Page 39 of Blood Moon Bound

“Not so innocent,” I said, not wanting him to think me naive. I hated that.

“Oh,” he said with a chuckle. “Mr. Caputo’s finally mated you, then?”

I wasn’t sure I wanted to talk about that. It felt too private, something that had been bothering me, and something I wanted to keep between Constantine and me.

John’s head tilted to the side. “No? Has he at least explained what you must do?”

“Of course,” I lied, not wanting to admit the truth for some reason.

He nodded and glanced toward the house. “I’m glad to hear it. Where is he? Why isn’t he with you now?”

“He’s with his brothers.”

“I expect they’ll be discussing his return to the field? They’re probably preparing for his departure.”

My fingers curled tighter around the handle of my basket. “No, he wouldn’t do that.”

“I’m sorry, but he’s a warrior, Del, it’s what they do.” A look of pity covered his face. “I’m surprised he’d do that with you unmated, though. He’d be leaving you vulnerable.”

The feeling that shifted through me wasn’t one I liked; no I hated it. Would he really do that? He’d declared his intention to claim me when I was sixteen, he’d come to the blood moon ceremony, we were blood bonded. Why wouldn’t he take the final step and mate with me? What was wrong with me? “He wouldn’t do that.” Would he? Constantine was so closed off. I never knew what he was thinking or feeling. What if he did? What if he left me here vulnerable.

My stepfather could come for me—

“If he truly wanted to, Del, he would have mated you already.”

I stumbled back a step.

“I’m not trying to hurt you. But honestly, I can’t think of a reason for him to put your mating off. I’m your friend, remember? Friends tell each other the things that they need to know, even if it hurts.” He closed the space between us. “Look, I wanted to tell you I’m leaving.”

“Leaving? Why?”

“My family needs me, my father’s sick,” he said and leaned in. “I hate to leave when you’re so upset…look, I know this sounds crazy, but I care about you, the time we’ve spent together in this garden the last few weeks has meant so much to me; you mean so much to me, and I don’t like seeing you hurt like this…see Constantine hurt you like this, so if you ever want to get away from here, call me and I’ll help you. I can keep you safe. I have money saved, I can get you far enough away that he’ll never find you.” He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to me. “My number.”

I opened my mouth to tell him no, to tell him what he said wasn’t true, but the doubts I’d been fighting rushed to the surface. What if that was the truth of it? That Constantine didn’t want me and would never mate with me?”

“Just think about it,” he said. “Something’s not right with this whole situation. You have to see that.”

I took another step back. “I need to go inside now.”

“I’m sorry, Delphine. I really am, but living in some fantasy world will only hurt you more in the long run.”

I nodded and spun around.

“You know how to reach me if you change your mind,” he called after me.

I ran across the gardens and into the house.

Constantine and his brothers were still in his office.

My mind spun and pain battered my heart. I didn’t know what to think. I walked into the library and shut myself in. Besides Constantine’s bedroom, this was my favorite place in the house.

And right then, I needed an escape.

I searched the shelves for something to read, something to get me out of my head. There was a small book buried among Alice’s romance novels. It had a female on the cover and a male stood behind her, one of his hands on her breast, his mouth at her throat. Taken by the Dark Prince was scrawled on the front. I’d finished the last book Alice had given me. So far, they’d been sweet and funny. I’d enjoyed the hugging and kissing I’d read in them.

Now I remembered what Lucinda said about Rainer threatening to take her. Could this book give me the answers I needed? I hoped so because Constantine wouldn’t tell me, and I was sick of being kept in the dark. I’d been lied to and sheltered my entire life. Well, I was done with that. Those thoughts were all twisted up with the things John said and what it all meant.

I sat in one of the chairs and opened the book.