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Not with him.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you, little human,” he snarls, his voice feral. This isn’t my soft-spoken Cato. No, this is the monster, and he’s ready to claim what he wants, which just so happens to be me.
He moves just as quickly as before, his lips descending on mine. I expected sweet, soft, and unsure, but no. He slams his lips onto me, his fangs catching on my bottom lip, and he sweeps his forked tongue inside my mouth, tangling it with mine. The kiss is so hard and fast, I have to fight to keep up. Those sharp fangs dig into my lip, and when he pulls back, I find myself arching up and licking at them as he watches me.
“You taste so sweet, Tally,” he rumbles, keeping himself effortlessly poised above me with one hand as he tangles his claws in my hair and tilts my head back before slamming his lips back onto mine. He loses himself in me as much as I lose myself in him. Moaning, I wrap my legs around him, becoming consumed by the kiss.
He sweeps away any reservations I had, and my body lights up just as much as his eyes. Desire surges through me, and I grind against him, moaning into his mouth.
He’s going to drown me in the flames, and I can’t seem to care.
My nails drag along his chest and shoulders, making him jerk closer and nip my lip until we both taste blood. Suddenly, he stops and jerks back, slamming himself into the bookcase. Panting heavily, his lips red from our kiss and stained with my blood, he reaches up and touches them as I sit up to see him.
“You’re bleeding,” he snarls, shaking his head as his eyes start to fade to normal. “Fuck, Tally!” He lunges at me, opening my mouth and checking my lips, so I pat his hands.
“Cato,” I say, repeating his name, but he ignores me. I see anger and self-hatred arching across his features, so I cup his cheeks hard so he will look at me. “I loved it.” I lean in and kiss him again, tasting my blood on his mouth. “You didn’t hurt me, I did it to myself. Stop panicking and trust me to know my limits.”
He licks the blood on his lips, and his eyes flare for a moment, but he searches my gaze. “You sure you are okay?”
“I’m better than okay,” I promise, kissing him softly. “How about we go back?”
Nodding, he gets to his feet and takes my hand, but the whole time we are leaving the library, he shoots me considering, almost fearful looks, and there’s a distance between us that wasn’t there before.
I hate it.
TWENTY
CATO
Once out of the library, I’m in a foul mood. I shouldn’t have done that, I shouldn’t have kissed her, but I couldn’t resist, not with her big, hungry eyes looking at me like that while her body rolled against mine. The musk of her arousal wrapped around me so tightly, it was hard to breathe. I couldn’t not kiss her, it was impossible.
I hurt her, however, and in doing so only reminded myself of how fragile she is. She’s human and not as strong as us, so I should be protecting her, not ravaging her mouth so hard, I can still taste the sweet tang of her blood.
The fact that it nearly has me spilling annoys me further, and hatred courses through me. She glances at me as we walk, but I can’t meet her eyes, afraid of what I will see there.
I can take a lot, but one thing I cannot take is Talia being scared of me. Not ever. Not once I realised what she is to me—my mate.
It was so obvious all along, but I was fighting it and ignoring the signs, because it’s doomed to end. Unlike the book we read, we won’t get a happy ending, not a human and a monster. Our differences are worlds apart. We belong in totally different places, and Talia could never survive here. The fact that her blood still stains my tongue is proof of that, but it doesn’t stop me from wishing for a moment that she was mine.
I had known it deep down, but when I looked up to find her watching me, it was like something clicked deep inside of me, and with roaring clarity, I knew it. She is my mate, my forever, my one person. No wonder I knew change was coming. I was sensing her, the person meant to be my partner, yet how can she be when we are not equal? She is a smart, beautiful human, and I am a feral beast, making her bleed from my need for her.
My mood only sours further, and once we’re back at our rooms, I leave her there, needing to walk away before I drop to my knees and beg for her forgiveness. I hurt her, the worst sin of all. Even before I knew she was my mate, it would have wrecked me, but knowing the incredible, smart, fun, and capable Talia is meant to be mine and I destroyed it makes me nothing but the beast they call us.
I find myself wandering through the streets, growing angrier and angrier at myself. Not only did I lie to my mate, but I hurt her all within the span of two days. I’m a terrible male and an even worse mate. If we could be together, she wouldn’t want me, and for good measure.
I don’t deserve her.
Eventually sick of my self-pity and dark mood, I head back, dreading seeing her again, since she can read me so easily, but when I hear laughter, I follow it, and my whole world slides to a stop. She’s reading another book, and my people and younglings are gathered around, listening raptly as she descends into a fake roar, making them laugh harder. My mood instantly lightens as I watch her.
She’s okay.
She’s fine.
I find myself sitting with everyone else, and hours later, she yawns and bids everyone goodnight. I move through their masses, extracting her from a pile of sleeping younglings, and lift her into my arms. She curls up into them so trustingly, my heart skips a beat. Her fists clench against my skin as she sighs and peers up at me, half asleep.
“I missed you,” she whispers.
“I missed you too,” I reply, leaning down to kiss her head. “Sleep, I have you.”
