Page 14 of Protecting His Vampire Mate

“I don’t need to explain myself to you,” I bit off, fuming again. He couldn’t just show up like this and question all my decisions. And now he was implying that I couldn’t do this.

I could and I would. Once I regrouped. And I didn’t need anyone’s help.

Least of all, his.

“Leave me alone, Tobias.”

Then I turned on my heel and walked away from him, down the pathway between the houses and to the safety of my car, parked one street down. I walked quickly, but still at human speed, determined to storm away.

Tobias, of course, followed me. “Just tell me, are you trying to get yourself killed? Is this some kind of weird martyr thing?”

“It’s not. I’m pretty hard to kill,” I muttered, not slowing down.

“About that.” He caught my arm. “Bryan, I saw something. A vision.”

“Right,” I replied, turning back around to face him. “Let me guess. You saw something spooky-bad. And now you’re here for my protection. Because of course you are.”

“No, I’m here because I’m in love with—”

I cut him off, feeling another surge of anger tear through me. “Tobias, if you tell me you’re in love with me right now, I swear I might never talk to you again.”

At the stricken expression on his face, I immediately felt terrible.

Tobias’s mouth snapped shut and he gave me an unhappy look. “Then what? What do you want me to say, Bryan?”

“Tell me then, Romeo, what college did I go to? What’s my sister’s name? What’s my favorite book?” I glared at him, trying to ignore how fucking delicious his scent was—like cinnamon and nutmeg, which had an annoying way of reminding me of holidays spent with family. Of home. It was so powerful, in fact, that I had to force myself to keep speaking, to keep saying the words that would send him as far away from me as possible, which is exactly where he belonged. For his own protection. I added, “Tobias, think about it. What, exactly, do you even know about me?”

“I know that you’re a good person,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “The second the spell Giles cast on you broke, your first instinct was to turn yourself in, even though you knew it probably meant that your life would be over.”

“My life ended three years ago, when I became a vampire.”

Tobias went on as though I hadn’t spoken, holding my glare with one of his own. “You’re kind and you’re funny. You’re stubborn as hell. And you don’t like anyone taking care of you. I know those things and I could learn all the rest if you let me. But I know who you are already. What else actually matters?”

No way in hell I was answering that question. Already, I felt my resolve weakening. The truth was, on some instinctive, totally bullshit fated-mates level, I craved his nearness. And the fact that my body seemed to relax of its own accord in his presence, like it had been waiting for him all along, just pissed me off.

“If you know I don’t want your help, then why are you here? How are you here?” Then I paused, as it became perfectly clear in a heartbeat. “Wait. Did you use magic to find me?”

“No, I had Poppy do it. She’s way better at locator spells than I am.” He had the decency to look a little sheepish, at least. But then he let out a breath and added, “And I already told you, I saw something bad happening. Fuck, Bryan, I saw you dying. So, yeah, I guess I don’t care if you hate my guts for it. I’m here. And I’m not going anywhere. Not until I know you’re safe.”

I felt my anger evaporate even further, though I tried to cling to it. Without it, I was completely defenseless. And I couldn’t deny the fact that Tobias had shown up and saved my ass in the nick of time.

And what if he had actually seen something terrible happening to me?

Tobias was many things, but I already knew he wasn’t a liar. Which meant he believed what he was telling me.

And… would it really be so bad to let him help me?

But then, in the quiet that stretched between us, with the moonlight glinting off his auburn-brown hair, I heard his heartbeat. And against my will, my gaze zeroed in on his jugular again. His pulse beat in his neck, in time with his heart. And my throat tightened, feeling suddenly like it was on fire. Like I was literally burning with my thirst. With his magic, he might have been able to wipe the floor with me. But other than that, he was extremely mortal.

Fragile. Breakable. And his hot, flowing blood filling my mouth would have been absolutely incredible.

At that thought, my fangs dropped.

Horrified, I turned away from him. I let out a breath that was somewhere between a gasp and a sob. If I could have still blushed, my cheeks would have been on fire.

“Stay away from me, Tobias,” I managed, though my shame and horror was choking me. “I’m warning you.”

Then I used vampire speed to put as much distance between him and myself as possible.

---