Now, she’s transforming, and I can’t help but feel a sense of pride.
But she’s not the only one changing, and I’ve stopped fighting my metamorphosis. The chaos she carries has bled into my ordered world, and instead of resisting it, I’ve begun to embrace it.
I’m not the same man I was before her. The need for strict control is loosening its grip on me, replaced by somethingfreer, something I never thought I’d welcome.
“We don’t have to do this, kitten,” I say.
Her eyes flash a warning, but her head dips in submission.
She’s caught between want and need, between fight and flight, and her struggle is as captivating as it is infuriating. The fire in her eyes doesn’t dim, even as her chin lowers in acknowledgment of my words. Zara might follow, but she’ll never truly yield. Not completely. That unrelenting spark that refuses to be extinguished is what draws me to her, and, like a moth to her flame, I’ll circle back, willing to burn for her.
Her defiance is a challenge I’ve come to relish, even when it grates against my instincts. There’s a thrill in her resistance, a beauty in her refusal to break. And yet, she’s learning when to bend, when to wait for the moment that serves her best.
“Kitten?” I ask.
She swallows.
“You’re mine, Zara. Whether we’re bound by the blood weave or not. We do not have to break it. Not if you don’t want to.”
Her skin pales. “I fucking hate you.”
This isn’t the reaction I was expecting. Not when I’m offering her a choice. Not when I’m giving her the thing she values more than anything else. I’m full of hurt and pain, and her emerald eyes burn brighter as they lock onto mine.
Zara’s learning control, and she’s testing mine.
“Malric is the only chance we have of undoing the blood weave. You created this bond between us and this choice is the consequence of your actions. It can remain, Zara. If that’s what you want.”
“You’re a manipulative cunt, Kade,” she hisses.
My eyebrow arches as my heart sinks.
“This isn’t a fucking choice.” Her eyes narrow and their anger pierces the shattered remains of the organ trying to beat in my chest. “Don’t try to pretend it is one. I’m not a fucking idiot.”
It takes every ounce of reserve not to lose my shit.
“It’s an unenviable choice, perhaps, but then most choices are. Unenviable. Malric doesn’t just deal in power. He thrives on the fear and desperation of others. He’ll want to see how much you can take before you shatter. He’ll push and pull until he finds your limits, and test your resolve until he finds the cracks. The blood weave will do the same, but you will have me and gain more in return.”
Her voice falters, but only for a moment. “And you think I’ll break?”
“He’ll hurt you until you do, kitten. One way or the other, Malric is going to try to break you.” My voice is calm, but the weight of the warning hangs heavy between us. “Whether you do is up to you. Few don’t.”
She exhales sharply, but doesn’t let go. Her bravery is admirable, even if she’s too stubborn to admit she’s scared.
Gods, I want her to choose me.
To choose me in spite of all I am, despite everything I’ve done.
I want her to pick me, to pick the complications of the bond between us and the clash of her world and mine. She’s fire and brimstone, and I’m ice and the harshest winter. I shouldn’t want her, but I do, and now I cannot be without her. And all I want is for her to want me too.
“I want a choice, Kade.”
“You have a choice, Zara.”
“A real one. A fair one.”
“This is. There’s no such thing.”
Her lips part to argue, but the truth of my words keeps her silent. I reach out, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face, my fingers lingering just long enough to steady her.
