Page 26 of Trusting Her Bear

“I don’t have as many complicated emotions about him as you do. I don’t have a reason for my absence from his life. I did message him back. I’m meeting him.”

I lean back. “Why?”

“Why?” he laughs. “Quinn, we spend twelve years together. Did you forget? Twelve years is a drop in the bucket to me, but they were meaningful. They were important.”

“You think what we did was meaningful?” Some days, I do, too.

“Yes. Yes, I do. We had a purpose. I gave you a fucking purpose. You needed direction. You needed somewhere to channel your anger. I gave that to you. You were happy for most of those years. I still don’t know why you changed suddenly. What happened that you turned on us?” He leans forward. “Tell me what happened that made you leave.”

I look away, my teeth grinding. “My mate doesn’t know about my past.”

“I’m not surprised. You wouldn’t open up about it the first night.” He sighs. “I want to understand. I want the three of us to sit down and lay everything out.”

“Why? Why do we need to relive it?”

“Because you fucking left us,” he hisses. “I want a reason.”

“I’ll do it.” I shake my head. “I don’t want to, but I will.”

“Jesus,” he sighs, rubbing his hand over his beard. “You are an asshole.”

“I know. Are you going to see Bash and Ryker?” He has been friends with them for hundreds of years.

“Of course. I’m having lunch with the dragons. I plan to stick around.” Micah has known Bishop, Laken, and Saphira since they were young.

“For how long?” I’m surprised. Micah has never settled anywhere for as long as I’ve known him.

“Maybe forever.” He shrugs. “We’ll see how it goes.”

“Great,” I mumble. “I don’t think Ryker is up for visitors. His baby girl was born.”

“I know. He’ll see me.” He smirks. “How does it feel?”

“What?”

“Having a mate.”

“It’s indescribable.” I rub my chest; the bond works fast, and I hate being away from her.

“Try.”

“I will kill anyone that hurts her, speaks to her disrespectfully, looks at her with desire, or does anything to make her sad.”

“Sounds right.”

“I want everything with her,” I say softly.

“I’m happy for you.”

“You want that.” He has spent so many years alone.

“Of course, but I don’t think it will happen. I am past the point of finding it.”

“You can’t give up.” Now that I know how it feels, I can’t imagine being without her.

“I can. There will come a day when I will have to ask Bash and Ryker to put me out of my misery.” He looks out the window. “Or you. You know what to do.”

“I will if it comes to that,” I agree. Vampires can only go so many years without a mate before they go insane. They lose their humanity and become out of control. The world would be in danger, and the humans would have no chance of survival. The number of years differs for each vampire; you never know when it will happen. It would be disastrous if it happened to Micah. He is the most powerful vampire I know, next to Ryker. It would not be easy to take him out.

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