AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Angry?” He scoffed. “You want to talk about me being angry? Yes.I’m furious. Because you saved me, Avery. I failed you, a thousand times I failed you, failed to even try, and then you saved me.”
“I’ve had enough of the masochistic bullshit.” An animalistic growl burned in my throat. “You respected my wishes. Wesurvived, Cole. We both survived an under-realm that’s meant to be the end of souls. Nothing else matters.”
“And for how long?” he demanded. “I should never have drawn you into this world. It was a mistake.”
Of everything he could have said, that hurt the most. That he could actually regret having met. Having loved. Yes, there had been pain, and no doubt we would face more, but the idea that any pain could outweigh what we had together enraged me.
My magic flared to life.
Cole moved out of the way instantaneously, appearing halfway across the roof. I was in front of him in a blink, hooking my fist around.
He caught my palm and twisted, deflecting the blow. I didn’t care. I hit him again. Over and over, we danced across the roof. Cole refused to engage me, and that just set my wolf off more. A fight was one thing, but to be denied the respect of it?
“Fight back,” I snapped. “Don’t just throw us away.Fight!”
“You want me to fight, little wolf?”
He slammed me back with an open palm, knocking me on my back. He moved to tower over me. I wasn’t going down that easily. I hooked my legs around his ankle and jerked, knocking him off balance.
We flipped back onto our feet at the same time. His amber eyes blazed back, a familiar sight from all the days we’d spent on the sparring mat. We circled for a moment, sizing each other up.
Cole struck first. I dodged, then summoned a mass of vines towrench his arm away. He turned the vines to dust and charged, his own magic surging. I liked the taste of it, even in the middle of battle. It was dark, unforgiving, and best of all, familiar. The magic of the Lord of Death. I hesitated a beat too long, and his fist connected. As if surprised the blow had landed, he paused.
His mistake. I took advantage and landed a solid kick to his kidneys, teleporting away before he could catch my leg. He was on me a heartbeat later, startling me as he drew behind, wrapping my neck in a choke hold. I couldn’t concentrate enough to teleport away, but I could summon a fistful of green sparks and throw them in his eyes.
Back and forth we went. He’d land a blow, then I would. A kick, a punch. Twin fists colliding.
“I don’t want to hurt you, little wolf,” he said when he managed to pin me on my back for a moment.
“Can’t you see abandoning me hurts the most?” I snarled, and in a fit of animalistic fury, I bit him.
He jerked back, startled. I was on my feet in another second and surging at him.
“I don’t deserve you,” he said, weaving around my assault.
“It’s not up to you to figure out what I deserve!”
He shook his head, moving behind me again, and shoved me off balance.
I spun. “It’s too late for that.”
I launched a high kick, and this time he caught me, pinning me down, my leg wide under his knee while he pinned my hands above my head.
“Didn’t last night mean anything to you?” I demanded.
Yours, I had promised him. And yet he was trying to throw me awayagain. We were covered in blood and bruises, a parody of last night.
“Last night meanteverything.” His battle-roughened voice raked over me.
“Then fight for us, Cole. I don’t want a life you’re not in. I want to be your strength, and I want you to be mine. Don’t regret us.” The violence left my words, leaving only desperation.
“I need you to be sure, little wolf.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “I can’t lose you again.”
“Then stay with me. Don’t leave me, Cole. I’ll bear any torture but that.”
A growl rumbled in his chest. “I don’t want you getting tortured at all.”
“We both know our lives are too dangerous for that. But we’ll protect each other. It worked for thousands of years.”
