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"Did he want more? Want it enough to come here for you?"
"Nik would never come here unless he thought it was absolutely necessary, that something was terribly wrong.”
Raven didn't realize it, but she was answering my questions with her evasive replies. A sliver of hurt snaked its way around my lungs, but I pushed past it.
Everyone had a past. I wouldn't allow it to destroy our future. To do that, I had to know the details and come to terms with them before I came face to face with the male.
"He's a shifter, Raven. If he wanted more than a short fling, he would have been clear about it. They're different with their partners. Once they find one they want to mate, it's just like a demon finding their soulmate.”
“I’ve accepted the bond between us, Casimir. What else do you need?”
“I need to know if I’ll have to kill him or not."
She blinked, lips parting. “You jest.”
“I donot. Your fae side should have told you I’m serious.”
Her eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't.”
"I would. But only because nothing else would stop him from trying to take you away from me. It's their nature."
Raven rubbed her temples, muttering to herself. Then suddenly she was plastered around me, holding me tight around my middle. I embraced her in return, allowing her to soothe the beast craving the blood of anyone daring to make a claim upon her.
"Nik wanted more. I didn't, so I ended it. I was never in love with him. I think I broke him a little and I'm not proud of it."
Her guilt, cold and cruel, slithered its way along our connection. Even more heinous was the fact her guilt gave me a twisted sense of relief.
It only made me feel worse that her own guilt was so oppressive, so full of self-loathing. I was a wretched prick for feeling soothed by her suffering–but it was a relief nonetheless to know for certain she didn’t want the male.
I might not be redeemable, but I could at least attempt to ease my mate's conscience.
"Shifters are built differently. Never feel guilty for doing what was best for you both. In the long run, he'll be better off."
Her face lifted to mine. "I was hoping he'd find his true mate, as I have found mine. Then he'd realize that nothing else in life could ever compare."
A white hot plume of possessiveness bled through me, consuming the jealousy and injecting a heavy dose of male satisfaction.
"I love it when you say things like that," I whispered, kissing her gently. "As much as I want to bend you over the bed, it will have to wait."
I clasped her hand and led her to the door. "Let's get this over with."
"Don't kill him."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
Raven flinched. "Lie. A big one. Definitely not a joke."
"Fine. I won't kill him unless it's necessary."
"I worry what you might deem necessary," she said dryly. "And I didn't hear anything about you not harming him."
"That I cannot promise. Though I do find it endearing you don't consider him a threat to your mate."
Her mouth twisted. "Well, he is ruthless. But I truly believe he's using the guise of a betrothal to leverage a meeting with me to find my father. I'd like to confirm that's what brought him here. I can't do that if he's dead."
I chuckled darkly. "Not killing him is as much as I can concede right now, Little Bird. I'm getting ready to meet a male who has been inside you, who is likely still very much in love with you, and who walked into my home and declared you his betrothed. Consider the shifter lucky I didn't go straight to him and remove his organs one by one."
"I suppose you want a thank you for showing such restraint," she side-eyed me.
