Page 86 of The Hero Within
"Youdon'tget it. Adam had a silver bullet in his pocket. He kept it with him all the time, just in case...."
Johnny's fingertips stilled on her skin, hearing the distress in her voice. "Did he use it?"
"What?" She looked up. "No."
"Maybe your brother wasn't carrying it 'just in case.' Maybe it was something he could put his hand around, as a reminder, when times were grim and the warg was threatening to push its way out of his skin. Maybe it helped him breathe a little easier, knowing it was there. And Bart Cane turned Adam into a warg before he even sent me to fetch you that night. All he wanted from you was leverage to force Adam to lure Luc Wade into the same trap. You never had anything to do with what happened to your brother, Eden. It was a done deal by that stage. Say it."
"I...."
"Never had anything to do with Adam being forcibly turned into a warg."
"I never... had anything to do with Adam being turned," she mumbled.
It would have to do.
"And if something bad happens to me, it's not your fault."
She looked up mutinously.
Johnny pressed a finger to her lips. "It won't be your fault. Say it."
"It won't be my fault—"
He kissed her, stealing the words from her lips. No tongue this time, just a gentle exploration. Eden's hand softened on his chest, her lips tilting to his, and a soft moan coming from her—
"No." Eden broke away, resting her forehead against his chest.
"Sorry. I just broke one of your rules, but you broke one first. You touched me."
"You are not distracting me like this."
He couldn't help smiling, just a little.Oh, angel. This morning he'd wondered if there'd been anything more between them than sex on her behalf. Her confession seemed to unknot some of the tension within him.
It's not just me.
"I don't need to distract you. The decision's made. I'm coming with you."
Eden breathed out a shaky laugh. "Three alpha wargs in a high-pressure situation? I just know this is going to go well."
"Depends on who's in charge."
"Me," she said, drawing away from him. "I'm in charge. And if anyone argues they can go home."
"Got it."
"And the rules stay the same," she blurted. "No kissing. No... Nothing else."
He stared at her for a long time. She'd kissed him back. He could afford to give her a little bit of space. "Your rules. Which mean, if you ever want to break them, I'm down for that. Your choice."
Eden swallowed. "Okay."
She turned to leave, but he grabbed her waist before she could take a step.
"All I want in return is to know one thing.... When you agreed to have hate sex with me, was that really how you felt?"
Eden bit her lip. Hesitated. Finally gave in. "I don't hate you."
"Not even a little bit?" He leaned closer.
