Page 55 of Destined
Now I understood why she had left, but it still didn't erase the anger that she hadn't even given me the chance to help her.
"No more running," I told her. She didn't respond. "From now on we do this together."
Her eyes held mine. "I can't promise that."
And I felt like we were back to square one. I had too much to deal with to also have to worry about her trying to make a run for it every chance she got.
"You have to trust me."
"I do," she said softly. The way she looked at me with those long dark lashes made my heart skip a beat.
"Then trust me to find a way to keep you from harm."
She pressed her lips together, refusing to answer. I stepped closer, taking her one hand into mine. The touch of her skin against mine felt like heaven. Her eyes lifted to mine. Beautiful twin emeralds held my gaze. She was stunning, and I felt the warmth spread through my chest. Her eyes softened as I felt her hand shake slightly in mine.
"You feel that?" I asked in a whisper, not wanting to break the moment.
She nodded.
"That will keep you here with me."
There was resistance in her eyes but I would ensure that never happened. Now that I had her safe with me, I was not going to let her go.
We would do everything we could to keep the knowledge of her existence from the Keepers. If the worst-case scenario played out and they did discover what she was, we would find a way to save her. I would not allow them to end her life. She was mine to protect with my last breath.
"The Keepers don't know you exist, so all we have to do is make sure they don't find out." I began to logically tackle each reason that would make her to try and leave. If she didn't have any, then she would stay here with me.
I could push her to complete our mating but I didn't want to rush her into it just to ensure the outcome that would tie her to me and make it a lot more difficult for her to leave.
"I promise I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. You promise me that you'll trust I can," I instructed her firmly, needing her to say it to me.
She contemplated what I said for a few moments before she smiled and nodded her head. Relief flooded through me.
"I've been through hell and back looking for you," I told her, gathering her in my arms. When her arms slid around my waist and hugged me back, I felt that familiar warmth in my chest spread.
I knew mates could be attracted to each other before they discovered they were mates but what I felt for Crystal was so much stronger than that and we still hadn't mated.
"I didn't want to leave you," she whispered, and her words warmed my heart.
There had been a few times I had wondered if the reason why she had run away was me, so it was a relief to know it wasn't.
"I've had a crush on you for as long as I can remember," she told me, and I pulled back to smile down at her.
"Really?" I felt my ego inflate at her admission.
"Yes."
"When did you discover I was your mate?" I asked, needing all the details.
She smiled at me. "It was one afternoon by the lake. When I first saw it and realized, I thought I was the luckiest girl."
"I wish I'd known earlier. For so long I thought I would never find my mate." For a moment I experienced that familiar feeling of sadness I had experienced so many times through the years yearning for a mate to share my life with.
"I'm sorry," she said, reaching up to touch the side of my face. I savored it. "It wasn't long after that I discovered I was different."
"I'm sorry," I said, feeling I should have realized something was up but the reality was there had been no way to know.
"Why are you sorry?" she asked, looking up at me with the vulnerability that pulled at the protector in me.
