Page 68 of Don't Bite the Botanist
Baylin reached under his desk and grabbed another energy drink. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” he replied, cracking it open.
Tressa shrugged. “I mean, payback’s a bitch. I never want to hear about your sex life either.”
“Touché. But seriously, how’s he doing post transition?”
Tressa watched Baylin throw back half of the drink in one massive slug and frowned. Her cousin’s caffeine addiction was no secret, but even for him, it seemed excessive. She made a mental note to ask the cadre about it, but thoughts of Ethan quickly chased away the concern for her cousin’s adrenal glands.
“It’s incredible, Bay,” she gushed. “I mean, we had a rough start with the whole stabbing me thing, but—”
“What?” Baylin demanded, slamming the can on the table and sloshing amber liquid over a keyboard. “He stabbed you?”
She waved a hand. “It’s nothing. Water under the bridge. He healed me. Seriously, not even a scratch, Bay. His power is… It’s amazing. I’m just worried he’s going to want to take up hunting with Saiden now since he has such a useful ability.”
“I doubt it,” Baylin replied, wiping up the spilled drink. “Saiden told me Ethan never seemed much into the combat part of training. That it was more a thing he was pushing himself to do, as opposed to genuinely enjoying it. I’d say you’re more likely to lose your mate to a laboratory than a battlefield.”
Her cheeks ached from the massive smile she didn’t even try to contain. “My mate. Damn, I’m never going to get tired of that. Saiden was right. It really is the most incredible feeling. I can’t believe I found my mate.”
“I’m yourwhat?!”
They both whipped around to see Ethan standing just inside the doorway of Baylin’s room, his jaw stretching toward the floor.
“Ummm…” Tressa’s heart started pounding, and it only got louder when Baylin hit the switch to kill his metal music entirely.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
This was not how she wanted to have this conversation. “Ethan, look. About that…”
She hopped out of the chair and took a step toward him, but he held up a hand. She waited as his face cycled through a dozen emotions, praying to Lilith that he would at least give her the chance to explain. Their story just started; it couldn’t be over already. She wouldn’tletit be over already.
“When did you know?” he asked, his voice cautious, wary, and simmering with an undercurrent of pain.
“When did I know…?”
“That I’m your mate,” he bit out. “How long have you known and hid it from me?”
Tressa swallowed roughly, and her eyes dropped to the pristine marble flooring. She was almost embarrassed that she briefly debated lying again. But she couldn’t. Not to Ethan. Not ever again.
Her eyes lifted to his. “Since the moment I first met you,” she said, her voice barely audible in the painfully silent room. His eyes widened, and her heart nearly shattered at the betrayal on his face. “But, Ethan, you need to know—”
“Don’t,” he snapped, the anger she’d thought gone from his soul flaring to life in his eyes once again. “I first thought you only wanted me because of my research secrets, and I believed you when you said it wasn’t that. But now I see it’s much worse. You’re only interested in me because you believe in some mythical fairytale about fated mates.” He scoffed, the dismissal a dagger in her heart. “Do you even like me,Tressa?”
She opened her mouth to argue that she didn’t just like him, but she had fallen head over heels in love with him. He didn’t give her a chance to utter a single word, though.
“No,” he said, huffing out a weak laugh. “Actually, don’t answer that.” He shook his head sadly. “I thought… I thought we were done with the lies. But now I’m wondering if that’s just who you are. You’re the centuries-old vamp, and I’m the newly turned human who couldn’t possibly understand your world. Which means I don’t get to know anything until you decide it’s the right time. You literally promised me a few hours ago that you would be completely open and honest, and the whole time you were what? Hiding yet another monumental secret?”
“It’s not like that,” she said, cautiously inching forward like she might spook him if she moved too fast. “I can explain everything.”
He backed away from her, bumping into the door frame. “No. I just…”
He stared at her for a second, and the anger in his eyes started to fade to something much worse. She would have gladly endured a million botany lectures if it wiped that new expression off his face—disappointment.
Or worse, heartbreak.
He sighed. “I think… I think maybe this is all happening too fast. I got caught up in the dying, and the killing, and the sex. This isn’t me, Tressa. I don’t do things like this. I’ve been so consumed by anger for the past thirteen years, and now that I’m seeing things clearly again, maybe I need some time.” His voice dropped into a low, sad whisper, and he added, “Maybe I made a mistake.”
“Ethan, wait,” she protested, taking a hesitant step forward, then another when he didn’t immediately flinch. “I told you we would sitdown and go over everything. I was going to tell you about the mate bond when we had that conversation. I swear I was—”
“Save it,” he said, but his tone wasn’t cold. Wasn’t vengeful.
