Page 93 of Blood and Trouble

And when I reared back, I let him go with a tiny shove.

He grabbed the wound and stared at me with his mouth hanging open.

“You son of a bitch,” he whispered.

Now satisfied, my feral beast retreated with a grin, and the human faced the consequences.

Fuck.

I never wanted to be mated. I’d chosen that life purposely. And now…now, I’d forced him into it.

“Shit.” I touched my mouth, my fingers wet with Poe’s blood, and a small part of me wished he’d fucking deck me for doing it. I didn’t regret it. No, in fact, I wished I’d done it sooner. That little piece of my magic inside Poe twinkled and called out, begging to be completed. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” He forced out a mocking laugh. “I begged you for this months ago, and you spurned me. Now someone else beats you to it, you just fucking snap?”

“I’m not sorry I did it,” I snarled. “But not like this…I should have taken better care of you. I should have⁠—”

“Poe?” Ava called from her room. “Is that Lycan?”

Poe blinked and looked away. I stepped back from him, the spell now broken.

We’d deal with that later. First, I needed to tend to my wife.

CHAPTER 21

Ava

I woke to the sounds of arguing in another room. It was muffled, and I couldn’t make out all of the words, but I sensed the fear and anger reverberating through the bond. Poe’s bond. I touched the mark on my neck and smiled before the pain from my ribs caught up to me. Just as I tried to push myself upright, a sharp tug yanked at my heart. Something had happened to my mate, and before I could question it, another dominant presence took root, twisting around my magic like an invisible thread.

Lycan.

It resonated with the tiny bit of him still inside me, kicking up dust and embers.

“Poe?” I called. “Is that Lycan?”

The door opened, and the sight of a tall, silver-haired male made me relax. His eyes swept over me as he leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his arms. His lips were red and swollen, like he’d rushed to wipe something off them before confronting me.

He sucked through his teeth and shook his head. “I’m very disappointed with you, Trouble.”

“Well, I’m so happy to see you, I don’t care.” I sank back against the pillows and held out a hand for him.

He huffed and pushed upright, stalking toward me. I watched the sway of his hips and the careful way he walked, like a man who knew he was the most powerful thing in any room he walked into. He sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped his fingers around my palm, bringing my knuckles to his lips for a gentle kiss.

“You scared me,” he said. “Don’t do it again.”

I smiled and closed my eyes to relish the connection. He smelled like cedar and outside and sunshine…and faintly of blood…Poe’s blood. When I looked at him again, I noticed the crimson drips on his black T-shirt. Had he hurt my mate because of what we’d done? Had he taken out my impulsiveness on the wrong person?

I should have been ashamed of how badly I wanted him, both of them, especially since I’d been mated for less than twenty-four hours.

“Where’s Poe?” I asked, glancing toward the door.

“I imagine he’s in the bathroom, trying and failing to wipe away any trace of me.” Lycan shifted his hips and scooted closer. “You’ve been a very naughty girl.”

“Did you hurt him?” I couldn’t keep the accusation from my tone. My wolf reared up, ready to destroy him if I had to. Even if I was technically married to Lycan, my instincts still propelled me to protect my mate. Poe was mine. I was his. It was confusing and complicated, but that made it even more perfect.

Lycan licked his lips. “No. Not much.”

“It was my fault,” I said. “I bit him first. I wanted… Well, I don’t really know what I wanted. I got carried away.”