Page 20 of Accidental Blood Lust
Auri smiles, gesturing for me to continue.
“That’s all.”
The demon chuckles, flipping his long black hair off his shoulder. “Come now, pet. You can tell daddy.”
“Eww.” I scrunch my nose. “I thought we asked you not to say that anymore.”
“Did you? I don’t recall. Now tell me what’s wrong. Perhaps I can help.”
It’s obvious I’m not getting out of here unless I fess up, and hell, maybe Auri can help. “My wolf adores him,” I confess. “Goes wild around him. He smells so damn good.”
“So, fuck him.”
“I can’t, Auri. He’s Jareth’s ex and there are still feelings there. I would never betray Jareth that way.”
“It’s cute that you think you can avoid it. Must I spell it out?”
If I hear it spoken, maybe it will clear my mind of all the chaos. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
Auri chuckles. “Yes, because your wolf is simply confused. I hear that’s a common problem with wolf shifters.”
“It’s not,” I grumble.
“What’s that? It’s not? Oh, well, then that only means one thing. Wolfie has found his mate.”
My wolf responds to those words, pushing forward and thrashing inside me. Fur ripples across my arms and my gums throb as my canines elongate. The urge to go running through these halls back to Lochlan, to bite him, mark him, is almost impossible to resist.
I inhale and exhale slowly, trying to calm the wolf. “I can’t, Auri. I won’t hurt Jareth that way, and I hate Lochlan.”
“Why? What has he done to you?”
“Nothing,” I mumble. “It’s what he did to Jareth. And I… I love Jareth.”
“Then why are you not with him?”
“He’s not my fated mate, obviously. It felt wrong and unfair to tie my life to Jareth, knowing that at any point our happiness could be derailed by the appearance of my true fated mate.”
“Oh, darling. I’m not sure if you know how fate works, but it doesn’t give a fuck about our ideas and plans.”
“Yes, I do know that. That’s my point.”
“But you’re missing it right now. Fate has decided this vampire is to be yours. You can certainly reject your mate, but I don’t have to tell you the devastating repercussions of denying fate.”
I drag my hand through my hair, scratching at my scalp. “No, you don’t. How do I make it work? I don’t even like him, much less love him. And Jareth… Fuck. Why is fate so cruel?”
“Roman.”
I look up at the use of my name. Auri looks serious.
“When fate chooses a mate for us, it is never wrong. It may not be easy, and it may be complicated, but there is a reason for it. I don’t pretend to know why fate moves the way it does, but I’ve been alive long enough to know not to question it. Lochlan is yours, for whatever reason, and you must simply open your heart and your mind to discover fate’s purpose.”
“Why didn’t I know this the other times I’ve met him? He was just Jareth’s annoying boyfriend to me.”
“You said he was recently turned?”
“Yes, but wolves can have human mates.”
Auri smiles again. It’s slightly condescending, so I have a feeling I might not like what he’s about to say.
