Page 116 of Thirst
The hair on my nape lifted like he’d just threatened Nyx. My muscles locked before I forced them to loosen.
Brien was my friend. He knew Nyx was with us now.
“Very sure,” I said in a hard voice. “But don’t worry, she turned me down.”
They both recoiled a fraction, surprise flashing across their faces.
“What happened?” Brien asked.
“I don’t know.” I dragged a hand down my face, like I could scrape away the ache. “I told her I believe in her, would be hers if she’d just have me. I fucking begged—on my knees—asking her to trust me.”
“You begged?” Talon rolled his lips into his mouth, eyes gleaming. “On your knees? Now that, I’d pay money to see.”
“Fuck you.” I shot him a glare. “Yeah, I begged. More or less. She understood.”
“Not the best timing,” Brien pointed out. “With her friend and all.”
“And you did lock her in a cell,” Talon added, smirking. “And poisoned her with those new silver handcuffs.”
“Not helping,” I ground out.
Now they both had their lips rolled in, trying not to laugh. That was brothers for you, merciless when they smelled blood in the water.
I scowled at them. “Maybe my timing was off, but she wants this. I could feel it. In fact, I’ve been sensing stuff from her for a while, things I shouldn’t feel from another supernatural.”
“Emotions,” Brien said, serious now.
“Yeah.”
Talon scratched a stubbled cheek. “Sounds like the mate bond to me. Eden’s human, so I could always feel things from her. But now that we’re mated, she’s wide open. Everything pours through.”
“That’s how it is with mates,” Brien confirmed.
“Yeah?” I rubbed at my chest, right over the spot where I’d sensed Nyx reach out to me. It was tender. I had the feeling that if I lifted my shirt, I’d see a bruise. “What’s messed up is that I could’ve sworn I felt her for a few seconds, like she started to bond with me, then changed her mind.”
Talon pursed his lips. “Maybe she’s just being cautious. It had to hurt, the way you turned on her.”
“I had my reasons,” I muttered. “But yeah. There was something else, though. Like she was afraid to bond with me. I sensed fear.”
Brien’s brow creased. “Fear of you?”
“Maybe. She’s got every reason to hate vampires. You know the QCS—I wouldn’t blame her for running far and fast from a syndicate vampire, especially a lieutenant.”
“But she hasn’t run from you,” he pointed out. “Until now.”
“No, and that’s what bothers me. This plan of hers—we all know it’s risky. Too many variables, too many ways it could go wrong. What if she’s not afraid of me? What if she’s afraid for me?”
His nod was thoughtful. “Makes sense, especially if she’s your mate.”
“Yeah.” My knee started bouncing, restless and jittery. “She blames herself for what they’re doing to Perla. But I’m the guy who forced Nyx to come to Lilith Island. And I’m the guy who put her in Nazaire’s sights, dangling her like a piece of raw meat in front of a wolf.”
“Cain—” Brien started.
“No,” I said over top of him. “This is on me. Nyx’s only mistake,” I added, low and tight, “was trusting me.”
“Fuck that,” said Talon. “You made that call for the syndicate—especially for Eden and Jude. Doesn’t Nyx see that?”
I gave him a stark look. “Yeah, but like I said, she blames herself—not me. For sleeping with me in the first place, for handing over intel. So if we can’t save Perla—if Nazaire has some trick up his sleeve…” I paused and swallowed. “What if she’s thinking of trading herself for Perla?”
