Page 38 of Mortal Blood
“Where are you going, princess?”
“Where’d you think? To find Kallan.”
He shook his head. “Not a smart move.”
“Smart? You think I give a damn about smart right now?”
His eyes hardened. “No. And that’s exactly the problem. You burst in on Kallan like this and not even I will be able to protect you.”
“Protect me?” I yanked my arm free from his. “Who says I want your protection?”
He stepped quickly, putting himself in front of me. “This isn’t about wanting, this is about needing.”
“Yeah? Well Ineedto show Kallan what happens to anyonewho gets close to my mom. And you need to get the hell out of my way.”
“No.”
I made to shove past him and he stepped with me, blocking my path.
“Cali, you’re not thinking straight.”
“You promised me,” I hissed. “You swore you would let me get my revenge.”
“I swore I’d give you whatever you need.”
I gaped at him. “So this is you going back on your word? Because I thought you were a shifter, Cole, not a fae.”
And my mate, not my enemy.
I felt heat prickling at the back of my eyes and tried to shove past him again, and again, he blocked my way.
“I am not going— Dammit, Cali, would you juststopand listen to me for a moment?”
I stopped trying to shove past him—it wasn’t like it was working, anyway, stupid strong stupid shifter.
“Kallan will pay for what he did, okay? And we will make sure of it. But not like this. Do you think I could stand it if you got hurt?”
“And what about me?” I snapped. “I’m supposed to just stand back and do nothing while you risk your life fighting your own father? While you paint a giant target on your back for anyone whodoesn’twant to follow you? Damn you, Cole Bryant, how can you ask that of me?”
He sucked in a sharp breath. “Cali, I—”
He reached for me and I jerked away.
“I’m sick of your stupid double standards, Cole,” I said, my voice shaking with emotion, and I knew he could see the unshed tears that were blurring my vision. Could probably smell them with his stupid shifter senses.
He reached for me again and I didn’t bother to pull away this time. His thumb smoothed a tear from the corner of my eye.
“You’ve spilled too many tears tonight,” he said. “Because of me, because of my pack. I want to make this right, more than anything, I do.”
“Then don’t challenge your father. Not yet, not ever.” I knew the words were unfair the moment they left my mouth, and Cole jerked back like I’d slapped him, shaking his head slightly as he searched my face.
“Please don’t ask this of me, Cali.” His voice broke on a whisper. “Ask me anything but this.”
I blew out a breath and my eyelids slid shut, trapping the unshed tears behind them. For one moment, just one moment, I wanted to ask him. Ask him to leave the pack behind, to come and be with me, just me, and leave the shifter world to fight its own battles.
But those battles wereourbattles. That pack wasourpack, and I could no more ask him to abandon it than he could ask me to forget about my mom. I blew out a slow breath and opened my eyes to meet his.
“Just promise me you’ll be careful.”
