Page 31 of Scorned

“You look too beautiful to be sparring.” I laid my hands on her cheek and stared into her amber eyes. She was so gorgeous, it almost hurt sometimes. “Have fun, mama.”

When she pulled away, her scent filled the air, sending my blood pumping and emotions flooding straight to my . . . my heart?

The scent people released when they were in love was called an amore. It differed from the lustful scent they released when they’re horny. Her sweet smelling lilacs were now mixed with lemongrass as her amore caressed my senses.

The scent filled my heart with joy and happiness. I gulped down my shock, my bulging eyes locking on hers. “You love me?”

Lyric’s face quickly turned confused. “What?”

Setting the necklace on the table, I stood. “I can smell you,” I whispered before snaking my hands out and yanking her toward me. “I can smell your love.”

“Oh, my god!” She inhaled sharply before clasping her hand over her mouth like it would contain the scent.

I laughed, pulling her hand away. “It’s okay if you love me, Lyric.”

She nodded. “I know and I was going to tell you, but I was worried about what you’d think. We’ve only been together a few months.”

The nervous expression she wore made me want to ease her emotions. I leaned in and gently kissed her before pulling away. “Thank you for loving me,” I said with sincerity.

Her heart nervously pounded in her chest as she peered into my face, searching for something. She inhaled deeply before letting out a long sigh. Judging by the look she finally settled with, it was clear I had said the wrong words.

“It’s okay if you don’t love me back.”

Fuck.

Realizing what I had done, I swallowed the lump in my throat. “It’s different for vampires, babe. I won’t know until I know. If that makes sense.”

“I’m going to go spar.” She pulled away and headed out the door, leaving me feeling like an asshole once more.

Fuck seemed to be the only word that shot through my mind daily at this point.

There were only a few women in my life I would even consider loving: my sister, Lyric, Sage, and Peach. I had somehow pissed off three out of four of them in the last twenty-four hours. I made a mental note not to piss Peach off next—I wouldn’t live if I did.

Love was a hard word for me to use. It not only came with insecurities, but I felt it meant I’d have to put someone else’s needs before mine. Every day I watched the emotional pain both Vivi and Sage went through, and it wasn’t something that interested me.

The longer I sat there, the more I wondered what I could do to make this situation better.

Lyric deserved a man who loved her and could give her the children she would want someday. I wasn’t that man. I was a goddamn vampire.

Knowing I could never completely fulfill her needs killed me inside. And I realized I should have let her go before she fell for me. My selfishness had fucked everything up. If Luka was here, he’d be the voice of reason.

With a sigh, I headed outside to find Sage. When I approached the makeshift ring, everyone stood around watching Sage get her ass kicked by Peach. A smug part of me wanted to snicker, but I didn’t. My friend had been through enough bullshit, and the last thing she needed was me being unsupportive. Plus, I’d seen her kick ass before, so I knew she wasn’t bad at fighting. She just needed to regain her strength.

Sage went after Peach with a roundhouse kick to the chest. Peach caught her ankle and twisted it and Sage fell to the ground. Faster than lightning, Peach was on top of her with fangs bared.

“Match!” Marcus yelled.

Peach rolled off, leaving Sage gasping for air. “Fuck! This sucks.”

Peach lowered a hand and pulled Sage to her feet. “Let’s take a break. You’re a little rusty.”

“I feel like I’m sixteen again and new to training. My muscles are already hurting.” Sage rubbed her neck with a grimace.

“Muscles stiffen when you don’t use them,” Marcus said, entering the ring. “You need to get up before the sun sets and stretch and jog. I’ll run with you.”

“Me too.” Lyric handed Sage a water bottle before she locked her gaze on Erik. “We could all use the extra training for the mission. You in?”

He shook his head. “I don’t need to jog in the mornings. I spar almost daily.”

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