Page 38 of A Trial By Blood

CHAPTER 13

Ronan

I sat on the edge of the bed and shoved my fingers through my wet hair. I’d managed a shower, my second one. I stood and paced across the room and back. Feeling restless, like a caged animal.

And it wasn’t because I’d been in this room for close to two weeks. No, I felt trapped by all the emotions still swirling around inside me. At least I had enough control over them now that I wasn’t throwing up and shaking. I’d crawled off the floor two days ago; now, I needed to get it together enough to feed.

The problem was the idea of feeding made me sick to my stomach, unless I thought about feeding from Rose. I shoved my fingers back in my hair and strode across the room again, then back once more.

There was a light knock at the door.

“Come in,” I called and turned as it opened. My sister walked in, and the scent that hit me had me staggering and grabbing for the wall. The thermos I filled for Rose was gripped in Luna’s hand, and it wasn’t empty. “What have you done?”

Luna shut the door behind her and walked in, and I hung on to the wall tighter, close to falling flat on the floor all over again.

“I didn’t do anything, Rose did. I told her you needed to feed, and she offered.” She sat on the edge of the bed and placed the thermos on the bedside table. “She wanted to do this for you because she cares about you.”

I n-need you to know that…I’m in love with you, Ronan. N-not as a sister loves a brother…but as a female loves a male.

Her words had been echoing through my mind, they hadn’t left. If she knew the truth of my past, would she still feel that way? Would she be disgusted by me? I disgusted myself.

“She needs you,” Luna said when I hadn’t replied.

I trembled, and my mouth watered as the scent of her blood filled my room now. “I can’t go to her like this.” Luna stood and moved to stand in front of me, and my gaze slid to the thermos again, then back to her. “I can’t let her see me this way.”

She took me in, and the softness bled from her eyes as she planted her hands on her hips. “Believe me, I know how hard this is, and I know this has been a whole lot harder for you, having it happen the way it did, but, brother, your mate needs you.”

I rocked back at her words. My mate. “I’ll only hurt her.”

“She felt the call, Ronan. Her task has begun. She’ll be out there facing all kinds of danger. You know she can’t do that alone. Are you okay with another male taking your place? Doing your job as her mate? Another male at her side night and day?”

My muscles bunched tight, and my lips peeled back.

“Relic offered to help her, and Rose will have no choice but to accept. He even offered her his vein—”

A snarl exploded from me and I spun, my fist smashing into the wall, punching a hole right through it.

Rose was mine.

Mine.

“That’s what I thought,” Luna said and closed the space between us. She took my snarling face in her hands. “You can do this. I know you can. You’re one of the strongest males I know. And you are exactly what Rose needs.” Her eyes locked on mine. “Feed, then go to her. Go to your mate.”

* * *

It was snowing lightly when I pulled up to Rose’s family home. My gut was in knots, and if my heart could beat, I had a feeling it would be pounding in my chest. It wasn’t a feeling I liked. Rose’s blood had helped a lot. I couldn’t even put it into words how I’d felt drinking it. A shiver moved through me.

I gripped the wheel, trying to focus, taking a moment to gather my control…

A familiar scent reached me.

Hound.

Relic. He was already here.

Luna had loaned me the car, since I’d torn the door off mine, and it took everything I had not to do it again. I got out, and any misgivings I had about coming here so soon vanished when Relic’s scent grew stronger—followed by Rose’s, unique and delicate. I growled as I strode to the door. I’d always used logic to navigate situations, and I tried to draw on that now, but logic was nowhere to be found.

I didn’t knock, ignoring social etiquette completely, and opened the door, striding into the house. Rose’s voice traveled from the kitchen, but even if it hadn’t, I would have found her easily. She called to me. I was sure she didn’t know she was doing it, but her scent, her voice—everything about her—called to something inside me.