Page 75 of Savoring Her Snake

“You weren’t,” Heath says briskly, his eyes on me. Sally smirks and moves to the door. “Thank you, Sally.” He looks at her, and something passes between them.

“I’ll try to keep River from eating all your food,” she says as she shuts the door.

“What’s wrong?” He stops in front of me, touching his fingertips to my hips.

“You heard.” I circle his wrists.

“I heard you talking to Sally and then dimmed my hearing.” He tilts his head. “Tell me.”

“I needed a break.” I hope he will let it go.

“Juliana, it’s more than that,” he says softly.

“You have enough to worry about. I’m not going to add to it,” I say. He slides his hands around my waist and lifts me onto the counter. Stepping between my legs, he tilts my head back.

“Don’t ever deny your feelings to cater to mine,” he growls, dropping his hands to my thighs. His eyes hold me captive, not allowing me to look away. “I am angry, but you shouldn’t keep silent because of it. Now tell me.” The words burst out once I have his permission.

“I’m fucking terrified,” I rasp. “I just found you. What if they take you away? They are using me to get to you. What if it’s someone in my life? Nothing would surprise me anymore.” I run my fingers through my hair. “I’m in a house filled with animals. I’m out of my depth. I feel helpless and scared. What can I do to help? I’m just human. My life was boring compared to all this.” I wave my hand toward him. “Look at you. My life can’t compare, but I feel this burning in my chest at the thought of life without you. Now someone wants to fuck it up. I know you will leave to kill those men, and I hate it. I’m supposed to stay here and wait. Just wait and wonder what is going on.” I let out a rough breath. “Are you going to leave?”

“Darling,” he whispers, cupping my neck. “My life was pointless without you. My mate equals me in every way. I will kill those men and hope they are the ones sending the messages. I will leave to do it, knowing you are protected. It doesn’t matter who is behind it. They will die, and we will move on. Being a human isn’t a weakness. You are in my world because of me, and I’m not sorry. My brave mate.” He glides his thumb over my cheek. “It takes guts to be surrounded by shifters and vampires. You have trusted me, and I won’t break it. I will always be honest. If I took you with me, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate. The whole time, I would worry about your safety. At least here, you are with my friends and behind locked doors.” He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me close. “I don’t think it’s your mom. She’s worried about her new boyfriend. What would be her goal? She has money. The men who hurt Rylee would love to take you from me.”

“What will they gain?” I ask, laying my head on his shoulder.

“I killed their friends. They probably are sick of looking over their shoulder. The others didn’t see me coming. I have been in control the whole time. They want to take the control back, and this is how they can do it.” He caresses my hair.

“I never want to cause you pain,” I whisper. “If something happens to me, it will bring back the horrible memories of your mom.”

“Shit,” he breathes, and his hand clenches. “You are worried about me. Don’t be. It’s not the same.”

“You saying not to worry doesn’t help. I will.” I wrap my arms around him.

“Forgive me. Of course, you will. I don’t want you to be afraid to tell me how you are feeling.”

“I’ve had to shove all my feelings away. I couldn’t voice my opinion. My mom would yell if I did. It’s a habit that’s hard to break.” I inhale deeply, finding comfort in his scent.

“I love control, but I will never try to dictate your emotions,” he rumbles. “I would like us to be a team.”

“I want that, too.” I prop my chin on his chest. “Will you leave today?”

“Bane found the location of two of the men. He’s working on the third. I think they are together, which is fortunate.”

“Why?” They will be harder to kill if they are together.

“It won’t take long to kill them and get back to you.” He threads his fingers through my hair, brushing it behind my ear, and I close my eyes. “I am eager to bond with you.”

“You are?” I open my eyes, and he drops his hand. Leaning back, I smile as his eyes crinkle.

“Very much.” He kisses me softly. “Have you made a decision?” I stare into his eyes and trust in him and what my body is telling me.

“I want to complete the bond,” I whisper, watching his eyes blaze. “You are my mate. I can’t leave you.”

“You’re sure,” he growls, and I nod. “That pleases me greatly. It motivates me to get this taken care of quickly. I don’t want any interruptions while you are in transition. I won’t leave your side.”

“Changing into a snake terrifies me, too.” I’m not a fan of pain.

“Darling—” He looks toward the door. “They found them.”

“Oh, okay,” I sigh.

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