"You heard me."
"I heard you, but I haven't the slightest fucking clue what you speak of."
He rolls his amber eyes. "It may not be obvious to anyone else, but I picked up on the human’s scent as soon as I got back. She is your mate and your shitty mood is clearly a result of you deciding to reject her."
"I am demon. I have no mate.” I glare and chug another bottle.
"You can keep telling yourself that, but it won't change a damn thing.” Colt leans into the counter, and pins me with his stare. "A word of advice?"
I shrug my shoulders because it is useless denying anything to him at this point.
"Don't reject her. If she feels the bond, just accept it. I know why you decided to push her away, something that is written all over your face, but the mate bond is stronger than our perceived shortcomings. If she feels the bond then she'll love you despite the sins you've committed, despite the curse you feel you carry. If you reject her, deny her, and she embraces the connection, it's going to hurt her more than you could ever imagine. The rejection of a mate is almost as bad as losing one and if you love her at all, which you clearly do, don't do that to her. No one deserves to go through that, no matter how noble the reason behind it is."
I arch a brow, and mirror his position. "Speaking from experience?"
Colt nods. "I am. So if you care about her at all, don't do that to her. It might crush you, but it will completely destroy her, and short of reversing the rejection and turning it into acceptance, nothing will ever take away that pain for either of you."
"I have no intent to reject her." I sigh, and set down my beer. "I plan to make her reject me. It will be easier that way because I fear I could deny her nothing."
"Then don't even do that. Don't make her reject you, don't deny her love, don't do any of it. Just accept your bond, accept that you're mates and live the way The Maker intended."
"It is not that simple." Not even fucking close.
"Nothing worth fighting for ever is, Zan.” Colt looks away and out the window into the yard. "If I'd have known what it would do… to my mate, to her, to me, to us, I never would have done what I did, despite knowing in my heart it was the right thing to do. Your mate completes who you are, makes you whole, and that gives you strength that you didn't know you had or needed. That strength is enough to battle any war, including the ones we fight against ourselves."
Jesus, that was really deep. And rather spot on to what I'm dealing with. It also makes me incredibly curious about the wolf because of all the time we've spent together, he has never shared any of this with me before.
"I will simply leave it up to her," I say because I have no idea what the fuck else to say. "If she chooses our bond, then I will not reject her, but if she does not, I will not force it."
"Don't be an asshole to her either, Zan.” He looks me in the eye and smirks. "I have a feeling your mate probably likes it though."
"Perhaps, but she has seen very little of how much of an asshole I can be, surely there is time to make her despise me for it."
Colt rolls his eyes, and pushes off the counter. "Did you hear anything I said? Don't make things hard for her just because you have a shitty opinion of yourself. I'm telling you, it will destroy her." He starts toward the doors. "You coming to the meeting?"
"What meeting?" I straighten and look around as if there will be a flyer posted somewhere. "I know nothing of a meeting."
He grins like an ass. "Allie convinced the king to call a clan meeting this morning. Gonna tell her cousin all about the things that go bump in the night."
"What?!" My body launches itself off the counter and toward him, pulse through the roof. "Kai agreed to reveal our true natures to Frankie?!"
"Yep." Colt nods as his smirk widens. "Gonna tell her everything so she knows, so everyone can stop pussyfooting around the human and let their shit fly when they want to. Seems like the right thing to do, if you ask me."
"I did not ask you! Nor did anyone ask me! This is madness, there is surely no benefit from telling Frankie about shifters and vampyrs and fae."
"And demons?" he asks, brow arched, smirk in place.
"Right! She will surely freak the fuck out, will hate me and want to move. Frankie will—" Maybe this is exactly what should happen. Maybe once she finds out, Frankie will just up and leave, sever our bond by rejecting what I am and we can be done with it. Too bad that thought makes me want to fucking cry.
"Should be interesting." Colt interrupts my inner turmoil. "A real test of that bond you want broken. Glad I came back in time for this shit."
I scowl, slam two more beers and open a fifth. "Fuck off, wolf."
Colt howls out a laugh and leaves the kitchen, joins the others in what I see to be an entire clan picnic-style breakfast.
Gods, today might just be the day I finally lose my shit entirely.
I'm absolutely terrified for Frankie to learn of our true natures and I'm not sure if it's because I fear she'll leave because of it, or worse yet, accept it completely and want to stay for all time.
