Page 65 of Wolfkissed
But he’s watching me, brows drawn together, a pensive look in his amber eyes. “Are you telling me the truth?”
“What, can’t you smell that, too?” I bite my lip. “Dammit, I’m sorry. Why?—?”
“You grew up believing certain things about my kind. That’s not something you can undo in a day. Cut yourself a little slack.”
“It’s not fair to you,” I say.
“Life isn’t always fair.”
“But I don’t want to hurt you.”
His eyes grow hooded. “Then don’t.”
“Valen...”
“At least, until we reach your destination. Then you go your way, and I go mine. No harm done. See?”
He makes it sound so simple. Like a stroll in the garden, and then the two of us part amicably and peacefully, never to see each other again. Which would be the ideal ending to this adventure, most definitely, so why...?
Why does it make me feel sad?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
VALERIAN
I set a punishing pace, anger fueling my strides. Why am I so fucking furious? I don’t even know. The picture I painted for her just... infuriated me. Enraged me. Take her to another man, let him have her? Fuck, no.
She’s mine. Why would I give her to another? She’smine.
I haul her along, her small hand clutched in mine, trying to outrun the persistent thought. More of a feeling, really, a gut feeling that radiates throughout my body and permeates my mind.
Mine, mine, mine.
Since I first saw her, heard her, smelled her, she felt like she belonged with me—and from that first time, I knew she was promised to another.
Of course, it’s not only that. She’s in another league and belongs to another world. She’s human. Fragile. Protected. Innocent.
It’s not that she’s no match for me. She’s worthy of a prince or king.
No, the problem is me. I can’t give her what she needs. What she deserves. What she hopes for.
I’ve never felt as awkward and lumbersome as I do now. As if I could crush her bones in my grip, tear her clothes with a flick of my fingers, crush her optimism with a word. And I want to. I want to crush her delusional dreams, to tell her reality isn’t like that, to show her my kills and paint her in blood. Shred her clothes. Fist my hand in her hair. Bruise her mouth, her breasts. Leave bites everywhere.
Split her open with my cock and make her lose her composure, scream... scream my name.
Fuck.
“Valen.” Her hand tugs, almost slipping from mine. “Wait... just wait.”
“What?” I growl, casting her a glance over my shoulder. “Dammit.”
“I can’t keep up.” She’s pale, sweat running down her small face. She looks exhausted. “Can you slow down? We won’t reach Lord Eorl’s home today.”
“Or tomorrow. It’s quite a distance on foot. But we need to hurry before the dogs catch our scent again.”
“Can’t we rest a little? And you said something about food?”
I look at her, really look, instead of obsessing about her scent and curves and mouth. She weaves on her feet. A real princess she may not be, but she has spent her life moving between her bedroom and the great hall of her home. She’s unused to walking, running, and fasting, unlike me.
