Page 50 of Blood Oath
She sounds exasperated, but my brain has latched onto this possible reason, running wild with it, filling my head with unwanted images and—oh my gods. I’m going to be sick. My skin tightens, my eyes shift, and fire burns in my gut.
“Baelfire?”
“You don’t want people to touch you. Is it because someone…did touch you? In the past? Did they?—“
Fuck. I can’t do this. I’m going to shift any second, my temper running out of bounds and burning me alive. I strain for control because shifting too close to someone else is dangerous for them, and I’d sooner die than hurt Maven.
“Just tell me who I need to kill.”
A couple of seconds pass where I’m in hell before she speaks.
“You’re jumping to conclusions. I wasn’t sexually assaulted.”
Thank all six gods.
The pressure in my chest loosens as relief courses through me. I’m pretty sure I would have burned everything in sight down if I found out anything like that happened to Maven.
Sometimes, I hate how intensely we shifters feel every emotion. It’s an open invitation to my inner monster, especially on days when I haven’t killed something to appease my curse.
After a couple more breaths, I rub my face and clear my throat before regarding her. She’s watching me with her typical poker face in place—and it’s a damn good poker face, but I know she’s not truly emotionless. She’s just an expert at hiding how she feels. She didn’t ditch me just now when I was about to lose my shit…so that must mean something, right?
“Okay, but I’m pretty sure you don’t wear gloves all the time because you’re scared of cooties. So what is it, then?”
“Hmm. It’s odd. I distinctly remember punching you in the face and telling you to fuck off, yet here you are.”
She folds her arms, but when she does, the fabric of my shirt she’s wearing bunches and shifts, and my eyes again drop to her mouthwatering thighs. Yet the hunger pulsing through my veins takes a spot on the back burner when I spot a couple more light burns on her legs.
All shifters have an overwhelming urge to care for their mates, but dragons have it twice as bad because of our naturally obsessive tendencies. I have an instinctual need to covet, and now that I have a mate? All I want is to take care of Maven in every possible way.
“You should have let Silas heal you,” I huff, the sight of her beautiful skin in that condition driving me to take another step toward her.
She takes a step back.
I sigh. “Why were you pissed at me, Boo? Did I do something wrong?”
“Hard to say. Right and wrong are subjective.”
“Why did you punch me?”
She tries to step around me but I cut her off. Lucky me, there’s not a lot of space in this narrow old servants’ hall, so she doesn’t have room to get by my much bigger frame unless she presses against me. Honestly, I’m hoping she’ll try so I can finally feel her.
“Move.”
“Was it because I asked if you’re a virgin?” I guess.
Maven sighs. “I said move.”
“I won’t leave you alone until I know what’s upsetting my mate. For once, I just want a straight answer. Tell me everything you’re feeling.”
“For the last time, we are not ma—“ She surprises me by huffing in the most adorable way, half growling with exasperation before narrowing her eyes at me. “You mean it? You’ll leave me alone if I tell you all I’m feeling?”
“Pinky promise.”
I can’t look away from the anger in her dark eyes as she glowers at me. “Fine. I feel frustrated. I feel desperate. I feel like breaking rules. I just fucking feel.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” I shake my head, baffled by my little Boo.
I suddenly wonder if I’m hallucinating when her gaze drops to my bare upper half and heats. She moves closer until we’re less than an inch apart. Every part of me aches to reach out for her, especially when her eyes trail slowly back up my frame, lingering on my lips.
