Page 23 of Fated
“I told you I made a mistake,” he said, trying to reason with me as he took a step closer.
“Don’t,” I warned him, stepping back so I remained well out of his reach.
“I want you to stay away from Kyle,” he demanded, keeping his distance.
“No,” I replied without hesitation. There was no way I was going to allow him to tell me what to do, not after everything that had happened between us.
Anger and disbelief filtered onto his features.
“You gave up your right to tell me what to do when you walked away from me,” I told him. “You decided then that I wasn’t good enough to be your mate, and do I have to remind you that you’re the one who walked away?” I could feel the hurt and anger at his rejection start to fester inside of me. “You have no right to be jealous,” I finished, breathing hard from the emotions coursing through me.
“Despite everything, you belong to me,” he insisted fiercely and I saw his hands tighten into fists at his sides.
“I don’t belong to anyone,” I argued while I glared back defiantly.
There was no way I was going to meekly agree to what he wanted just because he decided to show up. I still didn’t trust that there wasn’t an ulterior motive.
“Don’t force my hand, Keri,” he warned, his eyes piercing mine with determination.
After living with my father for so many years and dealing with physical and mental abuse on a daily basis, there wasn’t a lot that scared me. And I was definitely not afraid of Blake and his threats.
“You can’t force me to be your mate,” I threw back at him. I put my hands on my hips.
“Yes, I can. If I touch you it is going to be a lot harder to keep your distance from me and you know that,” he explained with a confidence that made me angry.
As much as I hated to admit it, his threat wasn’t an empty one. He was right. It was one thing to resist him without the connection but if he touched me it would be a lot harder to fight the fate that joined us together. It was so unfair. He didn’t get to walk away and then come back when he wanted to. I’d been hurt and I wouldn’t allow him back without him proving that I could trust him.
“You wouldn’t,” I said, holding his gaze. It was like a powerful struggle between the two of us and the first one to look away lost.
“Yes, I would.”
“Don’t push me, Blake,” I warned him. I wasn’t some weak girl he could push around. It didn’t matter that he was my mate and I was attracted to him but, after dealing with someone like Victor, I wasn’t going to let anyone push me around.
“You have to earn my trust and until you do we don’t touch,” I told him. “If you try to push me on it I’ll get my guards to escort you off my territory.”
He studied me for a moment and pressed his lips together.
“Fine, but you need to give me a chance,” he replied. His eyes softened for a moment. “How am I supposed to gain your trust when you keep shutting me out?”
I bit down on my lip. It was hard letting someone in, especially when they’d already hurt me.
“I want to get to know you—the real you—but I can’t unless you are prepared to give me a chance,” he added, the tone of his voice reaching somewhere deep inside of me.
He was right but it was still going to be difficult to let him close to me.
“Fine,” I relented in an emotionless tone. I didn’t want to reveal how he affected me. Showing that was like showing a weakness that could be exploited.
He smiled and I felt my stomach flip.Stupid bloody chemistry.
I couldn’t pull my eyes away from his and for a moment I felt transfixed by his gaze. I had an urge to reach out and touch him. The voice of reason stepped in and took control as I broke the spell.
“I have stuff I need to do,” I mumbled before I reached for the handle of the door. I needed space away from him to clear my head. Being close to him made me want to go against logical thought and do what my heart wanted. It was a battle between my mind and heart, and the longer I was around him the closer my heart came to winning the fight.
“Fine,” he said, flashing that killer smile again and I swallowed hard as I felt the full effect of it. “I’ll see you later.”
I was momentarily distracted before I pulled myself together and got out of my room before I changed my mind and made a big mistake.
The medical center was my first stop. My mom was awake and I greeted her. She beamed at me. It was amazing how happy she was even though she knew her time was running out.
