Page 106 of Mortal Shift
I held her eye, not bothering to answer her question. A half minute passed before she exhaled in irritation, and then drew in a slow breath and looked around. We were alone, except for the guards outside the medical bay.
The closest thing to uncertainty I’ve ever seen flitted across her face. No, it was deeper than that. It was vulnerability.
Which left me with just one question: what the hell made a deadly predator like her feel vulnerable?
“You’ll tell no-one,” she commanded, but her usual haughtiness was undermined by the vulnerability, almost turning the order into a question. I considered for a moment, because if I promised this, I’d have to keep to it.
“I won’t tell anyone who doesn’t need to know,” I responded eventually.
“That’s not even close to good enough, human.”
“It’s the best you’re going to get. And like you already said, we don’t have time to waste.”
She considered for a long moment.
“Your word?” she asked.
“Yes. And if you know anything about me, you know I keep my promises.”
“Very well. You wish to know why I’m loyal to your mate, and why I have felt such animosity toward you?”
I nodded.
“Cole and I were engaged to be married.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
I blinked at her.
“I’m sorry, you were what now?”
“You demanded to know the reason for my loyalty, now you know it. There is no need to waste further time in discussion.”
She made to brush past me and I stepped quickly, planting myself in her path. She glared at me.
“Move. Now.”
I shook my head and folded my arms across my chest.
“No way. You can’t just drop a bombshell like that and then go marching off.”
“I’m ‘marching off’ to saveyour mate’slife, so perhaps this discussion can wait?”
“And your fiancé.”
“Ex-fiancé.”
I searched her face, looking for I wasn’t quite sure what, but I didn’t find it.
“What?” she demanded eventually. “Did you imagine he had no life before you came blundering into it?”
I flinched back like I’d been slapped, because in truth, I’d viewed this whole mate bond as a hardship—for me. Not for him. He wasn’t the one who’d been dragged away from his life. He wasn’t the one who’d discovered a world full of supernatural creatures, most of whom hated him, and a decent number of whom thought he’d make a good snack. He wasn’t the one who’d had to leave everything behind at the worst possible moment in his life.
Except maybe he was.
Engaged? I swallowed.
“Did you…Do you love him?”
