Page 85 of Bite of Sin

He crossed the room, stopping inches in front of me, his eyes searching mine. “I changed my mind about something.”

My stomach flipped. “About what?”

“We promised we’d wait until after you were twenty-five to talk about it. But after everything, I don’t want to wait anymore.”

Fuck.“Warner—”

“I want to start a life—with you,” he said softly. “You’re my best friend, Kali. I want you to know you can always rely on me.”

“I already know that.” My stomach knotted. I didn’t want to talk about this when Zan was listening.

“I thought we were going to die in that city,” Warner said gruffly. “And I know life won’t be fairy tales and rainbows. But I want to go through it with you at my side. As mine.”

“And what happens if I bleed black? If I’m a Shadow?” I whispered. “There’s a reason we agreed to wait until after my birthday.”

“You won’t,” he said confidently. “You’ll be fine.”

My heart panged as I stared at him. It was what we’d always promised each other. I loved Warner. But I loved him like I did Helena and Lisa. He was my comfort. And I used to think that would be enough.

I cleared my throat. “I can’t do this right now. My head is all over the place from everything. I just need things to slow down. Then we’ll talk.”

He frowned. “You don’t want it anymore? Us?”

“I love you, Warner,” I choked out. “You know that. But I don’t know if we’re going to survive into next week, let alone past my birthday. I can’t think of the future. Not right now.”

My words angered him, but he only blew out a breath and backed away. “Fine. I’ll get everyone outside so you can talk to the vampire.”

He turned around and strode out the door, and I rubbed my temples. I didn’t want to upset Warner, but I couldn’t give him what he wanted. And not just because of Zan’s threat about listening. Although it was still his damn fault.

Because the one kiss I’d shared with him had ruined everything.

It brought emotions that I’d only read about. The spark. The fluttering. The all-consuming fire that heated my veins when my lips touched his. And now I didn’t want to go through life without feeling that again. I’d never kissed Warner, but his touch was only comforting. It didn’t give me the chills. Or make my heart pound in excitement.

Now that I had experienced that, I wanted it again. I clenched my jaw.Notwith Zan, though. The fact that he was the one to draw those feelings out didn’t mean anything. I could find that with someone else—someone who wasn’t a vampire. But I had a feeling it would never be with Warner.

With a sigh, I left the room and made my way to the first floor, seeing that Warner had already kicked everyone out. It was dead silent. My stomach knotted as I reached the basement stairs. I never knew what to expect with Zan. I never did.

I bounded down the stairs, sliding the dead bolt and slipping into the room. I could feel his eyes on me as I closed the door behind me. Spinning around, I found him in the same position as yesterday.

“You just missed your friend,” he drawled, his voice weaker than yesterday. “Apparently, he wanted to make sure I wasn’t a threat to you.”

I crept closer, studying him. His gaze wasn’t as sharp as usual, and his body was relaxed, not rigid like he was yesterday.

“Or maybe he shoved hawthorn down my throat because he was pissed that you denied him upstairs,” he continued, a ghost of a smirk on his lips. “And he knows it has to do with me.”

“It has nothing to do with you,” I gritted out.

He cocked his head, his eyes dancing in a way that made me feel like he could see right through me. “You’re wasting your supplies on me. I know hawthorn is hard to get.”

He was right. Vampires had been trying to destroy plants that could harm them for years. Hawthorn trees took years to grow. And even with PARA planting them, it was difficult for the Clovers to keep up with the need for it.

“I’ll stay weak even without it if I don’t get blood,” he murmured.

My eyes widened at his admission. “How long can you go without feeding?”

“Technically I could go years.” He chuckled. “But it wouldn’t take long for my heart to stop. I’d go into something that you humans call a coma.”

“How long?” I pressed.

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