Page 112 of Challenged Mate
And I knew it wouldn’t go over well.
“Until the time Blair and I learn how to relieve her of the Moonstone, she will stay with the Graystone Coven as an honored guest.”
Every one of my companions shouted in protest.
Chase snarled.
Axel growled; my father did the same.
Even Kayla hissed her disagreement with the preposterous suggestion.
Asher’s objection was much more controlled, but that didn’t mean it lacked intensity. “That will not happen,” he clipped.
Hugh’s attention remained on me. “Are you incapable of making your own decisions, Blair?”
I didn’t react to the insult. “I don’t know you. I don’t trust you.”
“Why wouldn’t you trust me?”
“I’m a half-breed,” I threw out the word he’d snarled with so much disdain during our first conversation. “You do not view my kind favorably. How do I know I will be safe once you get what you want from me?”
Hugh pursed his lips. Then, he said, “I will make a blood vow.”
Behind me, all three Wilds shifters gasped.
Still in front of me, Asher didn’t make a sound, but his back rippled as his muscles flexed—the only evidence of his surprise.
I spun around and saw Chase, Axel, and Kayla share shocked glances.
“What is it?” I asked, focusing my attention on Kayla.
The brunette shook her head slowly, disbelief shadowing her features. “A blood vow is a sacred promise. Its constraints are bound by life and death. If the vow is broken, the one who made the vow dies.”
I let the new information sink in.
I turned back around. “You will make a blood vow to guarantee my safety?” I asked Hugh.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“No,” Asher broke his silence. “I don’t care about your offer. Blair will not leave the safety of Wilds territory. Think of another compromise.”
Frustration reared its ugly head, but I pressed my lips together to hold it in.
I understood Asher’s reluctance. I didn’t want to go to the Graystone Coven, either.
But if doing so meant Hunter would be freed, and Hugh would make an unbreakable vow, promising I wouldn’t be harmed, it seemed like a no brainer.
But you’re not thinking of this as a mated male.
It didn’t matter how many assurances Hugh gave Asher. As my fated mate, his instinct to protect me overrode all logical thought. He wouldn’t agree to anything if there was even the slightest chance I could be harmed.
And I couldn’t blame him.
I’d feel the same way if our situations were reversed.
I watched Hugh. His eerie irises bounced between me, Asher, and the shifters surrounding us.
I knew the moment he realized Asher wouldn’t budge.
