Page 22 of Eternally Bound
She inhaled sharply. “That’s awful.”
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. “That sounded veryun-hunter like of you.”
“I’ve never been the hunter I’m supposed to be,” she murmured. “I’ve been a thorn in my family’s side since I was old enough to speak.”
He imagined she had been, considering she was the firstborn female hunter who had ever been seen by a vampire, as far as he knew anyway. “And why is that?”
She shrugged absently. “Little things here and there I guess. I was always the rebellious one amongst the women within the stronghold, and I wasneverany good at my classes. I can’t sew, I’m not much of a cook, and I’ve dropped a lot of the baby dolls over the years.Farmore than any of the other girls in my classes. I still can’t pin a diaper without stabbing the doll. Though, I’ll admit that’s more because it’s ridiculous to diaper a fake baby, and it feels good to give it a jab.”
Ronan lifted an eyebrow at that admission as he tried not to laugh at the look of consternation on her face.
“Unlike the other women in the stronghold, I always dreamed about going out in the world, to see things, andexperiencethem. We’re not allowed to do that. We’re told from the moment we’re born that we shouldn’t yearn for things we can never have, and that being a good wife, mother, and continuing the hunter line is what we are meant to do. The world is so big and marvelous that I always wanted to see more of it and explore itall.”
The longing on her face and the melancholy in her voice had him contemplating booking her the first flight to anywhere she asked to go in the world. She should be set free to enjoy her life, not secluded and locked away.
“Women must be protected and sheltered from the world,” he grated out.
Resentment simmered in her eyes when they came back to his. “You sound like my brother.”
He realized she’d taken his words the wrong way, but he couldn’t resist provoking her further as it brought color back to her face and more life to her than he’d seen since her attack. “Your brother sounds like a wise man.”
He was certain visions of strangling him were dancing through her head while she glowered at him. Her anger also made her forget her wariness of him as she leaned closer to him.
“I do not wish to be paired off for breeding purposes or want a husband,” she said.
Not married then. He ignored the relief her confirmation of that brought with it.
“I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” she declared.
“Yes, you take great care of yourself. That’s why you’re here,” he replied, hoping to bait her even closer.
She bolted upright, sputtering with indignation. Realizing he’d pushed her too far, he moved to calm her before she reopened her wounds, but she slapped his hand away. Ronan did a double take as he gazed between her and his hand. In over a thousand years,noone had dared to rebuke him in such a way.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed. Getting over his shock, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back before she could rise. She slapped at his arm. Her attempts to get free would have made him laugh, if he hadn’t known it would only piss her off more.
“Let go of me!” she cried.
“No.” He may not have the same beliefs as her kin, but she would learn he was the one who ruled here. “Relax, before you hurt yourself. I pushed too far, and I am sorry for that.”
Her hair whipped into her eyes when her head spun toward him. “That’s the second time you’ve done that.”
“Done what?” he asked.
“Said you were sorry. I’m always the one apologizing for doing something wrong, for not obeying when I should or not doing as I’m told. I’m supposed to be sorry for not being overjoyed about my glorious role as soon-to-be bride. Or at least that’s what my instructors tell me.”
Ronan kept his arm around her waist, his fingers caressing her flat stomach while she spoke. “Then they are idiots.”
“Do vampires not have the same rules for women as hunters do?”
“There would be no caging a female vampire, especially not a purebred one.”
“What is a purebred?”
“A vampire who is born to two vampires instead of being a human who is turned by one.”
Her breath exploded from her. “There’s such a thing?”
“Yes. I am a purebred as are the other vampires who live here.”
