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Well, it’s not the welcome response I was hoping for, but she also didn’t outright reject me. I’m still in the game.
EIGHT
Salem
A maid came in early the next morning, waking me up with a glass of water and some Aspirin for my sore muscles. She told me Koda is waiting for me in the dining room whenever I'm ready. I told her he can keep waiting. She smiled and gave me a wink before leaving me with my thoughts.
I roll over in bed, staring out the window. I’m not sure I want to see Koda. Not after everything that’s happened between us. Not if he’s not in a cell.
Brilliant pink and orange light streaks through the sky, letting me know it’s even earlier than I thought.
Someone’s eager to see me.
I climb out of bed, smiling when I see the clothes Ryker must have sent for me. I wonder why he couldn’t be my fated mate. He seems like a much nicer guy.
You’d be bored with him in a week.
I push that thought away. I think I would rather be bored, with a good, easy-going guy like Ryker, than constantly sparring with Koda any day of the week.
So why am I so excited that he came for me?
I take my time getting dressed. I’m trying to clear my jumbled thoughts, but as I make my way down the stairs, I’m no less confused than when I woke up.
“Salem,” Koda says, stopping his pacing as I’m led into the dining room.
There’s a full course spread out on the long table but none of the food looks like it’s been touched. I study each dish, buying myself some more time before I have to face him.
Why does it feel like we're two magnets being drawn toward each other? I can feel tingles and thunderstorms going off in my body just from being this close to him. I kind of always could, but it wasn't as strong as it is right now. So, what's changed?
“It’s the full moon tonight. The mating moon,” Koda says like he can read my mind. “That’s why you might be feeling… different toward me today.”
“Feels like cheating,” I comment. He grins.
“Maybe it is.”
There it is. That little thrill shooting down my spine, the smirk that’s always so close to the surface whenever he’s around. I’ve missed this. I’ve missed us.
I pick up a strawberry, taking a bite. I swear Koda groans as I lick some juice from my lips, and heat starts to build inside of me.
“Want a bite?” I ask him. His normally pale blue eyes darken with so much heat that I’m honestly a little nervous about having all of that passion aimed my way.
“I want you,” he says plainly. I look away from him.
"You don't deserve me," I say with more confidence than I feel. It's true, but I've never stood up for myself like this before.
“I know. I’d like to try to explain what I did.”
“And you think that it will change my mind about you?”
“Honestly? No. My reasons aren’t that good.”
A smile spreads across my face without my permission, and I look away from him as I start to fill a plate with pastries and fruit. Koda follows me around the table, watching my every move. It’s like he’s afraid to let me get more than a few feet from him.
When I finally sit down at the end of the table, he takes the spot directly across from me. I pop a grape into my mouth and he watches the movement with hungry eyes.
“I’m ready,” I tell him and he nods slightly.
“My father was a dick.”
