His words rip through the painful barrier I’ve put up, and then his lips consume mine instantly. I cry into the kiss all the more, and he pulls me to be beneath his body as he undoes his pants.
“As long as I don’t have to share you, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you, baby,” he coos.
“You don’t have to share me.” At least not while Hale and I are sane.
I feel his body pressing against mine as he pulls his shirt off, and then I feel my pants sliding down.
“You’re mine, not his. I don’t give a fuck about your connection because ours is stronger,” he growls, and then he lifts me up so my legs wrap around his waist as he carries me into the bedroom.
I gasp when I feel his bare erection threatening my quivering opening, and then I barely have any warning before he thrusts in. His lips devour mine, and then he pounds into me again.
“I love you, Araya,” he mumbles into my mouth.
“I love you.”
No other man in this world would be willing to be with me after hearing that, but Brazen truly loves me the way someone is supposed to. This still isn’t fair to him, but I can’t let him go if he doesn’t let me.
He continues his fervent pace, and he grips my hips to jerk them into his thrusts. I continue crying as my bizarrely tangled and mixed emotions drain me, and then I feel the building inside me as his teeth graze my lip.
“I. Won’t. Lose. You,” he grunts into my mouth, and my claws dig into his back as the throbbing becomes surreal.
I scream out my release just as he surges into me one last time. He holds himself at the deepest point as his life rushes through me, and then he crashes to the bed beside me before pulling me into his arms. My tears dampen his chest, and he kisses my forehead while stroking my hair.
“I told you I’m never letting you go again, baby.”
I cry happily and anxiously. How is this going to work? How can I expect him to deal with this possibility always looming over us?
Brazen’s lips graze mine once I finish getting ready for the gathering below. The examiner should have the full results of the test, and Brazen wants to go with me to see what he found. I already know I’m right, but this will be the proof we need.
“You ready, babe?” he asks softly while buttoning up his shirt.
“Yeah. You know we could run into Hale. Are you sure you can see him without getting into a fight after everything I’ve told you?”
“I’m sure I can try not to punch his teeth down his throat,” he growls.
“Just stay here. I’ll go and get the results, and then I’ll come back to tell you.”
“No. I want to go. I’m not going to hide out here. This is my home, not his,” he grouses.
I smile a little, and then my lips close over his momentarily before I draw back.
“If you still want me to, I’ll move in today.”
His anger dissipates instantly, and pure elation cloaks his face.
“Really?” he says a little too excitedly, and he clears his throat to bring some manliness back to his tone. “That’s incredible.”
His lips claim mine, and then he jerks me to his body as he smiles into our kiss. I laugh lightly, but I’m still worried about how he’ll handle it if - or when - I go savage again. I’ve done well to not seriously injure him, but I still crave Hale when I’m like that. How will he respond to seeing me run to the man he hates the most? How will he feel when my lips seek the comforting embrace of Hale’s? How will he feel when the only way Hale can bring me back is to inject me himself? It’s a daunting possibility, and the thought of losing Brazen because part of me wants a man I can never truly have is excruciating.
“Shit,” he exasperates. “I forgot I have to go start logging the full bloods, but I’ll come find you before the meeting,” he murmurs softly as he leads me out the door.
Oh crap. I have to go check in with Hale.
“Yeah. I’ll see you then,” I grumble, and he gives me another sweet peck on the cheek before jogging down the hall.
I sigh out my frustrations, and then I make the zombie walk down the hall to Hale’s room. I don’t plan on going in, but I know he’ll be expecting the hybrids to come by. I’ll just knock, say my name, and then run the hell off.
I turn the corner, and my heart flip flops until it reaches my mouth. I stumble forward when I see him leaning against his door. Several men crowd around him, their ears hanging on his every word.
