Page 36 of The Monster's Mate

Relief washes over her face, triggering mine. “A ton.”

She falls into my arms, and I pull her up against me, holding her close to my chest, pressing kisses to the top of her hair.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “I’m so sorry. Skiden, I should never have said the things I did.”

“I’m sorry too. I was abrinyaik.”

“With every right to be! I should never have asked you to mate Samantha. I don’t know what I was thinking—”

“You’re not alone in the blame. I wasn’t sure if you’d even want me back.”

She pulls away to look up at me. “I did! I do. But I couldn’t call you. And when I saw Mejak and Kalrian, I thought you didn’t want to come back.”

“I will always want you, Lucy, my—mine.” I’d almost called her Lucy my love. Because that’s how I think of her, but something tells me she’s not ready to hear that yet.

And I can barely speak because she’s pressing kisses all over my face. I give her my mouth and they become deeper and longer, and a groan escapes me. It’s been so long and she tastes luscious. More than that, I’m the luckiest male in the universe because she’s interested in me.

And then she leans back, gasping. “What the hell happened to your eye?”

Mood killer.

“My—uh, brother lost his temper.”

“The same brother who’s with Isabel? Or… yikes, the one who’s with River? Either way, I guess it’s not good.”

I wince, understanding her point. “Bronan. He found out I kissed Isabel.”

“You—what?”

That didn’t come out right. My eyes widen as I realize my mistake. I just got her forgiveness and I’ve already screwed it up.

“It wasn’t romantic. Mostly disgusting,” I assure her, babbling quickly to get it all out before she tosses me out again. “And it wasn’t recently. Long before I met you. I was trying to show her that what she feels for Bronan is real. It worked, she realized kissing me was revolting. Kissing anyone but Bronan was sickening. It was so horrible she cut her lip. When they got back home, she and Bronan finally spent two days in bed. Everything was great—except mypatronsaw that awful kiss between us and chose last night, while we were all at dinner, to expose it. The way he did it”—I shake my shoulders in disgust— “he set it up. And Bronan felt so betrayed. He struck me before he even realized our patron was causing the same trouble he always used to between Tiran and Bronan. Setting us all up. I lost my temper and left the planet. I can’t believe he would have thought I’d really make a play for Bel.”

“Why did Bronan believe it?”

I wince. “Bel is sweetly naïve… she accidentally confirmed it, which is what my patron was banking on. Everything just played into his hands. She said, yes, it was just once, or something to that effect. Before she could explain further, he hit me. Of all people to believe, he knows what ourpatronis like. He’s watched him cause trouble for Tiran our entire lives and he falls for it this easily with me.” My shoulders slump. “I know he trusted Bel, but he should have known there was more to the story.”

“He wasn’t thinking of it like that,” Lucy says. “He couldn’t think logically at all. He was blinded by jealousy—probably wondering if Isabel enjoyed the kiss.”

“I acted just as poorly. Instead of waiting around to talk to him, I confronted my patron, then fled. I would have done something to him that I might’ve regretted.”

I wonder what it would be like if I’d come here and found Lucy had kissed Mejak or Kalrian during my absence. We don’t owe each other anything—but I’d be furious. Betrayed. Maybe some of my anger with Bronan is disappointment because I let my brother down.

Maybe I should have stayed and tried to explain.

“It’s probably best to let Isabel handle it,” Lucy says. “If he loves her as much as you say he does.”

“She’s his whole world.”

“They’ll fix it, then. And he’s going to feel terrible about hitting you.”

She’s not wrong.

“I’m going to head straight over there when I return to apologize.”

“How long are you staying here?”

He shrugs. “As long as you need.”

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