Page 225 of Halfblood Deceived

She groaned. “I’m sorry.”

He took her hand, stopping her from pulling loose a thread of wool. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“I let Reese kiss me a week after our first kiss,” she told him, feeling her stomach flip unpleasantly. He didn’t seem angry, just gently curious and a bit uncomfortable, but she tensed nevertheless.

“And if I heard right, you chose me,” Zeydan said, a note of relief in his voice.

“I did,” she confirmed. “To be honest, I think I chose you long ago.” Since that horrible afternoon when Eli was about to kill him and Micah was about to kill her.

Zeydan half smiled, placing a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m glad. Because I chose you long ago as well.”

Warmth blossomed in Aella’s chest, unwinding the tight knot of concern. Still, she had to ask. “Why aren’t you even slightly upset?”

His brow flickered. “What were you expecting me to do exactly? Scream horrible things at you? Growl and snarl like a wild animal?”

Aella half shrugged. “I—I don’t know. You don’t seem like the type to do that, but…”

He sat at the edge of her bed. “I had my choices taken away from me many times for three long decades, Aella. I’m not about to do the same to you. Does it make me jealous? Yes, I won’t lie. I’ve promised not to lie to you. But being angry at you didn’t cross my mind.”

His honesty felt like a warm blanket. Aella tightened her fingers around his.

Zeydan lifted their joined hands and kissed her knuckles. “In the spirit of full honesty, I shall confess something.” His jade eyes carried a burning intensity. “If you hadn’t given consent to Reese, I would have kicked their arse. If someone touches you without your permission, I will make them regret the day they were born.”

Aella bit her lip, reminding herself how to breathe like a normal person. “I don’t know if this makes me a damsel, but I have no issues with that whatsoever.”

Zeydan grinned, leaning closer to brush the tip of his nose against hers. “And I don’t care if it makes me overbearing. So I guess we’re even in that regard.”

“Hmm,” Aella returned the nose rub but pulled back slightly to meet his gaze. “Not exactly. But you know how we’d be even?”

“How?” Zeydan asked, cupping her neck and rubbing circles right above her pulse point with his thumb.

Aella swallowed back a moan. “If you agree to let me kick anyone who dares to hurt you.”

Zeydan laughed softly, canines flashing and pupils slitting. “Be my guest, Amazon.”

Aella closed the few inches of distance and kissed Zeydan. He returned the kiss at once, tracing her lips with his tongue in a questioning touch that made her shudder from head to toe. She parted her mouth in invitation and deepened the kiss, taking a fistful of his black shirt with the hand that had the IV, wanting to merge with him.

The door smacked open, startling them apart.

Mari stood at the threshold, arms crossed. “And here I was thinking poor Aella was having so much pain that her blood pressure went up, but nah, she’s just horny.”

Aella’s cheeks heated. “Um.”

Zeydan chuckled.

Mari let out a long-suffering sigh. “You need rest, Aella, and making out definitely doesn’t count as resting.” She pointed a finger at Zeydan. “You are going to park your arse on a chair and keep your hands to yourself.”

Zeydan lifted his hands in mock surrender. “Yes, doctor.”

Mari harrumphed.

Aella hesitated for a second but then took a fistful of Zeydan’s shirt to pull him closer and planted a quick kiss on his lips again.

He grinned.

“You two are insufferable,” Mari complained but she was smiling.

Aella laughed, feeling inexplicably happy despite knowing someone wanted to kill her.

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