Page 65 of Savagely Mated

“No, really,” he says. “Do you know why?”

“Why?”

“Because you could behave yourself, and we could all play our roles in what is to come, but you’re driving wedges between us.”

“Sounds like a you problem.”

I’m not going to feel guilty, or ashamed, or scared. I mean, I am going to feel all those things, but I’m not going to show that I feel them. I feel as though he is trying to make me apologize, and I don’t want to be sorry.

“I don’t think you understand, Darcy. You think Einar is your biggest problem because he lectures you, thrashes you, fucks you roughly. I’m here to tell you he’s not your biggest problem. I am.”

What, is he going to say weird things to me? Be all mysterious? Wow. What a huge problem. However will I ever handle this bullshit.

“Yeah? What makes you my biggest problem?”

“I love you.”

He says those three words like he means them, which is strange to my ears because we really have not interacted all that much.

“You mean you’re my mate, and we’re mate bonded.”

“No. I mean I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you. Well, maybe not the first moment. I fell in love with you in the fight we had with the Cardinal’s Guard. You were elegant and ferocious. You were capable of great and terrible things. You didn’t think about any of it, because you didn’t have to. You have training, but you have more than that, too. You have talent.”

Now I am confused. At first it felt like he was threatening me, but now it just feels like he’s complimenting me.

“I don’t get what’s happening.”

“I care about what happens to you, and that makes me very, very dangerous when it comes to your current behaviors. I’m going to ensure they stop. Kirin’s been enabling you. Einar’s been chasing you after the fact. From now on, I’m going to be on top of you. Always.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means it’s time you got up, had a shower, and came down for breakfast. You’re not going into the academy today, so it’s a good one to learn about why we are doing what we’re doing.”

“Fine,” I say, throwing back the covers. “I have to pee.”

All’s well and good until Rafe follows me into the bathroom. I know some couples do bodily function stuff around each other, but I have no intention of becoming one of those couples.

“You don’t have to watch me.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Fuck,” I curse as I finally understand his plan. He’s going to guard me, essentially. I’m going to have his eyes on me all thetime. No privacy anymore. “Okay, you don’t actually need to do this.”

“I do, actually. It’s the only way to ensure you don’t get hurt, and to be certain that Einar or Kirin don’t treat you too roughly. It stops any kind of conflict in its tracks.”

I want to say something to the effect that he can trust me, but we both know he can’t. I’m the definition of untrustworthy. There’s only one way out of this predicament: give him the slip. That way he’ll learn there’s no point in trying to watch me, and give up. Rafe seems nice and well-meaning, but he is no match for me.

“Please let me pee in peace,” I say. “I won’t do anything crazy in here.”

“No, Darcy. You’ve lost the privilege.”

“Oh, fuck off, you fucking creepy pervert,” I curse, thoroughly annoyed. “You’re just trying to punish me mentally, that’s all. This is a sick power play on your part. Well, it won’t work, because I’m not going to pee.”

I see the muscle in his jaw twitch as I storm out of the bathroom and go downstairs.

He follows me without a word. I slam the door in his face as I go into the kitchen, but unfortunately it doesn’t hurt him. I actually really need to pee, but now it is all a matter of principle.

It occurs to me that Rafe is actually the one who has fucked up, though. He gets himself a cup of coffee and sits down to read his tablet and I decide that’s a good moment to get up and wander out of the room.

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