Chapter Six
“Us?” Kraig craned his head
back and looked at me. “I thought you wanted to know what the doctor did to me,
what I knew about the way he changed me. I’ve been trying to remember if I
heard any names when the others came, but my memory is hazy.”
I shook my head. “That’s
important, but I still need to finish going through his files. You’re
malnourished and exhausted. I don’t want to put you through that trauma after
all I’ve already put you through.”
Kraig frowned. “You’ve said
something like that twice now. You didn’t do anything to me.”
Guilt swamped me. “I blooded
you. You told me no.”
“Because you deserve more than
me. You’re an alpha, a streak leader, and I am... was human werekin. Now I’m a
freak.”
“You know I wanted you as a
human werekin; the bias and small-minded bigotry in other groups is not how I
run this streak. My father would come back from the beyond and kick my ass if I
even thought of believing that crap. And I’d deserve it. He’d probably do it
anyway, if he knew how I blooded you. If there had been time, I would’ve tried
to give you a choice, but I couldn’t lose you. I’m sorry.”
Kraig shivered, and I pulled
the blankets up higher, tucking them behind his back. He dropped his gaze,
hiding those cornflower blue eyes. He licked his lips. “Do you... regret it?
With me?”
“Saving you was the only
choice. If there had been another way, I wouldn’t have blooded you though. I
know you left because you didn’t want me.” It killed my alpha pride, and my
stomach churned as I considered our future. “You still don’t.”
“What?” Kraig plastered a cool
hand on my chest and pushed away so he could scoot up in the bed and look me
full in the face. “I’ve always wanted you, but I wanted what was best for you
more.”
“You’re what’s best for me.” I
stroked his sharp cheekbone with my thumb, cupping his face gently. “When I
thought we’d lost you, I was devastated. I haven’t looked at anyone else to
blood bond with–I couldn’t. Even thinking about it made me sick. Ever since I
knew what a mate was, I wanted you to be mine. But you wouldn’t mate me.”
“And that just drove your
alpha nature crazy.” Kraig snorted indelicately. “You always did expect
everyone to fall in line with what you thought was best.”
“I was a jerk back then, but I
thought I’d changed. If you want to leave, when you’re better, I won’t stop
you.” It was like ripping out my heart to even say it; I’d be left off worse
than broken if he did, but I had to let him make the choice.
A pained look crossed Kraig’s
face.
“What is it? Are you okay?” He’d
warmed up, but he was still in rough shape. “Where does it hurt?”
“You’d give me up?” Kraig
whispered. His lower lip trembled, and he pressed them together.
“Not if it was my choice. But
I won’t make you stay if you want to leave. We’ll find a way to make the blood
bond work somehow.” The tiger spirit inside me was not happy even saying the
words.
Kraig took a deep breath and
let it out in a long sigh, the tension leaving his body as he leaned closer to
me, tucking his head against my neck. The warm puff of his breath brushed
against my skin as he said, “I tried to run before, and look how that turned
out. You know, I dreamed about you last night.”
“You did?” I held my breath,
everything hanging on what Kraig was saying.
“I dreamed about you every
night when they had me. What our life could’ve been like together—the happiness
I’d pushed away when I refused to let you risk your status with the other
groups by blood bonding with me.”
“I never cared about that.” My
heart began to pound faster, and Kraig flattened his hand on my chest again. “You’re
the most important thing in my life.”
“We might not have a
traditional bonding, but I want you for my mate. I never want to live feeling
the kind of regret I did all those nights when I’d wake up, so happy from being
in your arms, and realize I was still on the cold stone floor of whatever
basement I was chained up in.”
“So...?” I needed him to say
it.
“I’m never leaving you. You’re
my mate, and I’m yours.”
Relief swamped me, and I had
to close my eyes to hide the stinging tears that made Kraig’s face blur. “Thank
fuck.”
He chuckled. “Tell me how you
really feel,” he joked.
I opened my eyes. “I love you,”
I said.
Kraig’s breath caught in his
throat, and his eyes began to shine in the soft light seeping in past the
curtains. He licked his lips. “I love you too.”
We’d bonded, we’d slept in the
same bed, and I just heard the words I love you come from my mate... but we’d
never kissed. The first press of my lips to his made me glad we were lying
down—my knees would’ve buckled if we were standing.
The soft warmth, the taste of
his skin, and the flick of his tongue against my lips, all combined with the knowledge
that he wanted me as much as I wanted him... I groaned. Kraig took advantage
and thrust his tongue inside my mouth. His hand slid up my chest and neck to
sink into the hair on the back of my head as he took control of the kiss.
And I was perfectly content to
let him. I followed his lead, pulling him close with a hand on his lower back.
This time his erection met mine, and I swallowed his shuddering whimper.
“Deke! Oh god, please.”
Enjoy that? *smirks* Okay, go check out the other updates by this week's flashers.
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I'm glad that they actually talked and cleared up any misunderstandings about what they thought how the other one felt.
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