“We would never do anything to hurt you. Not intentionally. And making you choose, that would hurt, wouldn’t it?”
I let the thought run through my head, it only needing about half a millisecond to rip a hole through my chest.
"See," he says. "That right there, it goes against our very nature." Wes sighs. "Do we want to share you? No. But will we do everything in our power to make you happy and keep you safe? Absolutely."
“Because of the mate bond.”
“Because you are our person. Is it the bond? Maybe. I don’t know, I don’t care. All I know is this.” He grazes his hand over my cheek. “Us.” He leans in closer. “You’re my world, Wren. My entire universe.” His lips caress mine. “I’d die to prove that to you.”
“Can you not die? That would be great.” I kiss him and smile against his mouth when his cock hardens inside of me again.
My entire life might be up in the air right now, but at least I have this, I have us.
And that counts for something.
14
Wren
Twirling my finger through the hair on Wes’s chest, I lose myself in the comfort of him.
“What are you thinking about?” I ask the burly man.
His eyes flutter open, that familiar shade of glowing red flashing through as he settles his sights on me. He smiles softly. “You.”
I rest my chin on his stomach and look up at him. “I’m right here, doofus.”
“I like to consume myself in you. Bathe in all things Wren, if I may. It’s simply not enough to be near you, I want my every waking thought to revolve around…” He pokes me on the tip of the nose. “You.”
“Obsessive much?” I tease.
He shrugs. “Guilty as charged.”
“How do you feel about Everest?” I change the subject.
"Well, he's not nearly as good-looking as you."
I let out a laugh. “Ha. Ha. Very funny.”
Wes drags his arm behind his head to prop him up and rubs the other over my bare shoulders. “He’s a nice guy, from what I’ve gathered. Was there for Jade when I wasn’t.”
“That’s not your fault,” I tell him. “It was out of your control.”
“Doesn’t make it any easier to stomach. I should have tried getting to her sooner. Maybe I could have—”
“Wes,” I cut him off. “It’s not your fault.”
“Yeah.” He lets out a breath.
"He does seem like a good guy. I guess I'm just confused about why he was at Rockbridge."
“Oh.” Wes repositions himself slightly. “He was there to investigate his brother’s death. And after he figured it out, he stayed for Jade. Said he didn’t want to leave her behind and was biding his time until he could figure out how to free her. I’m glad someone was there to give her hope.”
“What was the cause of death?”
“Everest was certain that hunters were harnessing demonic power after their kills, and when it was harvested from them, it killed them in the process. Few hunters made it past a couple sessions before it would end their lives.”
My heart stutters and I wish there was a way to turn back the clock and guarantee none of this ever happened. The killings, the theft of magic, the curses. So many died for a hopeless cause on both sides of this pointless war.