Page 73 of Hunted
The wind picked up.Her aura rippled with heat and despair.
“You plan to die when you face him,” I said, scooting closer.“I feel it in every decision you make.But I won’tletyou.I won’t let you walk into fire thinking it’s some noble sacrifice, when you could choose survival instead.”
She scoffed.“I may nothavea choice.And if it comes down to it, I will do whatever it takes to end that maggot and avenge my family.”
And for just one second, her hand lifted.I felt it hover near me—like she meant to touch me.But it never landed.“If I were to make you mine, if I were to encourage this bond between us the way I’ve foolishly been doing up until now...it’s you who will suffer when your alpha is ripped away from you.I haven’t experienced it myself.But...I’ve heard the stories.As a child I watched one of our clan descend into madness and die of it when her true mate was murdered.Your bond with the snake might protect you, somewhat.But I would never wish you to suffer.”
I sat there in the moonlight, my heart aching.
If it were just Robin involved, I’d tell her it didn’t matter.That I’d be with her for however long we had, no matter how this all turned out.That I had no intention of letting her die, and that even if thatwasour fate, I wouldn’t regret one single second of fully belonging to her.
But I was bonded to Sadavir now.And I had close ties to Cicely, and all the others.If I bonded with Robin and she died in her stupid revenge scheme...if I lost my mind and slowly died of heartache and insanity, what would that do to the others?Would Sadavir be cursed to the same fate, since he was mate bonded to me?Would the others suffer watching it all play out, loving someone who was lost?
“Goddess damn it!”I muttered under my breath.I had agreed to tie myself to Sadavir because it was right.But also because it would help me help everyone else.To be fully grounded in my omega powers.Now it seemed that had backfired spectacularly.
“Sometimes I think she has,” Robin murmured.“Damned me.Damned us both, and this futile rebel court of mine.”
Ignoring the careful distance she kept between us, I reached out and slid my arm through hers, resting my head against her shoulder.“She hasn’t.Our goddess would never be so cruel to those who don’t deserve it.We’re not cursed.”I declared stubbornly.“We’re just...going through a rough patch.”
Robin laughed, a sound that seemed to surprise even her.“A rough patch.Well, since Queen Ruya has declared it, it must be true.”
I tilted my head up looking in the general direction of her face, hoping she’d get the hint.“If that’s how it works, then I have another decree.”
“Mmm?”Robin’s husky voice was tinged with some combination of wariness and hope.“And just what that might be?”
“Kiss me,” I demanded.“Just stop thinking for a damned minute and kiss me, Robin.It doesn’t have to mean anything.But I’ve missed you.”
She froze, and I was sure she’d shove me away and put up all her walls again.She surprised me by turning toward me, her long, graceful fingers lying along my jaw, tilting my head as she brushed her lips against mine, a whisper of a touch.“I’m sorry, Ru,” she said against my lips.“I’m so sorry I’m not the person you need me to be.”
I moved forward and stole another chaste kiss.“Don’t be stupid.You’reexactlythe person I need—the one Iwant,even if you’re too hardheaded to see it.”
She snorted.Then she slowly pulled back.“Bonding looks good on you,” she said softly.“And whatever you are doing with your omega mojo right now, it’s working.I feel...less crazed than I have in weeks.Notthat I’ll admit that if you go telling tales to the rest of the court.”
I huffed a wry laugh.“Of course, Princess.We wouldn’t want you to seemweakfor having feelings or reacting exactly the way anyone would expect an alpha in your position to react.Howbasicwould that be?Practically peasant behavior.”
She growled at me.“Watch it.I said I felt better.Not cured.I could still easily be goaded into pinning you to this roof and reminding you who the alpha is here.”
I swallowed down my flirty reply.She was only half joking.I heard the very real warning in her words.Telling her I wouldn’t mind that atallwouldn’t help the situation.It would only push her back toward losing control, which would in turn lead to her shutting down again.
“I’m here for you,” I said instead, my voice serious.“Whether you need to talk, or vent, or...whatever this is.I’m here.”
She took my hand, her skin superheated with inner fire.“I’ve been avoiding you,” she said flatly.“I thought if I kept my distance, kept myself away from temptation, the beastly impulses in me would die down, be easier to manage.”She sighed.“But I was wrong.I underestimated your strength.The power inside you.A stupid mistake on my part.I should know better by now.You are always stronger than any of us give you credit for.”
I tried not to looktoosmug.
“This helps,” she said, giving my hand a squeeze and releasing it.“Just being close to you.Apparently now that you are anchored to another alpha...I stillwantyou, Ruya.I always will.But your energy has shifted.It’s...I can’t explain.But it’s like I can finally draw a full breath for the first time in weeks.Months maybe.”She sighed.“My magic is still unstable.It will continue to get worse unless I can get my hands on my birthright.I can feel the clock ticking inside me, counting down to some life-ending disaster.And having my true mate in arms reach without a bond still isn’t pleasant.But...I feel a little more like myself.At least for the moment.”
Thank the Goddess.“Oh, good,” I breathed on a sigh of relief.Then I winced at how dumb that sounded.How wholly inadequate to the situation.
“Thank you, omega,” she said, her voice nearly a whisper.“As always, I am in your debt, whenIshould be the one taking care of you.”
She stood and nudged my leg with her booted foot.“Come on.Let’s go inside before you go rolling off the roof.If I have to shift to catch you, I’m not sure I’ll ever get the dragon to shift back.”
“Oh, thank the Goddess!”I said on a sigh of relief.It was refreshing up here.I could understand why Robin liked to come up here to think.And Yukio sometimes as well.But the roof was far less comforting to those of us who didn’t have wings.
We climbed down through the ceiling and emerged from an access hatch that was cleverly disguised under a chandelier and decorative medallion.My feet had barely arrived on the more comforting level of the theater’s balcony-turned-sitting area, and I was waiting for Robin to close the access hatch and join me...when the world exploded around me.
