Sighing, she rubbed at her brow. “Forming the bond would be a real bad idea.”
He tensed. “Don’t fight this, Piper.”
“Celeste—”
“Has nothing to do with this situation,” he finished.
“But she’ll shove her way into it. You know that. Ignoring the facts doesn’t negate them.”
“The only facts that matter are pretty simple. You’re my anchor. You belong to me.” Which gave him more satisfaction than he suspected she’d be comfortable with. “I’m yours just the same. I’m not walking away from you, so don’t think to ask it of me.”
“Put aside the anchor possessiveness for one minute and look at the bigger picture. Celeste thinks of you as the one that got away. So you and me having any kind of connection? No, she’d never take it well. Add in that she was recently dumped by her boyfriend, and she isn’t in a good place right now.”
“All that is sad for Celeste.” Not that he actually gave much of a shit. “But how she feels isn’t what’s important to me.”
“You’re not at all reluctant to form the bond?” Piper asked, clearly skeptical. “You and Celeste didn’t exactly part on good terms. The aftermath was ugly. Drama galore. You really want to put yourself back in her path?”
“I don’t care about her path, I care about ours. I’m not going to let her get in the way. Nothing ever gets between me and what’s mine. And you, Piper … you’re mine.”
Something he couldn’t quite name flared in her eyes. She tipped her head back and drained her glass. The sight of her throat working as she swallowed the wine made his blood heat. She only made it worse by swiping her tongue over her lips, utterly oblivious to the effect she had on him.
As she placed her empty glass on the fire mantel, Levi took slow, easy steps toward her and said, “What you and I discovered today is a good thing, Piper. Something that should be celebrated. You can’t tell me you weren’t looking forward to finding your psi-mate. The vast majority of demons are. I sure as shit wanted to find mine, and here you are.”
Here she’d been for six years, and he hadn’t known who she was to him and his demon. He hadn’t at all sensed it. That galled Levi big time.
He reached out and briefly gave her hand a light squeeze. A mistake, really, because the feel of her skin beneath his own only ramped up his arousal. He’d apparently made the unconscious decision to torture himself. Hunger briefly flamed to life in her eyes, making his stomach clench.
Ignoring the demands of his body, he said, “I’m not going anywhere. Especially not to placate someone who has no relevance to the situation. You’re what matters to me. You’re my priority.” He saw that that got to her. That she wanted to reach for what he was offering. He also saw that she wasn’t done hesitating.
She folded her arms. “And what if you and Celeste get back together? She’d be your priority then, she’d—Why is that funny?”
He tried dimming his amused smile with little success. “Because the idea of it is laughable. I have no interest in her, Piper. We ended for a reason. A good one.”
“She dumped you.”
Why Piper seemed to be under the impression that Levi was cut up about it, he had no clue. “She did it to spur me into not only fully committing to her but also agreeing to give up both my sentinel position and my role as Knox’s bodyguard. She didn’t like that I kept things casual, or that so much of my time and attention was taken up by my positions. Her plan had no prayer of working. I’d already decided by then that I wanted out anyway.”
“I didn’t know she asked you to give up your roles. It doesn’t surprise me, though. She likes to be the center of all things.” Piper nibbled on her lower lip. “You know, even if she doesn’t want you anymore, she’ll try to win you back.”
“Try to pull me away from you, you mean? Maybe, but … I don’t want her. I don’t feel anything for her. That won’t change.”
Piper exhaled heavily, her gaze filled with so much uncertainty.
“The problem is you’re used to tiptoeing around her feelings and triggers. I noticed that when I was involved with her. Your mother does it, too. So does Joe. Maybe they actively encourage you to do it, or maybe it’s a case of learned behavior. Either way, it’s automatic for you.”
Piper double-blinked, seemingly taken off-guard. “Well … she’s had it hard.”
“You think that means her feelings hold more importance than yours?” Levi shook his head. “People like Celeste make everyone around them feel like they’re walking on a minefield. How many times have you vetoed something on the basis that she’ll pitch a fit? You’ve done it to keep the peace, but in doing so, you’ve also gone without.” That wouldn’t be happening anymore. Levi would nip that shit in the bud.