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I clench my jaw. That’s exactly what we were talking about right before I had to teach that little punk a lesson.
“What do you care, Ki?”
“Oh, I don’t,” Kiran says casually, tipping back the bottle of beer into his mouth.
I glare at him, but he knows better than to poke at me now. “She can hear the song,” I say, devastated. It’s one thing to think that she might be my mate, but that she also hears it, that I feel the most at peace in her presence all but confirms it.
I want to hoard that peace forever.
I could have alerted everyone hours ago that she was safe. But I wanted her near me. I wanted her alone. The sight of her in my bed and taking her in my arms gave me the most peace that I’ve felt since before the war.
So, I indulged in a nap with her, just a nap. It was supposed to be quick. She had been whimpering, crying out in her sleep. I did us both a favor by taking her and resting her against me. Her breathing across my chest echoed the rise and fall of her breaths with mine.
The calm I felt was a miracle I never dreamed of experiencing again. I didn’t want to hurt anyone or myself. I was even at peace when Vane and his pack came, when Jonah touched her. None of them triggered any of my rage or irritation.
However, now that she is away from me once more, and that little shit was talking about her…
I narrow my gaze at the warrior limping out of the ring.
Kiran chuckles again, and I glance at him from the corner of my eyes to figure out what the hell he found amusing this time.
“You want to kill that kid, don’t you? Don’t bother lying,” he shakes his head. “You know what you have to do,” he says knowingly.
I ignore him. “Mating is for life, Kiran. If I mate with her and she rejects me, that’s it,” I explain.
“And?” Kiran prompts.
“And if she rejects me, she’ll be the only one in the entire universe for me, but she can find another playmate,” I say, my gaze accusingly scanning over every other male in the fighting pits as if every single one of them are my rivals.
“And again I say,and?” Kiran taunts me. “Do you know how rare it is to find your mate? And here you are actively rejecting her. You know where she is, and you’re letting her go. With other humans.”
“She is a human,” I argue.
“Oh, and you’re not a hybrid yourself.” Kiran shakes his head in disgust. “She can’t be all human if you two are mates, that’s a fact. If you are going to leave her be, at least step aside so someone else can take care of her,” Kiran suggests.
In one moment, my brother goes from being seated on the bleachers to against the razor wire surrounding the fighting pits with my arm around his neck. My voice drops to a lethal edge. “Do you want to take care of her, Kiran?”
Instead of answering my question, the crazy son of a bitch laughs his head off. “Yeah, this is the cool, collected, detached brother of mine,” he jokes.
“She is mine,” I declare through gritted teeth.
My brother’s gaze meets mine. “Prove it. Make her sing for you. Give her the chance to choose you. Until then, you haven’t earned the right to sulk and moan about it. And you damn well haven’t earned the right to beat anyone bloody over it.”
I lay off Kiran because he’s right. I’ve been acting like a fool. The kindest thing to do would be to step aside and let one of these younger, sweeter males untainted by trauma court her as she deserves.
Fuck that. I’m not kind. I’m a surly old bastard, and I’m not about to lose the one thing in the universe that’s fated to me.
“Hey!” Kiran calls out to me. “You’re up for the next challenge. Where you going?”
“To see about my mate.” She may not choose me, but I’ll make her sing until her voice gives out.
Remi Storm
I’m deciding notto dwell on anything. Focusing on folding my clothes so that we would be ready to leave as soon as the festival or closing ceremonies or afterward. I guess it also depends on Jonah. He’s about to go out. I make him go out and finish his plans and not make and not feel guilty for not staying with me tonight. After all, I just want to rest. What started out as a peaceful day has ended a whirlwind of emotions. Now I just feel drained.
“I swear, please don’t worry about me. Think of it as switching places. You’re asleep most of the day and now I’m going to be asleep for most of the night.” Jonah tears up a little. “If I hadn’t been so damn stupid, I would’ve been with you.”
“Stop. Please stop. It happened and ended up fine and I’m fine and you’re fine. We’re all fine. Go. Have fun and I am just going to do my skincare and get into bed and hopefully I’ll be rested for tomorrow. I’m not sure if our flights are ready or not.”
