Page 231 of Caged

“Finish that sentence, Idril.” I swallow thickly. “Please.”

She searches my eyes, looking for something. She must find it, because her entire body deflates.

“I was afraid you’d wake up and tell them I was lying. I keep trying to tell them about the Bond, but they don’t believe me. I’ve been so afraid. So scared that you’d tell them there was no Bond, or that I was making it up.”

She shakes her head ruefully, strands of silver hair dancing around her face, tugged loose by the wind.

Oh, baby, no.

I pull her closer.

“I thought if I could just make it until you got better, then when you woke up, everything would be alright. You’d explain it to them. Tell them the truth. Fix it.”

She looks up, and the devastation in her eyes breaks something inside of me. I feel it shift, making room for her pain. Craving vengeance for its Mate.

“They’re cruel, Caelan. Daxen and Vaelenor especially.” Her voice is barely above a whisper. “They hate me. I’m pretty sure if one of them lit me on fire, Daxen would stand by and happily watch me burn.”

She laughs, but the sound is self-deprecating and ends on a sob.

This isn’t a misunderstanding. This is a fucking nightmare.

A disaster.

And at this moment, I fucking hate my pack. I hate them for making my poor girl—who is good and kind and sweet and still manages to hope even after the hell she’s been through—feel like… this.

“Silas is…” she hesitates. “He’s… a lot. He’s no meaner than the others, but he’s no kinder, either. He watches them and laughs.” Her eyes are unfocused and glassy now, like she’s watching something I can’t see. Every word is a bullet to my chest.

“Cage is the worst, though.”

“Cage?” I recoil, feeling like someone just sucker punched me. “Why the fuck are you around that psychopath?”

She just shrugs, like it’s of no importance. Like the most honorable males I know, forcing her to spend time with a fucking sadist was just… fine. Acceptable, even.

“Vaelenor said he was guarding me, but Cage doesn’t guard me. He likes to hurt me.” Her voice is small.

And all I see is red.

My body vibrates like a live wire: my gums throb, fangs mere seconds from dropping. I’m lightheaded, heat crawling up my neck, burning my face.

“What do you mean?” I demand. My voice is a guttural snarl that barely sounds human. “How does Cage hurt you?”

Idril doesn’t answer. She reaches out and places a hand softly on my chest, right over my heart.

“Your heart is racing,” she whispers.

“I’m pissed,” I growl. “I’m trying very hard not to lose my cool because I don’t want to scare you. I’m trying very hard, Idril, not to fucking scream.”

She watches me, like she’s gauging my sincerity. Like she’s taking the time to be sure I’m still safe.

Because my brothers have hurt her and allowed others to hurt her so often that she now needs to convince herself that her own Mate—the one male in the world who is supposed to protect her above all else—is a safe space. Her eyes flit back and forth as she holds my gaze, reading every fine line, every truth.

I hold still, letting her see all of me. I’ll never hide from her, but the anger I feel toward my brothers makes me want to tear this entire realm into pieces with my bare hands.

Opening my side of our Bond, I let her feel everything I feel for her. It’s intense—the way I can damn near bathe in her soul now that we’re together. I can sense the life, and light, and love flowing freely through the Bond. It’s like being rejuvenated. I don’t know how else to explain it. The power cycling between us is like getting a hit of pure energy.

Whatever she feels from my side must be enough to convince her of my love because her body goes slack, and she leans her head against my chest.

The exhaustion in that gesture nearly breaks me. She folds into me like she’s been treading water for days and can finally relax now that she’s on dry land.