AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I wanted to forge a path forward. To find some common ground that would open the lines of communication. “You might not be typical, but you’re special,” I told her, letting her hear as well as feel my sincerity. I pressed it down our connection, hoping she was receptive. “Like me, you’re rare. It can be a blessing and a curse, but it also brings unimaginable power. You arepowerful, Lorn.”
She turned to me with a rawness in her gaze that sliced at my heart like I’d sliced at her skin.
“I don’t feel powerful, Tye. I feel weak and helpless.” She ran her hands along her arms, chasing away the chill.
I stalked toward her, and she flinched back. I faltered, fisting my hands from the wariness that flooded our bond.
“Youdid that to me,” she accused. And fuck, she wasn’t wrong. “You and your father.”
“I’m so goddamn sorry.” It wasn’t enough. It never would be. “There’s nothing I can say that’s going to make it better.” As fucked as it was, no matter what they compelled me to do, I hadn’t been strong enough to fight off the compulsion, and the shame of it would always stay with me. Deep down, I knew how fucked it was to shoulder the weight of my father’s crimes as my own. It was impossible to fight off a sire’s compulsion, especially one who had the power of a shade behind it from being possessed. But that changed nothing. I was just as much a pawn in my father’s game as the next person, and yet my self-loathing couldn’t run any deeper for the things I’d done.
Lorn marched to me and shoved me in the chest. “That’s a cop out and you know it. How about an explanation, Tye? My head is spinning and nothing makes sense. You hate me, you like me. You hurt me, you help me. You kidnap me, you save me. Who are you?”
Growling back, I met her challenge with the same vehemence. I pounded on my chest, blazing with the truth. “I’m your mate. That’s who I am. And I don’t just like you, Lorn.” Time was the one thing we never knew if we’d have enough of, and I wouldn’t hold back when everything I wanted stood right in front of me. “I fucking love you.”
Chapter Seven
Tye
Lorn drew back. “That’s impossible. You don’t know me.”
I laughed mirthlessly from just how tragically wrong she was. “That’s where you’re wrong.” Every step I stalked toward her, she mimicked backwards until I’d pressed her against the cool, rough stone of the cave. Her breath hitched as I traced a finger along her collarbone, catching the wolf charm that sat between her breasts. “I’ve been with you this whole time. You just never knew it.”
Magick glowed in the tips of my fingers, igniting in the charm that hung on her necklace.Mycharm.
“The necklace is laced with my magick. It lets me check in on you. I wanted to make sure if my father ever took you or tried anything, I’d have a way to find you.”
She shook her head. “What are you talking about? Axel gave me this.”
“Did he say that?” I questioned, wondering if he’d tried to take credit for the gift.
“N-No,” Lorn stumbled over the word, battling her realization.
“Exactly,” I scoffed. “Axel wouldn’t give you anything without making it known the gift was from him. He likes romantic gestures. You think he’d give you this and never mention it? Unlikely.”
“How?” Her gaze flicked between my eyes, searching for the truth. But she didn’t need to examine my expression. I let my truth flow between us and down the connection that neither of us could deny.
“That night in Santa Monica, I slipped it into your pocket.”
She gasped. “You’re the asshole who ran into me on the pier.”
A shoulder lifted in a shrug. “I needed a distraction to plant it on you.” I paused. I wanted to give her more, but didn’t know how she’d react. “And I wanted to feel you. Just once. I’ve watched you from a distance this whole time. I know how strong you are. How resilient. You love with your whole heart, and you protect those you care about with your life. The sense of humor you have can light up an entire room, and you’re as sweet as you are fierce. I know you secretly like action movies more than chick flicks, but you’ll do anything to make your men sit down and watch a rom com because even though they grumble, it reminds you how much they care. You like to journal. You can fill pages in a single week, pouring your heart out in ink. And I know your power scares you. I feel the light and dark battling inside of you, a constant war for balance. And you’re losing without your anchors. Without me and the others.”
“You’ve been stalking me.” Her gaze was a laser cutting into me, exposing everything inside.
The corner of my mouth pulled into a dark smirk. “I never said I was a hero. I’m not the good guy, love. My soul is tainted with sins I’ll never be able to erase. But if you can accept my darkness the way I accept yours, I’ll burn the world down to protect you. Even from myself.”
“I want to. Goddess, how I want to.” Lorn slipped her hand between us and rubbed at her chest. “I’ve longed to feel this connected to someone again.” She shook her head. “But I can’t.”
Coldness stole through me. “Lorn.” I wanted to argue with her, but she wasn’t having it.
Her chin rose stubbornly, her gaze boring into mine. “You possessed my dad. You hurt my family. Even if you were compelled, how am I supposed to forgive that? If he doesn’t make it, how am I ever going to look at you without seeing his expression when his life was stripped from him?”
Denial was ripe on my tongue, but I didn’t voice it. What right did I have? I may not be guilty of the crime she accused me of, but I had many other strikes against my soul.
My nostrils flared with my anger, but not at her. At myself. I slammed my palms against the stone and pushed off the wall, stalking away from her before whipping around. “Do you think so little of me that you think I’d do that? That I’d hurt you so deeply?”
“Are you denying it? I saw your magick. It’s colored black, same as the assailants that night. And this.” She stomped toward me and reached for my wrist, showing off the scar that marred half the flesh on my forearm. “You got this during our fight. You were there?”
