Page 39 of A Trial By Blood

I hadn’t laid eyes on her in two weeks, and it felt as if an eternity had passed. Now, with her sweet scent surrounding me and the taste of her blood still on my tongue, I would have decimated anything that had gotten between us, and that included the hellhound with her.

My lips peeled back, the physical response involuntary, as was the snarl crawling up my throat as I rounded the corner.

And then I saw her.

My legs felt weak all over again.

I locked my knees as I took her in from head to toe.

Then she turned to me, her blue eyes hitting and locking on mine. They glowed with health. Her cheeks were pink, and her lips were fuller and deep red instead of bloodless. Rose shone with vitality.

I’d done that.

I’d fed her.

I’d nourished and restored her.

Emotions rioted inside me, and I took a step toward her before stopping myself, afraid of what I might do when I reached her. Things I’d never imagined before filled my head, raw and primal things.

I curled my fingers into a fist to stop from reaching for her. Rose, on the other hand, jolted out of her surprise and raced across the kitchen. I didn’t know what she was going to do until she collided with me, pressing in tight, resting her head against my chest, and throwing her arms around my waist.

“You’re here,” she said.

After feeling nothing, being numb to touch for so long, this was a complete and total overload. All of it. The way her body, now soft and rounded, pressed against mine, her warmth. The affection she poured into me, I felt that too. My emotions were a volatile mix inside me, so potent and hot, I trembled from it. I wanted to pull away and greedily receive more of her affection at the same time.

“Ronan, brother, good to see you,” Relic said, breaking through to me.

Somehow, I’d forgotten he was there. My arm banded around Rose, still clinging to me. My instincts raged inside me. I wanted to roar at him, to attack. But I fought for logic. Relic was a good male. He’d helped me, like his brothers had when I’d stumbled into their bar. So I fought my territorial instincts, because that’s what they were, I recognized that much, and forced myself to say his name in greeting.

He studied me. “I was going to help Rose—”

“That won’t be necessary. I’m here now.” Rose is mine, she is my female, and no one goes near her but me. The voice in my head was utterly foreign, but also, without a doubt, part of me. A part not fully realized but growing stronger by the day. Luna was right—Rose was my mate. The bond I felt for her so strong, it had cut through the numbness, my cold, emotionless shell, and drawn me to her, even when I hadn’t known how to interpret what I was feeling.

My instincts had brought me back to her time and again.

Relic grinned for some unknown reason and crossed his arms. “Yeah, brother, you are. And I’m fucking pleased to see it.” He strode to me and gave me a chin lift. “You need help with anything, I’m here.” Then he walked out.

Rose still held me, and she was looking up. Our eyes met, and I was held in place, instantly drawn so deep I wasn’t sure how I’d ever surface or if I wanted to. My gaze dipped to her red lips and mine tingled. A strong urge filled me, roaring at me to lower my mouth to hers and touch, like I had while I’d held her in my arms—the night I was supposed to take her life.

“You’re here,” she said again, voice soft, so soft, my skin tingled from the sound of it.

“Yes.” I quickly released her. It was the only way to gather my control, to lock down the wild emotions clamoring for dominance inside me. The feel of her pressed against me was too much, too soon—not muted, not numb. “You look…” There were no words to articulate what I was feeling at that moment, at seeing her like this. It was impossible.

I was having enough trouble thinking clearly as it was. I couldn’t think if she was touching me.

“I’ve been so worried about you,” she said, lifting her hands as if she were going to touch me again, then quickly lowered them.

I stuffed my hands in my pockets so I didn’t reach for her and pull her back against me. “Luna said you might know what your task entails?” I didn’t want to talk about the last two weeks, I couldn’t, not with Rose, not with anyone.

Her eyes were wide and hadn’t left me. I wish I understood what I saw in her eyes, but I didn’t. I felt all these things, but that didn’t mean I could name them or fully understand them yet.

She chewed her lip and straightened. “Well, not really. I know where I need to go, but not what any of it means. Not yet.”

Her voice had a slight huskiness to it that sent an indescribable sensation shooting up my spine.

“That’s why Relic was here. He helped Iris at the beginning of her task, and I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to…” Her voice trailed off. “If you’d even want to—”

“Whatever this task brings, Rose, I’ll be the one to help you, not Relic.” My voice was calm, but inside I was roaring and snarling. I wanted to go after Relic and make sure he understood that Rose was mine, whether it was logical or not, and the only reason I hadn’t was my need to be near Rose. Just the thought of her with him, with any male, had the ability to drive me to insanity. Which was why I couldn’t stop the next words that spilled from my mouth. “And you will turn down any other male that offers, because no one can protect you the way I can.” My voice sounded rough, harsh to my own ears, but there was no holding it back. “No one.”