Page 90 of Mortal Shift
“Are you willing to risk war to find out?”
“War?” He laughed. “You have rather a high opinion of yourself, no?”
I lifted my chin and met his eye. “I’m the fated mate of Cole Bryant, alpha heir of the Iron Shadow pack, leaders of the shifters of the free world, and I am destined to rule by his side.”
“Yes, you are,” Davorin said, running his eye over me speculatively, and sounding almost impressed. Then his lips curled at the edges. “Though I hear rumors of rebellion. The packs will never follow a human.”
“The packs have never metthishuman,” I said, holding his eye unflinchingly. “And you have no idea what I am capable of.”
“Of that,” he said, his piercing eyes seeming to look straight into my soul, “I have no doubt.”
And then he smiled.
“I’ll see you around, pet.”
With that, he turned on his heel and walked away like nothing had happened. I shook my head and stared after him.
“Not if I see you first.”
Chapter Thirty
“I need you to teach me how to resist compulsion.”
Cole lifted his head to look at me, then rolled it back to look at the ceiling again.
“Can’t. I’m busy.”
I looked him up and down. He was reclined on his bed, arms hooked behind his head, and legs crossed at the ankles.
“Yeah, you look busy.”
He rolled his head round to glance my way.
“Fine. I can’t, because it can’t be done. You’re a human.”
“Fine,” I snapped, dropping onto the edge of my bed. “Then you can deal with the humiliation of Davorin making your mate strip naked in the middle of the corridors.”
Cole lunged from the bed, nostrils flared and fury rolling off him in waves.
“He did what?”
“Calm down, he didn’t.”
Cole snapped his head from the door to me and then slowly and deliberately shook out his partially shifted hand back into its human form. Interesting. And oddly hot. And totally not the point.
“But he could have. And you know he would.”
“So avoid him,” he said, but the tension didn’t leave his shoulders.
“I’ve been trying to,” I protested. “And… Actually, you know what? Fuck that. Why should I have run and hide because he’s an asshole?”
“Because you’re not living in a fairy tale.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” I shook my head and got up. “You know what? Forget it. I should have known not to expect you to help.”
I made for the door, and he snagged my wrist, checking me. I whirled on him, ready to unleash all my pent up frustration from Davorin.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t help,” he said.
