Page 10 of Guarded
“Surely you must’ve realised that Micah and Nox would work out the truth eventually—that you have a mate in the Seraphim.” Noah spoke slowly, almost patronisingly so. “And that after you had that realisation, you ran away as far as you could. Did you think about how I’d feel when I eventually found out?”
I blinked at him, my mind reeling as I returned to the events of that day. “No, I just…left.”
“That’s what I thought.” Noah laughed bitterly. “And the day you met me? Did you think about how ignoring me would hurt? How the fact that you could barely fuckinglookat me might cut me in two? That you couldn’t bring yourself to evenintroduceyourself?”
Fuck, this was going so much worse than expected. Noah wasn’t just pissed. He was furious. “I knew it hurt you bu?—”
“But you left anyway.” Noah gave me a brittle smile. “Charming.”
“You don’t understand,” I said desperately, raking a hand through my short hair. It was strange to not feel the long strands anymore. “I was scared.”
“Scared of a conversation? Of an introduction?”
I blew a breath out of my nose. “You know it would be more than that, Noah. We’re mates.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong.” Noah stepped closer, his voice dropping low. Behind him, more angels appeared in the lobby. Nox was there too, concern on his face as he took in the sparks flickering around Noah’s hands again. “It wouldn’t have been more, not unless we both wanted it. I don’t want someone to be mine just because fate says so. I want him to be with me because he loves me. Because hechoosesme.”
He stepped back, giving me a withering once-over. “I always thought they’d be one and the same, but I guess I’ve been fooled again.”
My eyes narrowed.Again?
“You should go.” He jerked his head towards the drive.“We’re nothing to each other, and I have zero desire to change that.”
Desperation swelled in me, rising up my throat and exploding into words. “Please don’t shut me out, Noah. I know I fucked up, but I’m sorry.”
“Why shouldn’t I? We know nothing about each other, and we certainly don’t owe each other anything.”
“That’s why I came here today, to apologise. To get to know you.”
He gestured at the flowers. “I suppose you think this makes up for everything?”
I glanced down at them with a frown. “No, but it’s a start, right?”
From the hisses and murmurs from our audience, I knew I’d said the wrong thing again. Shutters came down behind Noah’s eyes, closing him off from me. “A start?”
Ezekiel tucked his human mate behind him as severalshields appeared. In front of the human, that is, not me. No, they were leaving me to face whatever Noah was going to throw at me. I couldn’t even be mad about it, given what I’d done.
But Noah didn’t go on the attack. Not physically or magically, anyway.“I watched you fly away from me, did you know that? No, of course you didn’t. You didn’t look back over your shoulder even once. You’re my fated mate, and you dismissed me as though I was nothing more than an irritant. A bad memory to forget about.”
He shouldered past me, his wings shredding the garment he wore. My fingers tingled with the urge to touch them. To see if the white feathers were as soft and sensitive as my black ones. “Tell you what, Jeremiah, how about you watch me fly away this time? Watch me, knowing I’m your fated mate and that I’m leaving. That you have no chance with me. That I’m so ready to forget you that I won’t look back even once.” He gave me a final disgusted look. “Do that, and then tell me if you think flowers are enough of an apology.”
He took to the sky before I could stop him.
And, true to his word, he didn’t look back.
Not even once.
Chapter 2
Jeremiah
Noah was right.
Flowers didn’t make up for making your mate watch you fly away without looking back. It felt like there was a physical wound in my chest that was bleeding out more with every mile he put between us.
I’d hurt Noah more than I’d realised, and now he was making damn sure I understood just how much.
My lips twisted in a wry smile. My mate was a force to be reckoned with.
