Page 117 of Savage Blood
His wintry forest scent crashed over me, and I couldn’t help but inhale deeply to breathe him in. Things would change between us after this.
Obviously, that was the point.
“What was that about?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s complicated.”
“Sadie’s in love with you, isn’t she?” They’d grown up together, and any idiot could tell she’d wanted so badly to be his mate, fated or not. And then I came along and shattered all her hopes and dreams.
I really knew how to ruin shit, didn’t I?
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Saint perched on the edge of his bed, creasing the hunter green covers. “What brings you here?”
The words stuck in my mouth, my tongue unable to move at all. Those silver eyes—always so warm—tried to penetrate my defenses as I shifted awkwardly on my feet and fidgeted, pulling at a loose thread on my cut-off t-shirt.
Noticing my hesitation, Saint arched a brow. “Just spit it out already, Tate. You can tell me anything.”
Everyone was so damn sure only my fated mate could heal me, could rid my body of this poison. And maybe that possibility existed at one point, but now—things were different.
We’d run out of time, and the twenty-fifth hour was fast approaching. If I wanted to save the shifters, I couldn’t rely on thepossibilityof healing.
“We have to reject each other.”
My words hit the air like deadly bombs, exploding one right after another. Saint flinched, and the color leached from his cheeks. As I waited for his response, I nearly chewed a hole in my lip.
“No, Tate.” Panic crept over his expression. “We can’t do that, especially not now. I need to heal you so you can?—”
“We’re out of time, Saint.”
I wouldn’t get rid of this sickness before I had to face Barric. That was the truth. So I had to move forward and find a way to defeat him in this weakened state.
Even if that meant sacrificing myself to the amulet.
Saint shot to his feet and closed the space between us, resting his hands on my shoulders. “We have to try. It might work if we, you know…”
“Mate? Have sex?”
The young alpha nodded. “It’s pretty clear it won’t break your bond with Fane, but it could still connect us.”
“But that’s the problem, Saint.” I rested my hands over his and tipped my head back to meet his gaze directly. “If I don’t survive facing Barric or if the Infernal Sol takes me over and you and I have this bond, it will affect you even more.”
His fingers flexed on my shoulders as his breathing sped up. “I’m willing to take thatchance.”
“I’m not.”
He had no idea what the Infernal Sol’s power felt like, the darkness it spread through me and used to choke me. And how much I reveled in it.
His glittering silver orbs hardened to lethal blades, and he snatched his hands away, forcing mine to fall. “This is about Fane. It’salwaysabout Fane.”
My head jerked back. “This has nothing to do with him. I’m trying to protect you.”
“Bullshit!” Saint marched across the room as if he couldn’t stand to be near me and hunched over the small square table in the corner by the window, the moonlight pouring through its panes.
An invisible fist struck my sternum at the hurt beneath his anger. “You don’t understand what will happen to me, Saint. I can’t let another person suffer because of me.”
“You were never going to give me a chance, were you?” His voice was so quiet I barely heard it.
“I’m already mated. You’ve known that from the beginning.” My fingers reached up of their own accord and brushed the tattoo on my neck.
