Page 102 of The Ice Prince's Fated Mate
“I know you know I’m here,” he said. “We need to talk. Can you open the door and let me in?”
I didn’t want to talk. I wanted him to go away. To leave me alone.
My hand came up, fingers running over the spot where he’d bitten me. I could still feel his fangs, sinking in deep, painful yet perfect, in the moment exactly what I’d longed for.
The beast in my head was quiet but watchful. Present.
You think we should just forgive him because he’s our mate. As if that absolves everything, all the lies.
She huffed and turned away. I recoiled as her tail came flying around to deliver a mental slap I hadn’t known was possible.
“What the hell wasthatfor?” I murmured, stunned by her actions.
“Ella?”
Oh, damn. Now he’d heard me talking out loud.
I stormed over to the door, slid the reinforced lock bar to the side, and pulled it open an inch. He could open it the rest of the way.
“Thank you.” He slipped inside, pausing in the entryway to look at me. “Are you mad at me? Because that’s the vibe I’m getting up here.”
He tapped his head, meaning our bond. I wished I could rip it out, somehow, free me from it.
Dirk’s eyes widened. “What is going on?”
“Don’t play that game with me, Dirk. Not after the message you left on the front gates. Did you think I wouldn’t know it was you? As if anyone else could have done that, with him?”
I crossed my arms, feeling defiant as I waited for his response.
“No, it was me,” he said, nodding slowly. “You’re right. I did it. I put it there.”
“You killed him.”
He nodded, standing his ground, not advancing into the room. He was keeping his distance from me, and for some reason that hurt, even though I didn’t want him near me.
“All I’ve wanted since I locked eyes with you at the chalet that day is to protect you, Ella,” he said softly. “That’s what I thought I was doing. Protecting you and sending a message to try to protect others.”
I shook my head. “Uh-uh. Nope. You are not going to pretend like this was for me. I didn’t ask for his head to be stuck to the wall. I didn’t ask you to kill him. I was content thinking he’d died years ago, taken down by some Fae or a feral shifter. You did this because you wanted to.”
“Ella …”
“You did it because all you’ve wanted is to ‘avenge’ me, Dirk. To avenge what happened to me. You’ve said it yourself on multiple occasions. That you’ll prove Mirko was behind the attack, and you’ll take care of him yourself for putting me in danger. That doesn’t protect me. That satisfies your urge for bloodlust.”
Dirk didn’t move as I laid out the truth of his claims. He didn’t even blink, to the point he could have been cast from steel.
“That’s not protecting me. I wanted, no, needed, to be cared for. Cuddled, caressed and cradled. Feed me in bed. Smack my ass when you walk by. Whisper in my ear that I’m the only girl for you. Hold my hand in public. That’s protecting me, keeping me safe.”
“No, that’s loving you,” Dirk ground out. “All of which I have tried to do. But that’s not protecting you. Not in the world you live in now, Ella. Not from people as ruthless as them. I can’t let them hurt you. Not again.”
“They haven’t hurt me again, Dirk. You have.”
He staggered visibly, needing a moment to gather himself. “I’m sorry, Ella. For that …”
I waited as he struggled to continue, working his jaw and flexing one hand over and over again.
“I’m sorry for hurting you then. And for having to hurt you again. Because there’s something else you need to know. Something about me.”
I arched an eyebrow. This remorseful, regretful version of Dirk was not what I’d conjured up in my head when I imagined this conversation. He was taking the blame and accepting it. I knew he wasn’t faking it either. He wasn’t trying to hide a single thing pouring through our bond.
