Page 21 of Flint's Arrow
“I know you are.” Flint stared into his tea. “I can smell it on you. But sorry doesn’t fix this, Arrow. Sorry doesn’t make me trust you.”
“Then what do I need to do?” Arrow leaned forward, desperate. “Tell me how to fix this, please. I’ve been thinking and thinking, but nothing I think of is ever going to make up for what I did. I already know that. So what can I do?”
Flint’s snake coiled tight in his chest. The mating pull throbbed like a wound, made worse by Arrow’s proximity. Every instinct screamed at him to reach across the table, to touch, to claim, to complete the bond that would ease the constant ache.
But Flint had learned long ago not to let instinct override good sense. It was why he was still alive when so many other assassins died in their first year on the job.
“I’m not ready for you to claim me.” The words hurt to say, like shards of glass scraping his throat, but Flint pushed through it. “I need time. I need to know this isn’t just the mating pull talking, that you actually wantmeand not just the idea of a mate.”
Arrow’s face went pale. “How long?”
“I don’t know.” Flint’s chest constricted. He could feel Arrow’s pain as if it were his own - probably because itwashis own. The bond connected them whether they wanted it to or not. “As long as it takes for me to believe you see me as an equal.”
“I do see you as an equal.” Arrow’s hand twitched toward Flint’s, then retreated. “More than equal. You’re incredible.”
“You didn’t think so two weeks ago.”
“I was wrong two weeks ago. About everything.” Arrow’s throat worked. “I understand if you need time. I’ll do my best to wait as long as you need. But Flint...can I at least try? Can I show you I’ve changed?”
Flint wanted to say no. The smart thing would be to send Arrow away, to protect himself from further hurt. But his snake wouldn’t survive it - he would pine away eventually, and Flint’s heart couldn’t handle the idea that it would kill Arrow’s wolf, too.Bullets are so much easier.
“There are other complications, too.” Flint forced himself to think practically, to focus on logistics instead of the emotional minefield between them. “Even if we did claim each other eventually, we have separate lives. Separate jobs. I have my house here, you have your own place - somewhere. I’m an assassin who works in the field, you sit in an office tracking financial crimes and arresting people in offices and fancy clubs.”
“I know.”
“I’m not leaving Assassin’s Alley.” Flint’s voice hardened. “This is my home. These people are my family. I won’t give that up for anyone, mate or not.”
Arrow nodded quickly. “I wouldn’t ask you to.”
“Your job is in the city, isn’t it? Could you even live out here? The commute alone would be over two hours each way.” Flint gripped his mug tighter. “And what about when I get called out on assignments? Would you be okay with your mate disappearing for days at a time to kill people? It’s not like you could come with me if you’re busy with your own job.”
“I don’t know.” Arrow’s honesty caught Flint off guard. “I haven’t thought that far ahead. But I want to figure it out. We can find solutions if we work together.”
“Can we?” Flint’s laugh was hollow. “You’re a wolf who cares about status and appearances. I’m a snake who wears fluffy slippers and grows strawberries. You work in cybercrimes, arresting tax evaders. I’m a sharpshooter. We don’t exactly have compatible lifestyles.”
“Maybe not.” Arrow’s jaw set with determination. “But we’re fated mates. That has to count for something.”
“It counts for biology.” Flint stood abruptly, moving to the sink to dump his barely touched tea. “It doesn’t count for compatibility or happiness or...or actually liking each other.”
“I like you.”
“You don’t know me.” Flint braced his hands on the counter, staring out the window at his greenhouse. The strawberries would need checking soon.Storm better not have eaten any.“You like what you think I am now that you’ve decided I’m worth noticing.”
Silence fell. Flint could hear Arrow breathing, could smell the sharp spike of pain in his scent. His snake writhed with the need to turn around, to comfort, to fix the hurt between them.
But Flint had spent three days in London waiting for the perfect shot. He knew how to be patient, how to wait for the right moment.
“Let me take you on a date.”
Flint turned slowly. “What?”
“Tomorrow night. In Big Sky.” Arrow’s hands twisted together in his lap. “Let me take you to dinner. A real date where I can treat you the way I should have done from the beginning. Where I canask you about yourself and listen to your answers, and prove I’m more than an asshole from the bar.”
“Arrow…”
“Please.” The raw desperation in Arrow’s voice made Flint’s heart clench. “I know I don’t deserve a chance. I know I fucked up worse than anyone’s ever fucked up before. But let me try to show you I can be better. Let me prove I can be the mate you deserve.”
Flint’s instincts warred inside him. The smart choice was to refuse, to protect himself. But he could see Arrow’s sincerity, could smell the genuine regret rolling off him in waves. And despite everything, despite the hurt and anger, a tiny part of Flint truly wanted to believe Arrow could change.
