Page 116 of Bitten By Bloodmoon
I rub my hands over my biceps, warming myself in the chill air. “Want to talk about her?”
“No.” His eyes turn to me, the red turning to blackness, blending in with the night sky. Desire swirls, and I know what he wants. To make the pain stop. I see it, the pain he’s feeling. I just don’t know why.
Because of Raya?
Or is he still recovering from his injuries?
Because he thinks I’m choosing Ambrose in the marking ceremony?
Or is it the secret he’s hiding from me? The one he thinks he’s hidden, but I can’t help but see?
It’s hard to tell, but the pain gets louder with each beat of his heart, seeping through his skin and leaving more ink-like stains on his body.
“You’re not a killer. Whatever happens next, know that.”
“But I am. If anything, this just confirmed that.”
“None of it is your fault.”
“It’s not Ambrose’s either.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You don’t need to defend him to me. I already told you I loved him and that I think he’s my mate.”
“Yes, but you still haven’t forgiven him.”
“Hmmm, and what about you?”
“What about me?”
“I forgive you.”
He shudders at my words as I rest my hand over his heart.
“It’s time you forgive yourself.”
He places his hand over mine. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. You’re worthy of being my mate, too. Worthy of being loved.”
I expect him to argue. To fight me and say that I’m wrong. That we aren’t mates, to try to push me toward Ambrose.
He doesn’t.
It makes me even more suspicious.
For all his martyr talk, he’s the martyr between us. He’s the selfless one. The one always sacrificing. The one willing to make the most significant sacrifice of all.
“I love you, Nyx.”
His lips crash into mine. He doesn’t fight me, doesn’t argue that I’m wrong.
I stop trying to figure out what game he’s playing, and I don’t think about my own plans or hide my feelings.
Our hands wrap around each other as I rise on my tiptoes to meet his kiss with my whole body. His hand tangles in my hair, gripping my neck so he can angle my head to deepen the kiss.
“Gods, yes,”I think.
His tongue sweeps.
