’t going to go over very well.

Really, there was nothing I could say.

I felt terrible.

I could tell him I felt terrible, but it wouldn’t erase any of what I’d done, and right then, it probably would only make him want to curse at me more.

I mean, his issue wasn’t really why I’d drugged him, per se.

His issue was why I’d snuck out in the first place––why I’d gone behind his back at all.

For that, my excuses pretty much sucked.

Well, from his perspective they did. I was being totally honest with myself, I still wasn’t entirely sure I hadn’t been right to do what I did.

He must have heard some of that.

His eyes narrowed, growing more animal-like.

“No shit,” he snarled. “You think I don’t know that, Miri? You think I don’t know you think you’re right? That I’m fucking ‘overreacting’? That I’m just being a goddamned overemotional seer… as usual? I can see your psychology bullshit twisting around everything right now, rationalizing it all to fuck. I can see you pretending you’re the one seeing this all clearly. That you’re sitting there, quiet, because you’re being ‘rational,’ or ‘waiting for me to calm down’ or ‘work through it’ or whatever the fuck you’re telling yourself…”

His turned on me, and his gold eyes darkened.

“…Rather than admitting to yourself this isn’t about the fucking vampires, Miriam. Or Charles. Or me. It’s about the fact that you’re still trying to save that piece of shit Nick, even after what he did to you. You’re still trying to keep me from killing him.”

I opened my mouth, about to answer that, but he held up a hand, silencing me.

“Don’t even fucking deny it, Miri! I know full well that’s probably eighty percent of the reason you went. Even if you can’t admit it to yourself.”

His jaw hardened back to stone as he stared out over the Financial District skyline, his tiger-like eyes glinting in the sun.

“That piece of shit rapes you, and you’re still trying to protect him. You’re still trying to save his life. From me, no less––”

“Black––” I began.

“Shut the fuck up!” he snarled, turning on me. “Now you’re going to talk, Miri? Now you have something to say? As soon as that asshole’s name comes up?”

I fell silent, watching him warily.

I knew there was some truth in what he was saying.

I could feel it, even as he said it.

I knew he’d also plucked some of that truth out of my own light.

That was the problem with being life-bonded to a seer, especially one as well-trained as Black. Sometimes it felt like he saw my mind and light more clearly than I did.

His jaw hardened to stone as he stared at me.

“Jesus Christ. Why, Miri? Why would you do this?”

---