Page 20 of Forged in Twilight: The Complete Series

She swallowed. “Even though I don’t have a soul.”

“The bond is there, whether you want to acknowledge it or not.”

Could he sound any less enthusiastic if he tried? Becca bit back a laugh that, more than likely, was a sob. “And finalizing this… soulbond thing? What’s that mean? Like, sex? You want to sleep with me, even though you’ve never even tried to do more than kiss me since we’ve been dating.”

Through suddenly gritted teeth, Raze said, “All it would take was one time. The first time we fuck, you’re mine. I needed you to understand that. But I’m not pushing you to do anything. I told you. I’ll wait.”

Well, that at least explained why he was always so much of a gentleman. For all the times Becca wondered if maybe he really was just watching over her, that he enjoyed her company but he wasn’t really attracted to her…

“One time?”

Another nod.

“I— I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

Raze didn’t move. He stayed where he was, almost like his shoes were planted to the industrial carpet of her hotel room.

He never tried to stop her, only asked in a voice so icy cold it sent shivers down her spine, “Go where, Rebecca?”

Oof. Full name and everything.

She shook her head, already jamming her feet in her sneakers. “Out for air,” she said. She didn’t waste time grabbing her purse. Right then, she needed some space from Raze and his overbearing presence. “I’ll be right back.”

Did he answer her? Becca had no clue. She thought she might have heard him say something under his breath as she fumbled with her door, escaping out into the hall. It hit her that she was probably making a mistake leaving her purse behind. Her room key was in there, so she was basically locked out.

Later, she told herself. She’d deal with that later.

For now?

She needed that air desperately.

Once she made it outside, she gulped in a breath, then kept going. Her head was spinning, her feet carrying her away as if she could outrun Raze’s confession.

It was only supposed to be a good time. She had repeated that over and over again these last few weeks if only because she was guarding her heart against further heartbreak. What happened with Gabe was so long ago, she hadn’t remembered how much it hurt to care more than her partner—and now she was supposed to believe that Raze knew all along that this was more than a fling?

If Raze had told her in the beginning that she was his soulmate, it would’ve been like a dream come true. To find love and protection with the angel? To know that he was keeping her safe because of her and not because—as she believed—she’d made a bargain with him?

Maybe Raze didn’t know her at all. Because if he did, he never would’ve kept the truth a secret.

That was the issue at hand, she realized as she pushed past happy couples, drunk tourists, and some pretty annoyed locals… it wasn’t that she was his soulmate that had her running, it was that it took him all this time to actually tell her.

When a being found their lifemate, they pounced. Even for someone like Becca, born human and changed into a demoness, she knew that. What did it say about her that Raze was able to keep it a secret for these last few weeks?

Even worse, what made him change his mind?

He already told her he loved her. She hadn’t really believed him at first, even as he sent her roses and stayed up all night talking with her. How could she? He could care for her, sure, but unless she was his fated soulmate, it could never compare to the feelings he would eventually hold for her.

And now he wanted to admit that she belonged to him all along?

She needed air, but she also needed to think. Only then, when her frantic thoughts could make sense of everything he told her, would she return to him and tell him that she wanted to be with him. To Becca, who had been satisfied with whatever time Raze was willing to give her, eternity was definitely a bonus.

Only… she just needed a second to fucking think.

And that’s what she was going to do.

Even though she had spent one day a week tempting sinners in Las Vegas while she was still working out of the Pit, she usually stayed closer to the Twilight Sphere hotel if only because it was faction-owned. No surprise, then, that she got herself lost. Too busy running her last conversation with Raze through her mind, she kept going, not really having an idea where exactly she was heading to.

It wasn’t until she made it about a half of a mile down the Strip that she realized her mistake.

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