One hand flattened on her abdomen as she reminded herself why. She was empty, her life was empty. Her child had been cut out of her body and a tubal performed while she was unaware. She would never conceive again without the general’s permission. She would always remember the consequences if she did.
Jonas had warned her to trust no one but him. That even he couldn’t vouch for any one Breed until he was certain of the identity of the spy working within their ranks. He had made her promise. Made her swear it. If he couldn’t vouch for Tanner himself, how could she be certain?
Because she loved him, her heart whispered.
And she had loved before, the dark part of her soul reminded her. Remember where that led?
“Don’t…” She shook her head desperately. “I don’t have what you want, Tanner. I don’t have your answers. ”
“Scheme, help me save you. For both our sakes. ”
She lifted her gaze to his, his features blurry through the tears that still fell from her eyes. Why couldn’t she strike? She had killed, regardless of what he thought. A Coyote that had caught her helping another Breed escape. A soldier who had slipped into her room intending to rape her. A knife was her preferred weapon; she knew how to
use it. Dammit, she knew how to kill, how to maim; why couldn’t she strike against this one man?
“There’s no saving me,” she finally whispered, accepting that fate. “For both our sakes, Tanner, stop trying. ”
CHAPTER 14
Sighing wearily, Tanner pulled Scheme into his arms before lifting her gently into his lap. She lay in his arms like a babe, fighting to control her sobs, her breath hitching as tears dampened his shirt.
He had taken a risk, he knew. The chances of her sliding that knife into his side had been high. Too fucking high. He could have been bleeding out on the stone floor rather than wrapping his arms around her and holding her against his chest.
So why wasn’t he bleeding? He’d been almost certain she would attempt the blow. What bothered him was the fact that at that point, he had almost decided to let her have it.
She had to trust him. There wasn’t enough time left to gain her trust or to hope for the best. He had so little time left. Even less if Callan or Jonas became suspicious and guessed where the general’s missing daughter really was. He didn’t worry about anyone else, but Jonas was naturally paranoid, and Callan, well hell, Callan just knew him. He didn’t doubt that his pride leader had already guessed what he was up to. What Callan decided to do about it would be anyone’s guess.
“You’ve never had a problem doing what you had to before,” he murmured against her ear. “Why couldn’t you do it, Scheme?”
“I don’t want to die in these stupid caves. ” She jerked at the hold he had on her.
“Stop fighting me. ” He held her closer, one hand cupping her head and pressing it to his shoulder. “And stop lying to me. ”
“I don’t need you to hold me,” she cried out. “I’m not a baby. I don’t need your comfort. I need you to let me go. ”
His jaw clenched with the effort to hold back his frustration.
“Did you see those soldiers on the monitor, Scheme? Who the hell do you think they’re looking for?”
“You!” she screamed. “It’s your stupid cabin, isn’t it?”
He laughed at that. “Come on, baby, even the Council is smarter than that. They know what killing me will do to their cause. Don’t you listen to the news? The world loves me. The outcry against the Council and the pure genetics groups would be horrendous. They wouldn’t dare. They’re here because they suspect I have you. Not because they want me dead. ”
It was amusing to even consider it. How many times had he sneered at the Council soldiers who trailed him whenever he left Sanctuary? As much as they hated him, they couldn’t kill him, and what’s more, they couldn’t allow him to die, not yet. Not as long as public sentiment toward him was so high.
She struggled against him again, her breath hitching, her deliberate restraint over her tears breaking his heart.
The scent of her, a mix of guilt, fear, pain and longing, twisted inside him. He couldn’t have expected this when he kidnapped her. How she would set him on fire and break his heart at the same time.
She made him feel things he had never felt before, and that scared the living hell out of him when he paused long enough to consider it.
He nipped her ear gently. “Do you really want me to let you go? You’re scared, Scheme. I can take that fear away. ”
A surprised, almost cynical laugh left her lips. “Are you crazy?”
“My pride leader says I am. ” He bent her back in his arms, much as he had done the day before. “Want to test his theory?”
Her chocolate eyes were nearly black, staring back at him in confusion, passion and anger as her hands gripped his forearms, her lips parting just enough to cause his cock to jerk in response.