Thankfully, Vi wasn’t pack. The demon-born spitfire wouldn’t be my responsibility. I wouldn’t have to deal with her on a daily basis. In time, Vi would drive me up a wall. I didn’t know how anyone could stand her for longer than an hour at a time.
Beyond her, Ness looked as though she might break down. Vi had charged into the room with her mouth running. She hadn’t given a thought to explaining why she was yelling at me. And so, Ness clenched her jaw tight and glared at me through her tears, breaking my heart in the process because she believed Vi.
I wouldn’t just leave. I thought Ness of all people would have known that by now.
“Vi, if you would shut your mouth for five minutes and listen, then you would understand!” Electricity sparked up and down my arms, dancing along my skin.
Beside us, Addie grumbled under her breath. She shook her head and retreated over to where Ness and Cerri stood. Addie must have realized that trying to intervene was futile right now.
I would gladly take this outside. The spitfire would put up a good fight. Maybe both of us would feel better after.
But before I could make the suggestion, Ness yanked her friend back and put herself between us. Ness gave me a dark glare, her lower lip trembling. My fury faded into a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I lowered my voice. “Vi jumped the gun. I’m not leaving forever.”
Ness’s shoulders dropped, perhaps in relief, but that didn’t quell any of the frustration still darkening her face. “Maybe you should have talked to me about this first.”
A growl rumbled in the back of my throat. “I don’t have to answer to anyone. I’m still a free man.”
Everyone needed me. They told me what to do, as if I were a servant. I didn’t belong to anyone here. They couldn’t keep telling me what to do or how I should do it. If anyone had any complaints, they could shove it.
I backed away from Ness, and her jaw dropped. Gaping at me, her eyes flashed with lightning. I gave her a shrug and turned to leave.
I didn’t have to stay and deal with this. Over and over, I kept getting caught in snares. Beryl made an attempt to force my hand. She’d bound me in a pact and tried to control me through an addiction to fae food. Before that, Ness had lied to me in an attempt to get me to kill her Alpha.
While I didn’t blame Ness, I couldn’t help but feel used over and over.
Ness caught up to me outside. She grabbed me by the back of my shirt and yanked. While her strength wasn’t enough to stop me, her voice brought me to a halt.
“Don’t run away from me,” she cried out.
The way I stopped made me wonder if she’d used her command, but that wasn’t it. There wasn’t even a hint of arcana in her voice. Ness’s plea made me want to stop and talk to her. I hated it. She had a power over me that I would never be able to escape.
I turned and lifted my hand with the intention of cupping her cheek, but she jerked away from me. Her fists vibrated at her sides.
“Just…just tell me next time.” Her voice was strangely steady for how she trembled with her rage. “If you want to leave, I can’t stop you. I wish you would talk to me first, though. I thought we were closer than that.”
All the fight bled out of me.We are close, I wanted to say. Ness was my mate, after all.
I just couldn’t find the right time to tell her. Maybe if I brought it up now, then she would understand that I had no intention of leavingforever. That’s not what I wanted.
“If my brother finds me here, he’s going to make a big scene. He’s going to raze everything to the ground in an attempt to hurt me. Bri warned me that he’s on his way. I…I had my phone on the other night when you tried to kill me. By now, Morgan knows exactly where I am.” I ran a hand through my hair and tugged.
Time was running out. There was too much to do in too little time. How was I supposed to deal with the sins of my past when the horrors of the present were still very much a problem? Alvin had control of Ness, somehow. I knew I couldn’t leave her like this, but I also couldn’t stay and wait.
“You can come with me,” I suggested. “You can’t kill me. You don’t have it in you, so I’m not afraid to be alone with you. That way, I can keep you safe while we deal with my brother.”
Ness’s expression changed. Her brow lowered in confusion as she looked up at me.
I laughed. “What? Youcan’tkill me. We proved that last night.”
Aghast, she shook her head. “I can’t believe you. Are you serious? I came far too close to hurting you, possibly even killing you, and this is how you act?”
My stomach dropped. Somehow, I’d made all the wrong moves today. It seemed that no matter what I did, I couldn’t do the right thing. I’d failed the pack, pissed off Vi, and betrayed my mate.
Reaching out, I pulled her into my chest. “Ness, listen to me. I know without a shadow of a doubt that you would never hurt me.”
She put her hands between us but didn’t stop me from holding her flush against my body. Her eyes were wide as she looked up at me. I brushed a stray curl away from her face and let my fingers trail along her skin. The way she shuddered in my arms drew my dragon to the surface.