Page 23 of Tangled Hearts

“Let’s try this and if we need it, we can use your blood,” I said, trying to compromise, but over my dead fucking body would I let her use her blood with Addie.

I’d like to believe she was on my side, but I was starting to realize the only people I could trust were my inner circle and maybe that grumpy cat Maxton.

Oria looked like she wanted to protest, but Addie sliced my hand, saying an incantation that made the room hot with magic. A drop of my blood fell on the map and it started to move. At first it started to move in sporadic bursts of movement until it started rolling to the area where the safe house was.

I released the breath I didn’t know I was holding in, when it stopped directly in the area where our safe house was.

“So, is that where he is?” Oria asked, looking between Addie and I.

“Yeah, give or take a few miles,” Addie responded.

“That’s the safe house,” I said, hoping I wouldn’t have to say more.

Her eyes widened.

“We have to leave, we have?—”

“He knows where to go next,” I interrupted.

“No, he might need help,” she said, the panic in her voice was evident. “Come on.”

She moved to grab my hand, all but dragging me out of the room.

“Wait,” I said, feeling her panic in my chest.

“No, we have—” Her voice grew louder, babbling something until I pulled her close to me.

“Hey… Hey. I need you to calm down,” I said, holding her close.

“He could get hurt or captured, there were those people, and I don’t know what could happen to him,” she said, quickly.

She burrowed her face into my chest, talking, holding my shirt in her fist.

“I need you to listen to me,” I said, pulling away so I could see her face. She had tears coming down her cheeks and a red nose that made her look adorable even though she was crying. “He’s smart. Have faith in your mate.”

Her lip trembled, her fear was suffocating, making me think it was my own fear. I couldn’t think about it. I cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes that looked like beautiful sunrises wrapped in green. She took in a shaky breath before I pressed my lips against hers.

It was just supposed to be a kiss to get her mind away from the bad thoughts she was having. The kiss was just supposed to be a kiss. But dammit, it felt like so much more. Her lips felt like deliverance, pulling me from the darkness of my life. She was the light that I had always wanted, but could never have. She was the flame I needed to lead me in this life, that had started to feel like a burden without a mate. She was my slice of heaven on this earth, banishing years of loneliness and heartache that I wanted to feel guilty for, but instead made me feel relief.

MINE.

I wanted to prolong the kiss, but if I did, Addie would get an eyeful and I wouldn’t be able to stop. Giving her one last nip of my teeth, I pulled away seeing her vulnerability, which made me feel guilty.

I was an asshole.

“We will get through this,” I said, against her lips.

“I can’t take this anymore,” she whispered.

“You are stronger than this, Oria,” Addie said, coming close to us.

I stiffened when she said her name, knowing it was stupid to think she didn’t know who Oria was. Addie knew almost everything.

“I don’t think I am,” Oria admitted, pulling away from me.

She took a step back, her cheeks grew pink and the loss of her closeness almost made me whine. My wolf urged me towards her, but she wanted space so that's what she would get.

“She made you fear for your life because if you knew how incredible you are, she wouldn’t stand a chance against you,” Addie said. “You are more than this power. Your own power could rival her own, but not because you are more powerful, it's the light that is in you that is going to be the end of her.”

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