“Get used to it.”
Deciding that was the end of this conversation, I went to open the portal again, but Ellery wasn’t done. “Iamgoing to be with other men… one day.”
My eyes darted up to her as the possibility of such a thing made my blood boil. She didn’t blink as she stared back at me.
“You’ve moved on to other women; what do you care if I move on too?”
Red flared across my vision at her words. I took a calming breath to regain control of my volatile emotions and the bloodlust her words evoked. I couldn’t tell her I hadn’t moved on to other women; I could never give her that kind of control over me, butIwas the one deceiving her now.
She deserves it after everything she’s done.
And what if it pushes her into the arms of another man?
The part of me that was still so irate at her shut up at the possibility. Even the part of me that hated her didn’t want her with anyone else.
“Are you ready to move on, Ellery?” My voice came out guttural and raw. I didn’t recognize it.
“No, but maybe one day. I’m sure immortality gets lonely when you have no one to share it with. And maybe it could never be love with someone else, but….” She shrugged as she looked toward the woods and sighed. “Oh, I don’t know.”
I didn’t know what to say, but I did know that if another man touched her, I’d tear his head off and lay his body at her feet. We were supposed to go our separate ways when it ended, and I would finally move on to the beds of other women, but I would slaughter anyone who dared touch her. I didn’t know what that said about me and my feelings for her, and I didn’t care. Now wasn’t the time for self-reflection.
“Let’s go,” I said sharply.
CHAPTERSEVENTY-TWO
Ryker
When we returnedto Tucker’s ever-growing village, he and Ianto were already waiting for us by the edge of the fence the compound’s occupants were erecting. They’d dismantled the one Ianto and the kids had created and brought its pieces here to start a new one.
It would take time, but they planned to fence off a large enough section to let them expand as more amsirah arrived. The extra protection was a welcome relief now.
Tucker’s eyes widened as I stalked toward the two of them, and Ianto’s eyebrows shot up. “What’s got you in a mood?” Tucker inquired.
I scowled at him before glancing back at Ellery, who had stopped to talk to one of the orphans. “Nothing.”
“Oh, good, you two are getting along again,” Tucker quipped.
Ianto chuckled. When I shot him a look, he held his hands up, palms out. “You have to admit it’s amusing.”
I wasn’t in the mood to deal with either of these assholes. “Ellery, let’s go!”
She glared at me before shifting her attention back to the child.
“Yeah, that’s going to work,” Tucker said. “Maybe next time you can command her to fly, you might get a better response.”
“Fuck off,” I told him.
“Just trying to help.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“Obviously you do because you’re pretty clueless when it comes to her.”
If I looked at him, I might hit him, but as much as I wanted to hit something, it couldn’t be Tucker. He was pissing me off, but he didn’t deserve it.
Finally, Ellery started walking again… slowly. I swore she did it intentionally as she smiled at Tucker and then Ianto. When her attention shifted to me, her smile vanished.
“What did you do to piss her off?” Tucker asked.
