I stilled. Maybe I hadn’t distracted her at all. “You are everything you need to be, and you will only continue to find yourself.”
“But I will never be your mate.” She returned her gaze to the wall across the room. Seconds ticked by as I tried to think of something to say to her. But that proved impossible. How the fuck was I supposed to tell her she was wrong?
I couldn’t because I knew she was right.
There was only one way to make it happen. I couldn’t believe I was even considering it. It was fucking insane, but we would be, too, if we didn’t find a way to solve our problem. We were at a crossroads. We had to choose a path. “Thea, there is a way.”
I heard her breath catch. A moment passed, and she said, “I’m listening.”
“If you weren’t a virgin,” I began slowly, “then there would be no risk to–”
“Then screw me already,” she blurted out. She let go of my hands and flipped over to face me.
“I can’t,” I repeated my words from earlier. Pain ghosted through her eyes.
“I don’t understand how I’m supposed to lose my virginity if you don’t take it,” she said defiantly.
She really belonged to me. Pride swelled in my chest as I looked at this unexpected mate of mine. But now wasn’t the time to go all gooey. Not when I was going to have to spell it out in painful detail. “I would not be the one to take it, pet.”
Her face went blank. She blinked a few times and continued to stare. “I don’t understand.”
“I think you do,” I said carefully. I braced myself for a wave of blood-rage and plastered a limp smile on my face. “I’m certain there will be any number of men ready to help you with the issue.”
Her jaw dropped, and then she sputtered, “You want me to find some guy to fuck me?”
I felt none of the amusement I usually experienced when she cursed. I couldn’t. Even hearing her say it had me on the edge of violence.
“I want to take you as my mate,” I said in a strained tone.
“That I can agree to.” Thea pushed herself up on the bed and crossed her legs, treating me to a glimpse of the subject in question. I groaned as I grabbed a pillow and tossed it into her lap.
“I can’t think when I’m looking at that.”
“In that case.” She picked up the pillow and threw it on the floor. “Are you really okay with sharing my body with another man?”
I was across the room before she blinked. My fist drove through the plaster wall as my brain imagined what I would do to the man that laid a finger on her.
“That’s one way to answer,” she said from behind me. “Julian, I’m not going to sleep with another man. I won’t do that to you.”
I withdrew my hand from the hole, plaster crumbling to the floor, and shook off some of the dust. I squared my shoulders and turned to face her, doing my best to appear composed. “I give you my blessing.”
“Fuck your blessing,” she yelled. “I’ve waited my whole life for you. I knew that when we met. There has to be another way.”
“Chastity is an option,” I said dryly.
“I doubt it,” she shot back. Thea scrambled off the bed and moved toward me. “Someday, you will slip. I know because you slipped earlier tonight. Did you plan to feed on me?”
I swallowed, my thoughts growing dark. “No.”
“Exactly.” She crossed her arms over her small breasts. “It’s only a matter of time.”
“That sounds like a challenge, pet.” My palm twitched as I considered how best to help her understand boundaries regarding this topic.
“No. It’s common sense.” She sucked in a choppy breath. “You nearly took me tonight.”
“I know,” I said bitterly.
“Don’t sound so happy about it,” she muttered.
“I’m not.” I paced across the floor, throwing glances at her as I made my rounds. “It’s unfair to you.”
“It’s unfair to both of us,” she corrected me. “I know what tethering demands of you.”
I snorted. “I don’t care about that. The moment I saw you, I knew I would either protect you until you left this world or…”
“Or?” she prompted.
I pivoted so that I could look her directly in the eyes. “Or I knew I would be the one to take you from it.”
She didn’t so much as flinch. “I already told you. I am yours completely. If that–”
“Fuck,” I interrupted her. Had things already gone too far? She couldn’t really mean what she implied. “You already sound tethered. Can you imagine how much worse it could get?”
“I have, and I’m willing to take that risk.”
“You are so maddeningly stubborn,” I said through gritted teeth.
She shrugged one of her shoulders. “Maybe, or maybe I just have more faith in us.”
