Page 43 of A Debt of Darkness

“Try seeing this from her point of view. You’re asking her to trust you, but she doesn’t know why. Or whether she can. She sure as fuck doesn’t know how far you’ll go. She’s been forced into marriage and then you threaten her safety and keep changing your goddamn mind.”

I snarl and he shakes his head.

“You're kind and then you’re not. You’re soft and then you’re hard. You leave her for hours on end and then refuse to go. You tell her she’s beautiful and perfect, almost fuck her, but then don’t. It makes sense to you, but it makes not one goddamn bit of sense to her. She’s left reeling. She’s confused, disorientated, and rejected—and she won’t trust you until you fix it.”

My fingers tap the desk and Matt ignores my warning again.

“You need to be constant. Certain. Predictable. Ivy doesn’t understand your reactions or your rules and they’re irrational, unpredictable and terrifying to her. You’re moving wildly and she won’t anchor herself to someone so unstable.”

I turn my head back to the monitor and Ivy’s lying in the same position. She’s exhausted and she’s got to submit soon.She can’t go on much longer and as soon as she’s given in, we can start to rebuild. I can explain everything then, introduce her to my world slowly.

They’re wrong.

Both wrong.

She. Just. Needs. To. Break.

“See reason,” Ryan adds. “She’s your mate, Henry.”

“I FUCKING KNOW.”

My roar reverberates around the office and I ignore the fuck out of the two vampires sitting with me. Ivy shuffles a little and her fingers clutch the blanket tighter than before. She’s holding on and I pray it’s the final moments of fight before her surrender.

“Give her a bridge.” Matt leans forward and ignores the warning I flash him. “You’re asking for too much. She can’t trust you until she knows what’s going on. You’ve made it impossible, Henry. For the sake of all things holy, meet her somewhere in the middle.”

I snap and before I know it, my hand’s around Matt’s neck and he’s dangling in the air. Ryan’s on his feet and there’s sheer terror in his eyes. I could destroy Matt in seconds, and the precarious position we’re in is a sign of how far out of control I am.

Ivy’s not the only one being tested, and she might be faring better than I am.

“Henry, please,” Ryan says, pleading as his panic ignites. “He’s mine. Please.”

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

“I’ll give you anything… anything you want… please, Henry…”

I release my grip and Matt drops to the floor. Ryan rushes over and cradles Matt, patting him more for his reassurance than for Matt’s comfort. I know the goddamn feeling and it’s everything I want with Ivy, except I want so much more.

Fuck.

“Matt…” I stop short of an apology.

He raises his hand and blinks as he nods his head. “It’s fine. This is why this must end, Henry. You’re at breaking point and you’re not going through what she is. Imagine what it’s like for her.”

I walk back around to my side of the desk and stare at the fragile little girl who refuses to break and holds my heart in her hands. Her head pokes out from under the blanket and there’s barely any light left in those brilliant emerald eyes of hers. She’s fading and I’m letting her slip through my fingers.

If she doesn’t eat or drink soon, I’ll lose her completely.

Ivy’s got to give in. She can’t hold out much longer.

We can’t go through this again. She’s got to see reason.

I’ve got to see reason.

Dammit, I’ve got to see reason.

“I’ll talk to her.”

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