Page 33 of Fated In Ruin
She had a difficult time letting us into her life and then I’d nearly ruined the fragile bond we’d built between us. I couldn’t make the same mistake twice, and I wouldn’t let Blake make it, either.
“If we charge in there now, all we’re saying is we don’t think she can handle this herself.” I explained, “Even though this waiting around is killing me, just as much as it is you, we have to give her time, Blake.”
His jaw tightened. “She could already be dead.”
“Goddamn it, shut the fuck up.” My voice boomed against the walls. “She’s not fucking dead.”
I dragged a hand through my hair, trying to get myself back under control. Blake was losing his shit, Ihadto keep it together. And Evie couldn’t be dead. I’dknow. I’dfeelit. “Malachi needs her, and he won’t harm her,” I said, more calmly. “That, I’m sure of.”
Blake’s magic surged, the shadows in the room stretching longer and I tensed, every instinct telling me to brace for an attack. Or something worse.
“Blake,” I said carefully, holding my ground. “You need to get a grip on yourself, anger isn’t helping.”
His breathing turned shallow, fingers twitching at his sides. For a moment, I thought he might lunge, that those demons would take over and he’d lose himself completely. But then, just as quickly as it had risen, he wrenched back control. The shadows in the room receded, slithering away like ink spilling backward into a bottle, the candles spluttering back to life.
“If anything happens to my mate, just know you are the one I’ll blame. We might be friends, but if I lose Evangeline over a decision you made, I will never forgive you.”
He turned away again, pressing his hands against the mantle, his shoulders rising and falling with slow, deliberate breaths. I rubbed my aching temples.
How many times had he dragged me back from the edge these past weeks? How many times had he tried to talk sense into me and not a single word had sunk in, because I’d been too far gone, drunk on power, caught up in Ravok’s possession?
The very least I owed my friend was the same amount of honesty.
“Evangeline is the most resilient, clever, determined female I’ve ever met, and while she is your mate, she is also very much her own person, Blake. Telling her no is like putting her in a cage, and I tried that once. It didn’t go well for either of us, even if it was for her own good.”
“Easy for you to fucking say, when she means more to me than she does to you.”
I stared at the rigid line of his shoulders, his fingers, gripping the mantle like he was holding on for dear life.Well, so the fuck was I.
“You know what? Fuck you and the high horse you rode in on. She might be your mate, but I love her as much as you do, and you can go fuck yourself for saying any different. You want to put your fists where your mouth is, I’ll beat the truth into you, since that’s the only way it will sink into your thick skull.”
He whipped around, mouth curving into a wicked grin, that scar pulling at one corner. “You want to fight,your Majesty? I’ll kick your fucking royal ass.”
* * *
I barely hadtime to brace myself before Blake’s fist slammed into my jaw. Stars exploded in my vision, and I stumbled back, tasting blood. “You fuck. I didn’t meanin here.”
I waved at the maps and empty coffee cups and scattered reports on the table. Preparations for Ravok’s inevitable assault, plans Nash was outside implementing. Because while we fought each other, the real war was drawing closer.
I could feel we were running out of time.
“She needed us.” Blake’s voice was raw, half fury, half heartbreak. “And you let her face a monster alone.”
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and studied the smear of blood. “Evie made her choice,” I ground out. “You think Ilikedletting her stay with that bastard? You think I didn’t want to…”
Blake came at me again. I ducked, barely avoiding the next punch, and drove my shoulder into his ribs, shoving him back and back, until we rammed something solid. The wood paneled walls shook, the entire room pulsed with our heavy breathing.
“You could have backed me up. Together, we could have stopped her.” He swung again, and like before, I wasn’t fast enough. His knuckles crashed into my cheek, snapping my head to the side. My vision blurred, pain burning sharp enough hot bile surged up my throat.
I shook my head, gritting my teeth. “She would have doubled down and you fucking know it. She’s too stubborn for her own good, but she can handle herself. If we don’t trust her Blake…this thing between us?” I searched his face and found no sign he was even listening.
“If you don’t give her some spaceandevery bit of your trust, this isn’t going to fucking work. We’ll lose her. Is that what you want?”
“I was going to get her, bring her back, keep her safe,” he muttered, proof he hadn’t heard a single word. “You didn’t even fight for her, you gave up.”
“I didn’t give up, you idiot, Itrustedher to know her own limits and gauge her situation. There’s a pretty big difference, if you stopped thinking like a mated male who’s lost his shit and started thinking like the male who taught me everything I know about strategy.”
Because Blake was a fucking pain in my ass and my temper was spiraling out of control, I threw the next punch, one he didn’t see coming and my fist connected solidly with his ribs, air and spit spewing from his mouth, but he didn’t go down.
