Page 9 of Maiming
A humming sound is his only reply.
Awkwardly I fumble to set the handful of candle sticks down on the last step and trail after the quick pace of the shifter. I look over at him as we walk down the smooth dirt road. He keeps his gaze on the distance, his silence held in place between us.
He’s thinking but not speaking. I should be used to it by now.
But I can’t help but wonder about the excessive coldness between him and the woman.
Did they—
“Did you guys fuck?”
I’m incredibly good at phrasing the hard questions, as you can see.
A conflicting smile carves his lips, interrupting the anger in his eyes and he stops in his tracks to give me every ounce of his attention. His fingers run down the side of my arm, back and forth without intention of ever holding my hand. It’s like he just needs to touch me.
“The opposite actually.” His low voice holds quiet aggression that only makes me more confused. His frost kissed eyes meet mine.
I hang on the tense quiet sound that slips over his lips just before he speaks.
“She was Kain’s mate.”
Anger slashes through my chest, but my lips only tighten into a straight line.
When I get back we’re going to have a serious discussion about the laws of mates. How does it work? Why was this woman here before I was? Why?
There’s this irrational, petty anger in me just thinking that some other woman was in their lives before me.
My jaw clenches.
“Calm down, My Tamer.”
“I am calm.” The words snap out and he stares at me intently for a few moments.
“This is calm.” He breathes out the whisper just before pressing his lips firmly to mine. His fingers wrap loosely around my wrist as he pulls me hard against his chest. His tongue slips against mine for one gasping second before his teeth rake over my bottom lip just enough to make me gasp.
And then he pulls away.
His tongue swipes over his lips. Hooded eyes shift over my features slowly.
“Better?” His low timber has me nodding to him as my heart rate tries to find a steady beat once again. “Good.” His lips press to my jaw before he puts a small amount of space between us.
“I said shewas. She’s nothing now.”
Is that possible? They were mates. And now they’re not. Can it be that simple?
I never really put much thought into Kain’s history. It was his history. And now that history is here, bouncing around with perfect hair and big boobs and why the fuck is she so pretty?
“Calm down, Tamer.” His voice cuts into my thoughts once more.
“What happened? I thought mating was for life. I thought it was a binding, unending love.”
“It is.”
Those two words wrap my stomach tightly around itself.
“Once the female accepts and once the ritual is completed, it is.”
“The ritual?”
