I shoved his reaching hands away from me. “No. Don’t bother. The only reason I didn’t walk out on you at the Chief’s house after the Captain and I spoke was because I made him a promise.”
“What promise?”
I huffed. “Really? You don’t have a right to my answers. It was a promise I made to him and I plan to keep it. After I do, we’ll go our separate ways for good and never see each other again.”
He grabbed my arm to stop me from walking away, but I brought the bony edge of my forearm down hard on his wrist. His fingers loosened and I put enough physical space between us to match the emotional distance.
“Zoey...” He said my name like I was being unreasonable.
I’d heard that tone in a man’s voice too many times. He thinks he can talk me into whatever he wants but he’s about to get a wakeup call.
I spun to face him and advanced so there were only a few inches separating us. The bond between us flashed bright and hot, demanding attention, but I had more control than that.
“When we are done here, I’m gone.” I kept my voice firm and slow, enunciating every word so he didn’t miss a syllable.
He wrapped his hands around my waist and jerked me hard into his chest. “Do you think it’s that easy? Do you think you’re strong enough to walk away from this right here? I’m barely touching you and I’m hard enough I could come in my pants.”
When he dipped his chin, I knew he was going to try and kiss me. I arched my neck so his lips landed on my cheek.
“Why won’t I be able to stay away from you?” I grabbed his cheeks in my hands and forced him to lock gazes with me. “Why is that? Because I’m your mate?”
Chapter Six
DESPITE THE ARGUMENT, I hadn’t meant for that to pop out the way it had. It wasn’t as if I was betraying the Captain by revealing what I knew, but I hadn’t meant to start this entire mate discussion when I wanted to smash Fin in his pretty nose.
I turned and fled from the living room and into the bedroom, and like a responsible adult, I slammed the door before he could get to it.
The only thing keeping him from telling me the truth was his overinflated sense of honor. A sense that didn’t extend to telling his mate important things she needed to know. I threw myself on the bed, face first in the pillow to s
cream my frustration into the soft down.
The swish of the door opening made me look up. He stood in the doorway, his face pale. I’d shocked him.
Good, it had been a shock to me too.
“How...” He cleared his throat. “How did you find out?”
I didn’t bother sitting up on the bed. I just turned on my side to face him. “The Captain let it slip. If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think it was on purpose. He didn’t seem aware he’d used the word ‘mate’ before our connection was cut.”
He sat on the end of the bed past my feet, his head hanging. “I don’t know what to say.”
Of course he didn’t. I rolled my eyes and buried my face in the pillow again. If nothing came to mind, then he probably shouldn’t be talking to me yet.
“It wasn’t something I planned,” he added.
I turned again so he could hear me. “Yeah, me either. But thanks for that.”
He huffed. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
I sighed. Some of my anger had fizzled out at the crestfallen look on his face.
“Did you plan to tell me at all?”
He didn’t meet my eyes when he spoke again. “Yes, but I hadn’t figured out a way to tell you yet. You’re so strong. I knew you’d be upset, and I didn’t have any answers either. You would have asked how to break it and I didn’t want to have to tell you it’s impossible.”
“Impossible is a big fucking word in a realm of magic.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but my phone rang. Grateful for the distraction, I crawled all over my bed looking for the phone, then answered once I caught Hawk’s name on the screen.