Page 41 of Forced Vampire Mate

Luken folded the map Donelle gave us and tucked it back into his tunic.

“That didn’t take as long as I expected,” I said suspiciously. “Are we sure this isn’t a trick?”

“I can assure you it’s not. The real trials will come once we’re inside.” Luken nodded toward the slash.

I stepped toward it. “We should get started, then.”

Luken caught my arm. “We have some time before the elves catch up. They won’t follow us into the cave, so we should rest out here while we can. We’re both exhausted and we need to have clear minds for what comes next.”

“But we don’t have the time. If Draven has gone in already…” I clenched my hands. “We’ve lost so much time already.”

“I know. But dying because we’ve pushed ourselves too hard won’t save Darcie or Thessa.”

He was right. My shoulders slumped, and I ran a hand through my hair. I caught several knots and glanced at him again. The crazed look from when I met him in the hallway was gone, but his hair was still a mess. What happened?

Thinking about that was a mistake. How could I rest when I still had all of these questions and fears bouncing around in my head?

I wasn’t ready to ask that one yet, so I jumped on another. “The queen said she was surprised that you hadn’t compelled me back to the palace.”

Luken grunted as he stepped into the ferns. “We should find a place that isn’t quite so exposed. We don’t know if Draven has come through, and I’d hate for him to find us sleeping.”

He held back the fern for me to follow him. I was tempted to be stubborn, but he was right. The best thing we could do was hide ourselves. We left the path and wandered a few meters away until we found a nice pile of bramble that would afford us a little protection. There was a hollow scooped out from beneath it, and we wiggled our way in. The bramble was deep enough that when we got to the back of it, we were surrounded on all sides with thorns, so thick I couldn’t see any of the forest. It was dark in here and cool enough that Luken’s body was warm.

“We need to talk,” I said softly. It felt important to be quiet now that we were hiding.

Luken sighed. “I suppose we do.”

“Can you compel me?”

He shifted toward me so both our faces were bathed in the light from his amber eyes. “I haven’t ever compelled you. And I will never do it.”

“But you can,” I whispered.

He flinched but nodded.

Despite the warmth of his body, goosebumps rose on my arms. He could make me do whatever he wanted. It would be easy for him. After what I witnessed, I knew it would be. And if he could do it, then what was stopping him? If he was really so obsessed with keeping me alive…

“Why don’t you just compel me to return to the castle with you?”

Luken sighed but didn’t answer.

“You can’t do that,” I complained, frustration making my voice rise. I grabbed hold of his tunic as though I could shake the answers from him. “I just learned that you can compel me to do anything you want and now you’re refusing to talk to me about it? Don’t you understand how terrifying it is, knowing that someone else can just take something so important? Why don’t you do it? Answer me.”

Again, he didn’t answer. Instead, he asked, “You thought I slept with Donelle.”

My cheeks went hot. “That’s not what we’re talking about.”

“But it’s related. You don’t trust me.”

I opened and closed my mouth a few times, trying to work up a good lie that would put an end to this line of questioning. It wasn’t any of his business what I felt or what I thought or… or was it? “If I answer you, will you answer me?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. Yes. Yes, I thought you were sleeping with her. I came to her room and I saw her riding someone with dark hair. I couldn’t see his face, but she was all over you before I was dragged out of there and… and she’s so beautiful,” I muttered, hating how petulant I sounded.

“You were jealous,” he murmured.

“No.” The lie was obvious.

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