“You will look at me like that when you are riding my cock, mate.”
“No problem.”
“And you will not get yourself killed. Do you understand me?”
I didn’t make promises I knew I couldn’t keep. I knew better than that. So I kissed him again instead. “I need to get inside.”
“That’s what I said,” he told me, running his knuckles down my cheek.
I rolled my eyes at him. “Let’s go.”
* * *
Nix
I could feel the eyes of at least two snipers on me, the hair on the back of my neck standing at alarm. I’d been hunted before, but never on the orders of a female I loved to distraction. My mate was going to be the death of me, but when she’d restrained me to the fucking bed, closed the door to our bedroom suite and walked away, I realized exactly how big of a mistake I’d made.
Huge.
I never wanted to see that look in her eyes again.
Disappointment. Resignation. Pain.
And I never wanted to have Thor find me like that ever again. Fuck, no.
Captain Turaya had tried to warn all three of us. He was older, mated for decades, and far wiser than we had been. I should have listened. Destiny was strong enough to walk away from me, and that scared me more than anything ever had. More than Hive Scouts. More than the Hive Integration units. More than being hunted by enemy assassins. More than death.
If I tried to control her, she would leave me behind. Which meant I would have to rearrange my thinking and fight my instincts every day for the rest of my life.
I leaped to the ground after her, amazed at her agility and confidence. I’d never really seen her like this. The first night we’d met in the elder’s office—the first night in the Jax-provided suite didn’t count—I’d been too distracted by my newly awakened cock to appreciate exactly how light on her feet she’d been when she escaped me, or how quick and nimble she’d been climbing the vines to the old woman’s office. She moved silently, her skill well-practiced. The knives lining her body testament to the threat she posed to her enemies.
When she jumped to the ground I realized this was it, that what happened between us this night would determine the course of the rest of my life.
And without her, it meant nothing.
I followed her around the building, both of us moving quickly through the shadows. When she reached a low-level window, she stopped and pressed her ear to the glass, just as she’d done on the roof.
Strange, but I would ask her about it later. Not now. Not when a hint of sound might get us both killed.
Whatever she heard appeared to satisfy her, for she opened the window and leaped up, pulling herself up as easily as any man. I followed quickly, knowing she would leave me behind without hesitation if I slowed her down.
Goddess, she really was magnificent on a hunt. And I had no doubts about what was going on, we were hunting. Together.
And I loved watching my mate move. I loved how deadly she was. I loved knowing she could fight her way out of here if we needed to. She was dangerous. A threat. A beautiful, sexy, passionate threat, and she was mine.
Pulling myself into the building, I landed on the floor next to her in a storage room of some kind. Shelves lined with boxes and supplies surrounded us. My eyes adjusted quickly, and I saw Destiny standing near the door. Listening.
The muffled sound of conversation came clearly through from the other side. A stream of light slipped just under the door itself, and I noticed Destiny was careful to keep the toes of her boots just out of sight. One hand was on the door, the other on a weapon. She was thorough, and ready for trouble, although I doubted anyone would get close to the door without her knowing.
I wanted to push her out of the way and listen myself. I wanted to open the door and peek outside, assess the situation. Decide on a course of action. But something about the way she moved held me in check. She wasn’t just listening at the door, she was listening. Intent. She obviously had a plan.
My only plan was to protect her.
I’m in. I’m always in.
I had made my mate a promise just a few minutes ago, and I had no intention of breaking it now. When I found her freezing and miserable, alone on top of that roof, my heart had broken at my own stupidity. She was out there, alone, unprotected, because of me. I’d gotten exactly the opposite of what I’d wanted.
I needed to make her understand what she was to me. I wanted her to know I loved everything about her. I hadn’t realized it until now, but it was the truth.