Page 12 of Bound By Love
“Get your things, and I’ll show you to your room.”
Saber buried the part of himself that felt like a giant asshole as she trudged back to the SUV. It was better that she understood Gabriel was gone; he died centuries ago.
CHAPTERNINE
Over the nextcouple of weeks, Caro spent most of her time in the forge, hammering the swords into place and crafting them into lethal weapons. No matter how tired she was or how much her body ached from standing in the same positions for hours, days, and weeks, she would make sure each sword was perfect.
Often, Saber hovered in the doorway, scowling while she worked late into the night. Sometimes, he would stop frowning long enough to tell her to sleep. Usually, she ignored him, but some nights, she admitted defeat as every part of her yearned for bed.
On those nights, the stubborn, oafish man insisted on carrying her to her apartment. She protested his actions the first couple of times, but those died away when she realized how wonderful it was to snuggle against him. Besides, she didn’t have the energy to climb the stairs.
On those nights, once he got her upstairs, he’d help her undress, run a hot bath, and offer her mugs of blood. He’d sit on the bathroom floor beside her with his fingers trailing lazily through the water while she relaxed in the tub.
During those nights, she also learned more about him. Tonight, as he sat with his hands on the side of the bathtub and his chin propped on them, they talked about their favorite movies. He’d stretched his long legs as far as possible in the cramped space.
His hair was shaggier than when she first met him, and the ends of it curled against his shoulders. Her fingers clenched around her warm mug as she resisted brushing it off his forehead. They were together every day and had sex every morning and some nights, but touching him in such a way was a different level of intimacy and familiarity.
“You’re crazy,” he said. “The Godfatheris a great movie.”
Caro sipped her blood. “I’m just saying I was out when the horse head showed up. No, thank you.”
Smiling, he dipped his fingers to trail them through the bubbles floating on the surface. She studied his profile as she stifled a yawn and the water eased her tension.
She wanted a bed, but a question nagged at the back of her mind—the question he had always refused to answer, but they’d grown closer, he was her mate, and she believed, or at leasthoped, he’d finally open up to her.
“Saber?”
“Yeah?”
Caro glanced at the tiled wall of her shower and gulped as the question stuck in her throat. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and speaking.
“Why did you leave the demons and Savages?Whydid you stop being a Savage?”
The second she finished the first question, she knew it was the wrong thing to ask as he stiffened and his fingers stopped moving. An impenetrable coldness settled over his features as he pulled his hand from the tub.
Her fingers itched to touch him, but she dug them into her palms instead. She shouldn’t have asked it, but they were mated, they were getting to know each other better, anddamn it,shewantedto learn more about him.
It wasn’t too much to ask… but it was because whatever happened had propelled him from a life he’d enjoyed into something else. And it was something he couldn’t talk about.
“Saber—”
“I need some blood.” He rose abruptly. “I’ll be back.”
“Wait! Where are you going?”
“To hunt.”
She didn’t get a chance to reply before he left the room. A second later, the glass door slid open and closed.
Though the water was still warm, a chill crept through her as she remained sitting in the tub. The silence was loud in his absence.
She shouldn’t have asked the question; she didn’t have all the answers to everything and never would. She would have to accept that for this too.
Rising, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her as she stepped from the tub. She left the bathroom behind and padded over to the glass doors. Her reflection stared back at her as she searched for Saber, but he was gone.
She wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t come back tonight. “You have to let this go,” she told herself as she turned away from the window.
It wasn’t any of her business; it was the past and obviously bothered him, but she’d prefer not to have any barriers between them. Her parents had told each other everything, and their love had filled her home.
