Crimson Warrior (Onyx Assassins 3)

“You saw four of them and still chose to take them on by yourself?” It just got worse and worse. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

“That Zorin would get away!”

“Guess what, Olivia, he did!” The wood snapped and crackled under my grip.

“All four of them would have gotten away! Not just Zorin!”

“I don’t give a flying fuck about Zorin or the guards! You could have identified them afterward! And we both know Alek will kill Zorin within twenty-four hours anyway. He’ll crush Zorin’s mind himself for daring to threaten Avianna.”

“What the hell would you have done? Huh? I highly doubt you would have hidden yourself away in that crypt! I secured Avianna, then neutralized the threat!”

“The threat almost neutralized you!” The wood gave way under my hands, coming off in a long piece with a crack that filled the room. I dropped it to the floor.

“Answer the question, Ransom!”

“I would have secured you all in the crypt and then gone after the guards and Zorin.” I raked my hands through my hair.

“So, let me get this right. You’re pissed because I did exactly what you would have done?” Her eyes tracked me as I paced in front of the bed.

“You. Are. Not. Me!” I planted my feet at the front of the massive bed. “Second only to our king, I am the deadliest vampire on this planet, Olivia!”

“Egotistical, much?” She folded her arms, then winced as she moved that left shoulder.

“There’s a difference between ego and confidence, my love,” I said softly, my voice dripping with venom. “You were outmatched and made a deadly miscalculation of your skill.”

“Are you lecturing your mate? Or your subordinate?” she hissed.

“Both!” I leaned forward, bracing my palms on the footboard. “We are not the same, Olivia.”

“Yeah, I get it.” She waved me off. “You’re a better fighter. Anything else you’d like to mansplain?”

“Damn straight, I’m the better fighter, and you’re faster,” I admitted.

She blinked, her expression softening.

“The difference between us is that I can admit it. I have no problem using your speed on a battlefield, which is what you should have done in this situation. I know my limitations, which is something you don’t seem to give a shit about!”

“Avianna was safe! I did my job! And we are the same! We both serve the crown—”

“I serve you!” I shouted.

She fell silent, her eyes widening slightly.

“I serve you,” I repeated, nearly whispering. “The moment that mark appeared on your wrist, you became my first priority. There is no serving our king and princess without first taking care of you.” I cared for Avianna for more than just her title. She was lovely, kind, and fierce, but if it came between her life and Olivia’s, I’d choose Olivia. Damn the consequences.

Her fingers swept over the mark. “Ransom, that’s not what this was about.”

“To you. That’s not what this was about to you.” I shook my head. “Don’t you get it? You put yourself in danger and nearly got yourself killed, for what, Livy? To prove you’re good enough? We already know you are, and if your issue is that your parents think you’re just some lady-in-waiting, then that’s between you and them. You didn’t just risk your life. You risked mine, too.”

“I…” She shook her head. “That’s not…”

“We’re mated now, Olivia. That cord between us? That bond that tells you where I am, that connects you to my feelings? It doesn’t just flow one way. You go, I go. There’s no life for me here without you. Not anymore.”

“Ransom,” she whispered.

“I would never take a risk like that when it comes to your life.” My voice gave way, and I swallowed back the boulder of emotion that threatened to break me entirely. “I know my limits. I know that you come first.”

“What are you saying?” She shifted her weight. “That I can’t be mated to you and be Avianna’s bodyguard? That I have to what…choose?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m saying that you had a clear path to both secure Avianna and yourself, and you didn’t take it. You were reckless.” Words failed me and it took a few quiet, tense moments before I could find them again. “Maybe there was a reason fate waited so long to mark us. Maybe…you just aren’t ready for what this really means.”

She stiffened. “I am capable of being mated to you and doing my job.”

My heart clenched like a thousand fists had it under their grip. “But are you really capable of prioritizing the bond?”

Her face flushed red. “You would have done the same!”

I cocked my head to the side as I really gave the scenario more thought. “I guess we’ll never know, right?” I stood to my full height, releasing the footboard. “But I do know that when faced with the choice between pursuing Zorin and saving you, I chose you.” Turning on my heel, I strode for the bedroom door, well aware from the overwhelming scents coming from the area that there were more than just her sisters waiting outside.