Page 22 of Blade's Battle
“Are we not talking now?” she asked.
“Nothing to talk about, because you’re right. There’s nothing between us,” he said, clipped and distant.
Her stomach was queasy. She had a knack for making a mess of everything in her life it seemed. “I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“No insult taken, Anna.”
Anna, not Angel. That hurt.
“How’s your shoulder doing?”
“Feels like it’s on fire. Not the first time I’ve been shot.”
“Males are all alike. Human or shifter. Always putting on a brave face.”
“First you compare me to Drake’s shifters and now you compare me to every human male in the world. You really know how to kick a shifter when he’s down.”
“I’m—” she was almost about to say she was sorry, again, but she’d done that enough. “You’re mad at me.”
“No.”
His voice was stiff still. He could deny it all he wanted, but he was mad.
“I’m mad at me too,” Anna said.
That stopped him. “Because you helped create the virus?”
She swallowed—hard. She deserved that. Maybe she shouldn’t have told him of her involvement, but she couldn’t lie to him. He’d risked himself for her. He was still risking himself. He could run off and leave her and all the trouble she was in behind.
“I’m confused right now. And you’re the only one other than Tess that I’ve talked to in a long time. I mean, that wasn’t trying to h-hurt me.” Anna swiped the tears away with the back of her hand. Blade stepped forward and she could sense he planned to touch her or hug her. It’s what she wanted, and what she couldn’t have. “I made mistakes. Big ones. Ones that others are now paying for with their lives. I don’t know how to stop it, but I guess that’s something you can’t relate to.”
Blade paled. “Unfortunately I can, Angel.”
His pack! She’d forgotten. “Maybe we’re not so different after all. Even though I’m human and you’re shifter.”
His face softened, and if ever she wanted him to hold her, it was now, but she couldn’t lead him on like that. There’d been too much touching, and kissing already.
“Maybe not so different,” he echoed her words.
She untwisted the bottom of her wet shirt, wringing out water, more from nervousness than a desire to get out of the damn shirt. “Can I ask you something about your pack, the one you lost?”
He nodded, dark eyes growing darker than before. His eyes actually changed color when he was sad, just like Kurt.
Oh, Kurt, I tried, I really tried.
“You can ask me anything, Angel,” Blade said, his rich voice caressing her, almost making her believe her future would get back on track one day.
“Do you feel like you failed them? By surviving?” she forged ahead, voicing thoughts she had never told anyone.
His face drained of color, and for a moment she thought he’d lost too much blood and was going to pass out. Before she could tell him to sit down and rest, three wolves appeared behind Blade, all baring their teeth.
* * *
BLADE
Yet again, Blade had been caught off guard. He caught the scent of three wolves and shoved Anna aside as a wolf slammed him to the ground. Skin scraped against dried pine needles and twigs as he forced his face to the side to look over his shoulder. The pain ripped through him, but he fought to stay conscious. He had to, or Anna wouldn’t have a chance.
The silver and white wolf clamped its jaws on the back of Blade’s neck. A kill-hold and a very effective threat not to shift.
