Page 78 of Prince of Storms
“You do not realize that he’s also worried about losing you,” Ally said. “Despite that, he was willing to go ahead. To open himself up to you, yes?”
“Yes,” I said, thinking about how Tor had called me his mate, hisEternalMate. He was willing to go the distance with me, no matter how much it might hurt to lose me. I couldn’t deny that.
“That means he cares about you a lot, Mia, dear, and that he’s willing to risk that for the opportunity to have you in the first place. He feels you’re worth that kind of pain. That having you, for no matter how short a period of time, is worth the ache that might come from losing you.”
I was flat-out crying by that point.
Because she was right. What was worse was that, on some level, I knew I felt the same way. And yet I’d still left him.
“What have I done?” I whispered.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Tor
Ifollowed the rumble of the Chevelle up the ramp and out into the mid-morning sun. The clear sky beckoned, and birds chirped gaily, singing the songs of a new day well into progress. They fell silent as the car passed, then resumed their noises and frolicking in the trees of the Storm Estates.
Thunder rumbled across the clear sky.
“Don’t you dare.”
I turned to see Ty approaching. He was walking upright, but his face and the visible skin of his arms were still crisscrossed with ugly lines. I could also see how he favored one side over the other. Rica had done a real number on him.
“Yeah, I guess,” I said, banishing the rumble. My mood stayed the same, but I didn’t have to let it influence the world around me. Ty was right on that.
“She stole the car?”
I shook my head. “No. I gave it to her. Told her that maybe that would at least make her happy.”
Ty tilted his head at me, eyebrows shooting up to match the incredulous look on his face. “You what?”
“I gave it to her,” I said darkly.
“Not that, you numbskull. I got that. You saidwhatto her?”
“I called her out for being scared, then gave her the car, and told her maybe it would make her happy and that she could drive until she was no longer afraid.”
“God-King save me.” Ty’s eyes closed, his face sagging. “First off, you’re a fucking idiot. Never say those things to a woman you care about. Actually, wait, never say those things at all to a woman. Probably even a man. Not if you care about them.”
I glared at him. “And second?”
“Second, what the hell happened? She spent the night with you. I thought things were going well. Now she’s leaving. You’re calling her out. Where did it go wrong?”
“It was too much for her, I think,” I said. “The Vorgan, dragons, Rica. All of it. Too much, too fast. If only she hadn’t seen Tempest, then all of this could have been avoided!”
“Delayed, you mean,” Ty said. “There was no avoiding it. Things were going to come out eventually.”
“Perhaps,” I conceded. “But I might have been able to deal with Rica first. She could have found out in a planned manner instead of thinking we were aliens at first and that we were here to invade Earth.”
Ty shrugged, giving me the point.
“I have no use for the car,” I went on. “It’s just a thing to me. But sh … she has an attachment to it and her father. I don’t have my parents anymore. She lost her mother, but her dad is still around. If this gives her some joy and allows her to spend more time with him, then it was worth it.”
“You care about her.”
“She’s my mate, Ty. Of that, I have no doubt. She’s perfect in every way but one. Feisty, driven, smart, compassionate, caring, beautiful, and more. I could not ask for a better mate. She’s the other half of a puzzle piece I didn’t know I was missing until I found her.”
“What’s she missing?”
