Page 77 of Wanted

If I wasn’t scared out of my mind, fearing they might force me to go, I’d rip my face out of his hand and shove him away.

Raphael may have had a sudden change of heart over what happened when he pushed me away and called metainted, but I certainly haven’t.

I don’t like him, not one bit. In fact, he hurt me so badly, I think I hate him a little.

But the way he’s looking at me, he might be the only one who will actually listen to me…

Putting aside my hatred for the time being, I take a deep, shuddering breath and say, “I can’t go back to Boston.”

There’s so much concern in his eyes I’m actually half-tempted to slap him.

He has no right to look at me like that. Like he actually cares deeply about me.

Not after what he did and said.

“Why?” he asks, stroking his thumb tenderly against my cheek.

Where his thumb touches, my skin seems to light up in response. Every tiny little nerve coming alive.

It’s a pleasurable sensation.

Too pleasurable…

A vampire trick?I wonder.

As scared as I am, more frustration boils inside me that he’d do such a thing, especially now.

“Because I’d rather die than ever step foot back in that city,” I grit out between my teeth.

His dark eyes search my eyes then peer deep, as if he can see inside me. “Truly?”

Peering back at him, I show him the truth.

I’d rather die right here, right now.

Raphael’s eyes widen with horror, of all things, for the briefest of seconds.

“Then we won’t go,” he says, and squeezes me tight to his chest.

“What do you mean you won’t go?” Asher asks with a hint of a growl.

“Exactly that,” Raphael snaps.

“We have to leave, Raphael,” Asher says with more exasperation and rakes his fingers through his blood-speckled hair. “It’s no longer safe here. We’vebothmade sure of that.”

Raphael nods his head in agreement, and my heart stops beating for a second. “Alena and I will have to go somewhere else.”

“We are not splitting up after starting a war,” Asher says. His exasperation quickly becoming frustration. “Divided we are weak. We must stick together.”

Raphael gazes back down at me and there’s this look in his eyes…

This look that he would do anything and everything for me. If I didn’t dislike him so much for rejecting me, it would probably take my breath away.

He’s so big… and there’s this… untamedwildnessabout him. Like he’s doing everything to keep it together and not go completely feral.

“Boston is out of the question,” Raphael growls. “Don’t push it, Asher.”

“I could force you,” Asher threatens.

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