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Chapter Nineteen
Zee didn’t seem towant to look at him as they cleaned up.
She did, however, keep sending furtive glances at his chest, specifically at the new mark. It, like the older twin scar she’d given him, wasn’t healing as it should—nor would it. It was a curious quirk of Therian biology, that they could choose to keep a scar, but only certain ones. Those scars were marks that had to do with deep bonds, like the mating marks. There were also bonds forged, like those with blood pacts or vengeance oaths, that could be carved into the flesh, never to fade, if that was the will of the person bearing the mark.
After she shot him a fourth look, he caught her gaze deliberately. “Yes.”
She blinked, clearly confused.
“Yes,” he said, elaborating when she didn’t ask. “I’m keeping the scar. It’s just another sign of how well you’ve marked me, Zee.”
She flushed and turned away. “I could use a nap, Niko. So... ”
“In a few minutes.”
She shot him an annoyed look. “Can’t it wait? Until I nap? Perhaps after you get some clothes too?”
His shirt was destroyed, as were his trousers but he’d never been uncomfortable being in the nude.
Zee was clearly not comfortable with it, which told him more about her childhood than he liked. They’d never talked about the pack she’d grown up in, something he’d let pass years ago.
He would no longer let it pass. But he wasn’t going to press the issue at present.
There were, after all, other things to settle.
Leaning against the door that separated the bath from the luxurious bedroom he’d assigned her, he said, “As I said, your nap can wait a few minutes. This won’t take long. I’m sorry for what happened outside earlier.”
That caught her attention, but all she did was cant her head and give him a mild look.
Fuck, she couldn’t make this even a little easier on him, could she?
“That was Shale out there with us. He’s... different. You’ll have to ask him what was going on between you two, but you probably noticed my reaction—I’m sorry.”
“I’m not sure what you’re apologizing for, Niko.” She looked away, her profile half hidden by her hair as she angled her face downward. “You didn’t do anything.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Zee.” His temper snapped and closed the distance between them, and once more, in an echo of what had led to their torrid lovemaking earlier, he caught her by the arms.
Her green eyes were turbulent when she looked at him. But the expression held only for a moment. She lowered her lashes and when she looked back at him, her gaze was calm. On the surface, she looked completely unaffected.
She’s not.His beast snarled, the lupine part of his nature pacing in frustration.
But Niko wasn’t only a wolf. His mother’s side had blessed him with the blood of the big cats, and with it, their clever ways and sly patience. The cat looked deeper and the cat insisted on caution.
The man warred with the cat’s logic, even though he knew that part of him was seldom wrong when it came to the long game. And he’d have to play the long game if he wanted his woman back.
Zee lowered her gaze and gave his hands a deliberate look.
“Is there a reason you’re manhandling me?”
“I hardly think this counts as manhandling,” Niko said as her eyes lifted back to his.
“Oh?” Frost in her eyes now, she lifted an elegant brow at him. “And why on earth is that?”
“If I was going to manhandle you, I’d be a lot more obvious. And I wouldn’t settle for holding you by the arms and trying to get you to pay any attention to me.” Her eyes flicked away. Unwilling to let her dismiss him so easily, he stroked his thumbs over the delicate skin along the inside of her arms. “You’ve learned to stare right through me, Zee. It’s driving me a little insane and I don’t think you want the consequences of that on your head right now.”
“I’m not to blame if you can’t control yourself.” She tried to pull away.
He didn’t loosen his grip. Keenly aware of his strength, he made sure to keep his hold firm, but not tight enough to bruise or cause pain.
