Page 80 of The King's Man
I pushed quickly to my feet, hissing against the pain in my ribs. My hackles were up, goosebumps racing down my spine. I wasn’t sure which direction to travel on the trail. One would take me back to the Neph, the other closer to Diadre—but would I recognize that spot where she’d turned off? Especially in the dark?
A twig snapped somewhere behind me and I whirled, praying that it was a creature of the forest and not the damned mists coming back to kill me.
The fog swirled and I growled. “She’s my mate,” I croaked, slowly backing away. “She’s my mate. I will die for her—but not for you.”
Then suddenly, a form appeared, manifesting from the mists, a shadow that coalesced before me…
Diadre.
Mate.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her eyes puffy from crying. Her skin blotchy—and that broken, hurting gap in my chestthrobbed.
“Dee…” I breathed.
“Why?” she whispered, her voice high and thin. “Why did you do it? Why did you come in here?”
The words spilled from me because I’d been trying to speak them to her since the moment our eyes locked in that tent. “Because you’re my mate. I needed you to see, to make you understand… Dee, I’d rather die close to you than live without you. I know I fucked this up—I know I should have told you. But I didn’t think you felt it and—”
She slumped, dropping her face into her hands and sobbing.
I took a step towards her, desperate to offer comfort, but the moment I moved, her head snapped up and she backed away.
I stopped dead, grief twisting in my chest.
My mate is afraid of me.
“Dee—"
“I don’t know whether to believe you or not.”
“I mean it. Every word.”
“So you came into the mists knowing they’d attack you… because I’m your mate?”
I nodded sadly, praying she’d see that I held nothing back.
She took a step closer, her brow furrowed, then another. At least her tears had stopped. “You came in here because of me?” I nodded again. “Seriously, Jann?”
“Seriously. I can’t… You leave a hole in my heart, Dee. I know you don’t feel it—or didn’t. I know it doesn’t affect you, but… Ihaveto be close to you. I… I need you.”
She had reached my toes. Her slap came from nowhere and the crack rang through the trees.“You idiot!”she hissed. “It’s a conversation, Jann. Fucking words! You could have waited until I came back!”
“But you were running—convinced I’d intended to hurt you—and you said you wanted nothing to do with me—”
“So you ran into the Shadows where you’ddefinitelyget hurt?”
“I was trying to findyou,”I growled.
“Next time, spare me the grand gestures and show somesense.You could have waited for me to come back. Do you actuallywantto die and get me killed too?Fuck! What is it with men and thisfoolishnobility?”
“But… you said—”
“I’m a woman and an adult, not a fucking imbecile. I would have come back once I had a chance to think.” She turned her eyes to the skies. “Dear God,give me patience for alpha malebullshit.My mate is a fool!”
I sucked in a breath, gaping at her as she froze, her eyes widening.
Mate.
