Page 55 of Cleansed By Water (The Nature Hunters Academy 3)

“You don’t want what?” Liam asked. “A devoted partner? A mate who will care for you and love you? You don’t want someone to share your burdens with? Someone to share your dreams with?” His voice grew louder with each question. “Tell me, Gabby. What is it exactly you don’t want? Love, adoration, affection, desire, someone to need you and want you? What could you possibly not want in a soul bond? What could there—”

“I DON’T WANT THE PAIN!”

Her breath came in harsh pants. Her anger increased the more he questioned her. “I don’t want to wait for the day you realize I am not who you really want. I don’t want to wake up one day and see the light that you once looked at me with is gone. I don’t want to suddenly realize I am worth nothing to you.”

She jerked her chin out of his hand and managed to push off of him and climb out of the bed. She refused to look at him. Instead, she walked over to the window and stared out into the night.

The moon was full and bright, and everything was so peaceful. A layer of frost coated the grass. Trees glistened like diamonds, making the darkness appear magical and non-threatening.

“Why would you think those things would ever happen?” His voice came from directly behind her, and she started.

Gabby hadn’t heard him move while she’d been lost in the beauty of the outside world.

“Because that’s what people do,” she said quietly. “I learned a long time ago not to rely on others because they would only let me down, and I’m tired of being let down. I’m tired of hurting.”

“Baby—”

“No,” Gabby barked and whipped around to face him. “You aren’t hearing me. I’ve finally managed to get my pain down to a dull ache. There was a gaping hole, and I felt like I was constantly bleeding out. Now, finally, I’m able to get through the day without wanting to hold my breath and never stop. And then you show up. And you say all these things, and you initiate the bond I didn’t want to begin with and you … you …” She tried to form the sentence that would tell him to get the hell out and never come back, but the words wouldn’t come out. It was like her mouth refused to work. There was a part of her that was sick at the thought of him leaving and never returning. Could she really go the rest of her life and never see him again?

“Baby,” Liam said again, his voice even softer. He reached up and cupped her face, gently raising it until she was looking at him.

She made a choking sound as she looked into the eyes of a man desperate to make her understand something. “Don’t pity me,” she said quickly. She didn’t think she could stomach him pitying her, not Liam.

“I would never,” he told her. “You’re too strong for me to pity. I am so sorry you have been hurt by the people who should have always loved and protected you. I would do anything in my power to fix it.” He stepped closer, so close she could feel his warm breath on her face. “I would destroy the world and everyone in it if it meant you felt safer.”

Gabby bit back a sob and shook her head. “I’m not worth—”

“You’re worth everything,” he cut her off. “You are worth anything, everything, and more. I don’t care if I have to walk through the seven levels of hell to prove it to you.”

She dropped her eyes, unable to bear looking into his. She wanted to believe him but was so terrified to do so.

“Look at me, Gabby,” he said firmly. “I understand you can’t simply trust me. Your trust has been broken. Your faith in people has been broken. I get that. But I’m not going anywhere. I’ve told you that, and I mean it. I will prove to you that I am yours and you are mine.” He ran his thumbs across her cheeks, wiping away her tears. “I will screw up, and I will piss you off. There will be times you will want to throw something at me. But I will never give up on us, and I will never walk away from you.”

“How can you say that?” she whispered. “How can you know you won’t get tired of me? I’m not okay, Liam. I’m not Shelly or Tara. I’m broken. I don’t know if I can ever give you back the things you give me.”

“I don’t care, baby.” He pressed his forehead to hers and chuckled. “I wish I could make you see what I see when I look at you. Damn woman. You’re amazing. You’re beautiful and badass, and you take my breath away. But that’s not why I know I will never get tired of you. I know I will want you for the rest of our lives because I chose you.”

She shook her head. “No, you were stuck with me through this whole supernatural soul bond shit.”

“We are soul bonded,” he agreed. “But the soul bond doesn’t make me love you. I choose to love you.”

Gabby’s eyes snapped up. “You can’t.” She frantically shook her head and tried to back away from him, but he held her tight. “You can’t love me. We’ve only just met.”

“There are no rules to love, Gabby.” He stared at her for a minute, then his lips lifted into a small smile. “My parents taught me that. What I wouldn’t do to give you the kind of parents I had. I saw devotion in them. I saw them choose love every single day up until the day they died. And they weren’t perfect.” He suddenly laughed, and his eyes lit up with good memories. “My dad drove my mother absolutely insane. He was pushy and sarcastic.”

“Sounds a lot like someone else I know,” she muttered.

“Won’t deny it, babe,” he said, his smile still in place. It was a damn good-looking smile. “Let me show you,” he said, and the smile dropped away. His jaw clenched as he dropped his hands from her face and wrapped them around her before pulling her against him.

“Liam,” she said, placing her hand on his chest. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to push him away or pull him closer.

He closed his eyes and released a slow breath. “I love it when you say my name. Please, say it again.”

Gabby bit her bottom lip. Her stomach danced with butterflies on crack at his words.

“Please,” he said, sounding a little more desperate.

“Liam,” she said so softly she barely heard it.

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