“No. This time you’re going to shut up and hear me out.” She stuck out her bottom lip and locked eyes on me until I settled back into silence. “I’ve been allocating Astrid’s money to the estate and I have some left over that I couldn’t decide what to do with. I was thinking about funneling it back into the main house as I’ve noticed it could do with a little work, some repairs—”
“I don’t need—”
“And I haven’t finished!” Another glare.
My lips twitched, but I forced them back down into a straight line. “Please carry on.”
“Thank you. Right. As I was saying, I think I can carve out enough money to get this project started, though we’d have to ask the villagers to assist with manual labor. But if it’s for their children, I can’t see them minding helping out.”
I risked a breath, and when she didn’t bite my head off, I dared a complete sentence, “And the we part?”
“I’m the treasurer for the clan. I could stay and see the project to completion.” Her tone was light. Hopeful.
“Oh.” Disappointment crushed a hope I hadn’t admitted I’d been nurturing until right at that moment. That she’d stay for me, which was bullshit, because I hadn’t given her any reason to stay. And I didn’t want her to. If she stayed, there’d be love involved.
“Oh? Is that it?” She was doing that thing that women did, hiding a message within a question, one that—if a man valued his balls—he’d better answer. I’d had enough practice growing up with a sister, but I’d never perfected the translation.
“What do you want me to say?” Okay, I was going on the defensive. Not a good choice by the look of the clouds gathering across her face.
“Anything. Everything. Just not oh!” Her hand fell away from my shoulder. “If that’s all you’ve got to say then I’ll put the tick in the box and leave tomorrow.” Spinning on her heel, she marched past me, cursing at the forest and slapping branches out of the way. Though I was pretty sure they were recoiling from her in fright; nature battening down the hatches against the woman storming through their domain.
She was walking away from me. Storming off in a stroppy huff. And I didn’t have a clue what I’d done to set her off! I only knew that I couldn’t let her leave—didn’t want her to. I was a better man when she was around. “What do you want from me?” I roared, unable to hold back my frustration.
Spinning around, she brushed a twig out of her face, yanking at her hair when it refused to let go. “That’s just it, Mr. Bastian I’m-a-big-bad-alpha-with-a-million-problems-that-I-won’t-share Jewelcrest, you have no fucking idea, do you?”
The branch snapped back, nearly hitting her in the face, but she was long gone, running full pelt through the forest, the sound of her sobs tearing through the air and ripping out my heart.
Chapter 7
Bastian
Wind slashed my face as I thundered through the forest after her. My heartbeat echoed in my ears as loud as a brass band up close and personal, her ragged sobs tearing through me and puncturing my soul.
She was hurting, because of me.
Unacceptable.
Agreed. My dragon’s roar jerked me out of the blind panic, his timing impeccable as always.
Go away, I sent back. This doesn’t concern you.
Silence. He had gone again. He had turned his back on me once more.
Meters in front of me, Faye lurched back onto the main path, turning up the lane and heading to the main house.
Putting on a burst of speed, I reached out for her, plucking her off her feet and crushing her against my chest.
Her legs kicked out, small fists beating at my chest, her ragged war cry of a squeal splitting my ears.
“Calm down!”
“Put me down!” We both spoke at once.
Her brown eyes flashed with fury, red-rimmed and wide, cheeks damp and blotchy. Leaves christened her lustrous brown curls, tangled and wild from her mad dash through the forest.
“If I put you down you’ve got to promise not to run.” A reasonable request.
“Why? So you can think of another excuse?”