Page 85 of Ruthless Scoundrel
“Promise me,”my mother’s voice echoes through my mind in a begging scream.
“Princess,” I say, squeezing Reina a little tighter. “It’s time to wake up.”
“No,” she mumbles groggily and pulls on my arms, keeping them wrapped around her.
Gods, can’t I just live in this moment?
“We have to if we want to stay with the caravan,” I say gently. “It’s safer with them.”
She moans. “My body hurts.”
I shift the covers and immediately smell blood. Fuck, she’s actually hurt. I throw the blanket all the way back.
Reina yelps, curling in on herself. “No need to be so rude!”
I scour her body for marks. “Where are you cut?”
She scowls. “I’m not cut. My body just aches from carrying the pack and walking so much.”
“I can smell your blood,” I say, rolling her onto her back and inspecting her more closely.
Suddenly she goes pale and crosses her legs. “I’m not hurt…Go away!”
She rolls to the side to escape me, but I grab her wrist and pin her back down as feral panic swims through my mind. “Where, Reina?”
“Stop, let go!” She kicks and squirms.
The half of my mind that knows I might be hurting her even more is too quiet beneath the primal selkie fear. “Show me!”
“I’m having my monthly bleed!” she screams and something about the frustration in her eyes makes me stop. We both fallquiet, panting as we stare at one another until I slowly release her.
Someone outside chuckles and mumbles about a bad morning.
Reina groans and flops down onto the bedding. “Wonderful, noweveryoneknows.”
My mate bleeds monthly for some reason, and she’s used to it…More than that, she’s embarrassed about it. I don’t want to look like an absolute idiot, but I need to understand why. This wasn’t one of the important Man-things Meianha taught me.
“I don’t understand. Is it normal for you to bleed monthly?”
“Gods, why…” She covers her face. “Yes, it’s normal for all women of breeding age.”
“Are you going to bleed every month?”
“Until I’m with child, yes.”
The words turn my stomach into a whirlpool of confusion and yearning.
“You’ll attract predators” is all I can manage.
She growls and throws her hands down on the bedding. “It’s not as if Iwantto be bleeding.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“Just go away, for Zephrom’s sake!” She throws a shoe too fast for me to dodge and it cracks me on the nose.
“Fuck! I’m going,” I groan painfully as I grab my boots.
“If you want to be useful, bring me water and a cloth to clean up so I attract fewer predators,” she sneers.
