I inhaled a ragged breath as I regained control of myself. My brain was running the show again, and my body was not happy about it.Too bad.
Bowing my head, I ran a hand through my hair and tugged at the ends as I tried to figure out my next step. I had to get out of here; the more time I spent with him, the more likely I would be to fall prey to my instincts. I tried to hate him for making me feel so weak, but that was my fault, not his.
One thing was certain, I couldn’t kill him. I’d been so confident I could andwouldbe the one to take his head, but it would never happen. I’d take one look into those black eyes, and I would falter. He’d saved my life, and he made me feel things I never expected to feel; he was the enemy, he had to die, but it would not be by my hand.
That knowledge only made me feel weaker and hate myself more, but there was nothing I could do about it. The only good thing was, I probably wasn’t going to be alive to hate myself much longer.
I couldn’t kill him, but one of the others would. I had to learn where I was and escape so I could let them know where to find the horsemen.
“Take me out of here,” I said with more conviction than I felt.
Turning to face him, I lifted my chin as I met the orange and red flames burning in his eyes. Fire rose to encase his arms. The fury emanating from him crackled against my skin; he’d lost control of his power.
However, instead of feeling overwhelmed by his ability, I braced myself against it and maintained control. Wrath’s lips skimmed back, and he bared his fangs at me.
“I will not allow our Chosen bond to deepen.” I was glad I sounded so confident, because I sure didn’t feel it.
The fire engulfed him and illuminated the entire spacious cavern. I frowned at the black hell rock surrounding us. Had the horsemen found a way back into Hell, or had this place rose from the collapse of Hell like the Asharún?
Then, just as the fire encased all of him, it died down, and the rage pulsing against me retreated like a vacuum sucked it in. His flames became the barest spark encasing his hands and wrist.
I never would have guessed he could control his fury so easily, but he’d had many years to learn how to control his impulses.
“Why would I take you out of here?” he asked. “I’m a monster, remember?”
“It’s impossible to forget.”
A small crackle of fury blistered across my skin before it retreated again. Without a word, he lifted my sword and scabbard. He slid them over his back before stalking out of the cavern.
Chapter Eighteen
Wrath
I was somad I could choke her, but since I couldn’t bring myself to harm her, I was close to hammering every one of the statues to pieces. I wanted to batter them and tear into them with my newfound fangs until only dust remained. And once there was nothing left of them, I would start on the walls of this place and tear it apart with my bare hands.
I seethed with the knowledge my Chosen was so full of self-righteous certainty she would deny us the exquisite pleasure of each other. I was so close to possessing her and losing myself in a way I’d never lost myself before.
My hands would never forget the silken feel of her skin beneath my palms. My mouth would always remember the taste of hers. The woman had burned herself onto every one of my cells and become a part of me.
What would happen if I did claim her?
For the first time, my heart didn’t race with excitement over the possibility as a cold prickle of trepidation slid down my spine. I expected to claim her and keep her. I would break her of her loyalty and pride. She would forget about her king once she was in my bed.
Except, I was beginning to realize she wouldn’t forget. I might be the one who ended up forgetting.Imight be the one who changed.
No, I wasalreadychanging. I hadn’t been with a woman since discovering what she was to me, I found myself more amused by her than anything else ever in my life, and I had restrained myself from killing others to makeherhappy… something she did not appreciate at all.
I also cared about her feelings; I’d never cared about another’s feelings before or considered them, but I did with her. It was one more thing she did not appreciate.
No!
I punched the wall and relished the breaking sound of rock reverberating through the tunnels. I unleashed some of my pent-up wrath as I pummeled the wall again and again. The constriction in my chest eased as bits of rock and dust piled around my feet, and I could breathe easier again.
I’d broken a good-sized hole into the wall before I pulled my fists away and inhaled a deep breath. Rage still seethed beneath my surface, but I was in control again. I would kill the varcolac, and I would never allow a woman, Chosen or not, to deter me from that. Shewouldcede tomywill.
The longer she was here, the more time I had to touch and taste her, the more likely she would give in to me. So then why was I storming toward the entrance to kick her out?
She had me so rattled I couldn’t think straight. When I stopped in the middle of the tunnel, I discovered I stood beside the woman who once held the bowl. I studied her before taking a deep breath and turning back to Bale.
