Page 119 of Savage Blood
His head dipped forward, and his lips brushed over mine. When I didn’t turn away, Saint slipped his tongue into my mouth, caressing me with a gentleness I expected from him.
We’d never kissed, but I knew exactly how it would feel.
Saint tasted like sweet honey and a warm springtime sun. He was crisp and clean, like a waterfall tumbling into a crystal-clear pool in a vibrant green lagoon.
My heart crashed against my ribs, and I wavered on my feet. I floated off the ground, weightless and full of bliss. And no matter how far I’d float, Saint would be there to reel me in. He was safety and comfort.
He was the home I never had.
When he finally pulled away, we were both breathless, clutching each other like we’d fall off a cliff if we let go.
But we had to let go.
“I reject you, Tate.” His hoarse voice and those words shattered the warm bubble. “I break the bonds that tie us. I let you go.”
Unable to stop it, a sob slipped from my mouth. “I reject you, Saint. I break the bonds that that tie us. I let you go.”
Tremors raced through us as if we stood at the epicenter of an earthquake. My fingers gripped his shirt, and I could hardly catch my breath, my lungs squeezing into a tight ball.
“I reject the gift Fate has bestowed upon me. I sever this link, never to be reunited again.” Tears dripped down his cheeks, breaking my heart into tiny pieces.
My throat bobbed as I tried to make my voice work, taking several torturous seconds to finally speak. “I reject the gift fate has bestowed upon me. I sever this link, never to be reunited again.”
As soon as I uttered the last word, a crack ripped through us, and something tore out of my chest.
The broken howl Saint released had me sobbing again, and when my knees buckled, he caught me. I trembled against him, soaking his t-shirt and wishing I could take it all back.
Why did I have to ruin everything good I touched?
Jayla was my worst offense.
Saint was the second.
“It’s over, Tate,” he said, stroking my back. “It’s done.”
“I’m so sorry.” My fingers dug into his back as I held onto him. “Please forgive me.”
Saint’s hot breath spilled over my ear as he lowered his head, clutching me so tightly my ribs ached. But I didn’t dare pull away.
“There’s nothing to forgive,” he said.
We both knew that was a fucking lie. I broke his heart and crushed all his hope with just a few words. Saint grew up expecting to find his fated mate like his parents, wishing and hoping year after year and receiving nothing.
And then he found me.
He would have been better off not having a fated mate at all than having one who loved someone else.
Heat rushed over my spine and tingled across my neck. I clamped my eyelids shut, already knowing what—or, rather, who—loomed behind me. His red, fiery anger pumped through the bond, tasting like metal and ash.
“What. The. Fuck?”
Fane’s voice was barely more than a growl, and I pictured his canines growing to sharp, lethal points.
Still unwilling to release his tight hold, Saint lifted his head and peered at the demon shifter over my shoulder. “What’s done is done, Fane. It was her choice.”
The color had faded from Saint’s face, leaving him cold and pale, and no light shone in his eyes. Instead of silver, they’d become a deep gray, like a weathered blade that hadn’t been polished in decades.
An invisible fist clutched myheart.
