I knew they’d probably done unspeakable things to her, tortured my tiny Fae mate until she was having flashbacks. They made her cry out because she remembered the pain and fear they’d inflicted on her.
If I could have killed them all over again, I would have gladly ripped out every single one of their hearts and made a pile in front of her as an offering.
My rage was heavy inside of me, a living entity that I was having a hard time reining in.
In fact, I was so consumed with my thoughts of anger that my mate had been hurt, that I wasn’t even paying attention to our surroundings.
Aside from the obvious, that this dimension was lush with greenery and mountainous, I’d been focused on Ada.
Which was exactly where my gaze landed as she trudged ahead of me. The pants she wore were dark but formfitting, and my vision was crystal clear so that I could make out the perfectly rounded mounds of her ass.
We were walking uphill, boulders surrounding us, and the thick line of forest to our right. To our left were the mountains that blocked out everything else.
She stumbled and I reached out instantly, curling my hand around her tiny waist and righting her.
She pushed me away but mumbled thanks, not bothering to look at me. I gritted my teeth, feeling my desire for her grow because of her indifference.
“You know you don’t have to pretend I’m not here.” I’d said more words since I’d woken up and met Ada than I had in far too long.
I was solitary and preferred to keep to myself.
I followed my cousin’s orders, and the only joy I got was when I killed. I had no opinion on most things one way or another, and was content to stay back, watch and learn, listen and observe.
And I found myself wanting to know every little detail about my mate. I’d never been so invested in another living creature—hell, in anything—since she came into my godforsaken life.
I wanted to know where she was from, how she grew up. I wanted to know what her favorite scent was, if she preferred the sunrise over the sunset.
I wanted to tear off her clothes and look at all that alabaster skin, picturing her body covered in the same freckles that were sprinkled over the bridge of her nose.
“I know you’re there. Believe me.” Her voice grew softer on that last part, as if she didn’t want me to hear.
My cock thickened impossibly further.
I reached down and adjusted myself, my dick all but throbbing at just the sound of her voice. Popping a hard-on for the first time in my life was enough to make any male’s brain short-circuit.
She stumbled again and I bared my teeth before making my way forward and stopping in front of her. “You need to rest. We’ve been traveling nonstop.”
She was shaking her head before I even finished. “I’m fine. I want to keep going.” She went to push past me and I growled again.
Ada had sweat dotting her brow, her breathing was labored, her cheeks were red from exertion, and I could hear her stomach growling.
My mate wasn’t being taken care of, and it was my fault. I’d put a stop to this. And whether she hated me for it or not, I wouldn’t allow her to make herself sick.
“I said no.” There was a distinct aggression laced within my words that had her immediately stopping.
She huffed out a breath, placed her hands on her hips, and glared at me.
“Excuse me?”
Although she phrased it like a question, I knew it was anything but. “We’re going to take a break. And that’s that.” I’d been scanning our surroundings constantly, and knew there was a small outcropping that would protect us on the off chance that ball of fucking death came back too soon, about ten minutes back.
I stared down at her, although there was no aggression coming from her. I wasn’t used to people not doing what I said when I said it, so a part of me was frustrated as fuck. But more than that I was… so fucking aroused.
She narrowed her eyes at me and pursed her lips, and my gaze went to the bead of sweat that started to trail down her temple.
Her dark red hair was pulled up into a messy bun at the top of her head, and wisps were stuck to her forehead and cheeks.
Before I could stop myself—because I was fucking starved for her—I reached out and dragged my finger along that droplet of perspiration.
She gasped but didn’t move, and that pleased me to no end.
Her eyes were wide as she watched me bring my hand to my lips and suck that finger into my mouth. The salty essence of my female exploded on my tongue, and a low hum of pleasure came from me before I could stop myself.