He frowned, careful not to clench his fists too tightly in case he crushed the pills. “That was necessary. I’m sorry I had to do it but, make no mistake, I’d do it again if I had to. I just want to help you… but if that’s how you feel, I get it. I do. You don’t want to take something for your pain, I’m not going to force you. But don’t cut off your nose to spite your face, thinking you’re getting back at me. It won’t change anything, and you’ll just be more miserable. If it helps any, I swear I’ll never force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“Except stay here against my will, right?”
Maddox set the two pills down next to the glass; if the pain got too bad, he wanted her to be able to take the medicine after he left. Swallowing back a frustrated growl, he told her honestly, “I keep hoping that you’ll change your mind and want to stay with me.”
“That’s not hope, you brute,” Evangeline snapped. “That’s delusion.”
As hard as it was to refrain from snapping back—while they were mated, a good argument often turned into great foreplay that led to out-of-this-world make-up sex—Maddox decided to try another tactic. Losing his patience with Evangeline wasn’t going to make her want to stay with him.
“Here, at least put some ice on your ankle.” When Evangeline opened her mouth to refuse again, he cut her off with a sad smile and an enticing shake of the bag. “If you’re going to try to run again, you’ll need your ankle healed up right.”
That got to her. Snatching the bag out of his hand, she slammed it against her sore ankle. It had to have hurt like hell, the way the ice clanked against the bone, but she was too stubborn to let him see how much.
She didn’t need to. He could sense her pain like a jagged line that nearly split his soul in half.
Maddox’s eyes flashed, his golden irises glowing a vibrant yellow. He’d been hiding it for too long. It felt good to let his wolf peer out at its mate, even if she was purposely looking anywhere but at him.
“I’ll be outside, patrolling the grounds,” he said gruffly. Her pain wasn’t fading and it killed him that he couldn’t make it better for her. She’d never let him. Not now. “Feel free to explore the cabin if you like. It’s as much yours as it’s mine.”
Evangeline refused to comment on that last part as she finally dared to meet his earnest gaze. “You’re not going to lock me in this room again?”
“What’s the point?” Maddox asked, snorting. “I know now that locks won’t keep you out or in, but that ankle might. And if you try to run again, I’ll introduce you to my wolf. Trust me, he’s dying to say hi.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. As if that would stop him from picking up on how fast her heart was beating all of a sudden.
“I hate you.”
For a split second, Maddox wanted to howl in agony. His mate was the other half of him. No matter what he had done to deserve her anger, she wasn’t supposed to be able to hate him.
And that’s when he caught the slightest sour tang to her scent. Curdled milk mixed with warm vanilla.
She was… she was lying.
Maddox had hope. It wasn’t a lot, and he knew he had a tough road ahead of him, but he clung to that hope like it was the edge of a buoy and he was fucking drowning.
“If you need me, stick your head out through the window and holler. I’ll hear you.” Maddox paused, pulling his phone out of his back pocket. “As I’m sure you realized by now, no one else will. Shame, huh?”
He waited to see if she would say anything else. When she turned to look away from him, he frowned, then shook his head. He thought about his phone and the next step to his crazy plan. Of course, he hadn’t meant for it to happen this way, but desperate times called for drastic measures. Calling up Colt and admitting how badly he’d messed up already—yeah, he was pretty desperate.
“Take it easy on that leg,” he said, lifting the phone to his ear after he pressed a single button. He could hear the beeps echoing around him as the phone automatically dialed. “I’ll be back before you know it, then I’ll cook dinner for us.”
She stuck out her chin. “I won’t be hungry.”
He sighed. Somehow he knew she would say that. “Hungry or not, you’ll sit and eat with me. I won’t let anyone think I can’t provide for my mate.”
“I don’t think anyone will care since I’m not your mate.”
His wolf howled at the flippant way she denied them both. His claws appeared at the end of his fingers, scratching against the glass protecting the front of his phone. He tightened his grip and probably would have crushed the stupid thing if it wasn’t for the fact that the ringing suddenly stopped.
Because this time?
When Evangeline said she wasn’t his mate, she was telling the truth.
“Hello? Mad, you there, bro?”
Maddox’s eyes flared as he looked down at his contrary little mate. It was a good thing that Colt answered the phone when he had. He was two seconds away from showing Evangeline just how wrong she was and, despite the man part of his brain knowing damn well that he needed her to remember him before she could acknowledge their bond, the wolf didn’t care. If it had its way, it would make a new bond when it claimed her for good. She couldn’t deny them when she wore his bite proudly on her skin.
“Hold on,” he snarled into the phone. He narrowed his gaze on Evangeline, his expression one of sensual heat and a promise of retribution. At that moment, biting wasn’t that far off the table. “I will see you for dinner, mate. If you change your mind about the pills, they’re harmless. Just aspirin. I hate seeing you hurt so please think about taking them.”