Page 100 of Savage Throne
I tightened my hold, subtly enough that no one else would notice but enough to reassure her, even in unconsciousness, that she was safe. Safe in the arms of the man who had pushed her to become something she never wanted to be.
The irony was not lost on me.
“Leo.” Song’s voice went low.
I put my view on him. “Yes?”
His eyes didn’t meet mine but I could sense the question in them.
The doubt.
“Careful, Leo.”
“I’m just carrying her to bed. That is it. What else should I do? Put her on the ground and let her sleep there?”
“I could carry her.”
“That is unnecessary.”
“In the cabin, you had your hands on her earlier—”
“I was consoling her. You act like we were making love in the cabin when you walked in. Stop it.”
“I know you well, brother. I know what it means when you look at a woman in certain ways. We’ve talked about this—”
“Therefore, we donotneed to talk about this again.” I focused on the path ahead.
The ground beneath us was treacherous with uneven rocks and loose gravel threatening to trip us if we weren’t careful.
It was a perfect metaphor for the path I mentally walked on.
One misstep and everything could come crashing down.
Song knew this as well as I did. He had seen the price of my choices, had stood by my side through every brutal decision. And while loyalty was a currency I valued; it was not without cost.
Against my will, my gaze drifted back to Monique.
She was my little weapon, yes, but she was also so much more.
I had seen it the moment she entered our world, defiant despite her vulnerability, her spirit refusing to be broken. That was why I had chosen her.
Not just because of my wife.
Not just because she could beshapedbut because she couldendure.
And Lei, despite his power, needed someone who could match his fire with resilience, someone who could withstand the monster I had created in him.
It was all so perfect.
She’d passed all my tests.
So. . .why am I not. . .truly happy?
I gritted my teeth.
Because. . .in the end. . .I can’t stop thinking. . .what of my own desires?
I couldn’t shut this part of me off. Couldn’t stop it. That gnawing, unwanted yearning that surfaced whenever I looked at her, whenever her laughter rang through my dark soul or when her eyes met mine.
