Page 97 of Realm of Wind and Vines
“Stop,” he grinds out, shaking his head at me. But that panic remains on his face. “Stop talking.”
“Why? Are you afraid that the things I’m saying actually make sense?”
“I hate you.”
“Yeah, I know. Because I used my magic to force a wildfire of hatred into your chest so that I could save your life.”
“No. I hate you because I finally realized who you truly are.”
“What I am is your mate.”
“I don’t care. The mate bond is broken.” He takes another step back. “I don’t want anything to do with you.”
“Then why do you keep protecting me?”
“Because you’re messing with my head!” The words rip out of his chest, full of panic and desperation. His eyes are wild as he shakes his head at me and backs away again. “I can’t think straight! Whenever you’re around me, my head is a gigantic fucking mess of conflicting thoughts.”
“So stop thinking and startfeeling!”
“Stop moving closer!” Yanking out his dagger, he slams it up against my throat. Fire rages in his eyes as he stares me down. “Stop. Moving. Closer. I can’t fucking breathe when you’re this close.”
Holding his gaze, I raise my chin as I stand there with his blade across my throat.
Then I take a step forward.
Panic flashes across his face again. Pulling the blade towards him, he rapidly moves it with me so that I don’t slit my own throat on it.
“See?” I challenge, holding his stare. “You’re still protecting me.”
“Next time, I won’t.”
That thin thread of patience inside me snaps.
Slamming my palms against his chest, I shove him backwards and rip out my own blade. Insanity burns through me like wildfire as everything inside me shatters. Like the walls of a dam before the fury of an unstoppable flood.
“Then prove it!” I scream at Draven as I swing my blade at him.
Shock crackles across his features, but his battle instincts immediately take over and he blocks my strike. Steel clangs as my blade smacks into his. I shove it off and then lunge at him again.
He parries it easily. I just stab at him again. And again. Rage roars in my ears as I attack Draven with everything I have until he finally snaps as well.
Ducking under my next swipe, he slams his shoulder into my chest. I gasp as air explodes from my lungs when Draven tackles me.
We hit the ground hard with him on top of me.
I swipe my blade towards him again while trying to suck air back into my lungs. His hand shoots out, and he smacks the side of it straight into my wrist. The precision hit makes my fingers spasm, and the dagger flies out of my hand. It hits the ground a short distance away.
Throwing my arm out, I try to grab it, but Draven’s free hand shoots out again. Strong fingers wrap around my wrist. A thud echoes into the gold sparkling forest as he slams the back of my hand down against the ground beside my head.
With his knife in his other hand, he shoves it up underneath my chin again. He pushes the flat of the blade so hard against my chin that the sheer power behind it forces me to tilt my head all the way back.
Anger crackles in Draven’s eyes as he leans down over me. “What the fuck did you think that was going to accomplish?”
“It proved what I was saying! That you can’t hurt me. Because youloveme.”
“Not anymore.”
“Yes, you do, you thickheaded overgrown bat!”
