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He shot up from the bed, startling Kirsten slightly. He stepped towards her with meaning but not menacing. He held his hands out, palms open, and all she could think of was the sound of that pleading rain.
“Kirsten, if Sher wants to be in Zara’s life, then she can be. We can share custody. But That doesn’t mean that I can’t have you in my life, does it?”
She felt her heart begin to melt in her chest. Staring into Henry’s deep, green-washed eyes made her feel weak, but it also made her feel honest and vulnerable.
Kirsten let her hands drop to her side. She took a step forward.
“You still want me?” she murmured. “Out of everything and everyone you can choose, you want me?”
Henry sighed, the strain in his jaw disappearing. He lifted a hand to her cheek and stroked it gently. It felt like thunder against her skin.
“I want you. I want all of you. You are my mate.”
The charge between them was palpable. Kirsten took Henry’s hand, stroking his fingers one by one. When she looked up at him with tears in her eyes, she caught a flash of blazing orange and dead sea black by the window.
She stared at it in horror. It was Sher.
THIRTY-TWO
HENRY
The first thing he saw was the tangerine orange reflection in Kirsten’s glassy, shiny eyes. She was coming to him, about to submit to the truth, when her excitement melted. Her eyes flashed to the window behind the bed, and he shot his neck backward, fangs bared and shining in the din.
“Was it her?” he sneered.
“Yes,” Kirsten said softly.
Henry had just about enough of his ex’s shenanigans. He turned and bolted out of the door.
“Wait for me,” he said before leaving.
He didn’t have time to get an answer, but he had to believe that she wouldn’t leave. He had seen love in her eyes, and she had admitted that there was hope lingering there, and that was all he needed to know.
Henry charged through the kitchen of the bed and breakfast and out the back door. He blasted into the rainy air, not wanting to lose Sher again. He saw the flashing of orange and black, then he also shifted, the fabric of his clothing bursting into a million pieces as he surged into the forest beyond the roadway.
He knew that he couldn’t let her get away. His relationship with his mate was at risk, and that was what fueled him. He knew his love for Kirsten was destined and infinite.
Just in time, Sher did something that she rarely did as she rounded a steep hill. She made a mistake. His ex-wife turned to face him to check out how far behind he was and then turned back to meet a low-hanging branch,
She crashed directly into it, eyes first. The sound of the splintering branch echoed in the dark and rainy evening. Henry took advantage as she flew backward, gently grabbing hold of her tail with his jaw and yanking on it.
It wasn’t enough to injure her, but it would get her attention and keep her in place.
Sher yelped and slashed at her ex-husband as he dug into her tail ever so slightly. He managed to dodge it, but he knew she was stuck, and there to stay.
LET GO OF ME!
She was yelling her mind at him, and it was crystal clear. Henry held her tail in his jaw as he repeatedly leapt out of the way of her attempts to strike him.
Not until you speak to me! GIVE IT UP, SHER! STOP RUNNING!
She halted her squirming, and Henry let her go when she finally went still. She paced behind a tree and proceeded to shift into her human form. She came back out, utterly naked and completely unconcerned about it.
Sher crossed her arms and looked at him, her eyes sparking with annoyance as Henry shifted too.
“When it comes to a battle, Sher,” Henry said, also standing nude. “I am going to win every time.”
Sher was looking exhausted, and despite his sarcastic comment, he wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. He wanted to care about what she wanted for the sake of Kirsten.
