out before stepping back. “Clean yourself up. A royal should look the part.”
With that, he walked away, leaving Bishop to stew in silent rage and Axel to stare after him in shock. It was rare that he was at a loss for words, but he was pretty sure that deserved a standing ovation.
He looked at Bishop and snorted, walking past him. There was nothing left to say. On the other hand, if Bishop did decide to make good on those threats, Axel would happily ensure they were the last he ever made. He couldn’t kill Bishop, but the jaguar wasn’t going to be much of a threat to anyone with all his teeth knocked out.
Chapter 5
Bishop
His first night back in the house he now shared with Ella and Axel, Bishop found himself alone in his room, staring out the window. He couldn’t get the last conversation he’d had with his brother out of his head.
You’re getting weak. I think you’re actually falling for her.
Maybe he was. Part of him knew that was why he’d stayed away for as long as he had. He needed to get his head right. He needed to remind himself of why he was doing this, and the reason behind all he had been working toward.
Ella was a feral. For all he knew, that was part of why she had such an unexpected effect on him. Maybe that was just an element of what made them so dangerous.
Either way, seeing her in the hallway had made him even more conflicted. He knew what he had to do, but marking her hadn’t helped him stay focused on it, even if it was necessary.
The door opened, and he looked up, surprised when he saw her white hair glowing in the moonlight streaming through the window. He hadn’t imagined she would be talking to him at all for a while, which was just as well. It was harder to remember who and what she was when they were alone. When he had to look into those eyes and tell himself everything they stirred within him wasn’t real.
“Hey,” she said quietly. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“No. Not at all.” He sat up, watching her in the doorway. “Is everything alright?”
She hesitated. “I couldn’t sleep. I thought maybe we could talk.”
Bishop nodded and patted the spot next to him. She slipped into the room, shutting the door softly behind her. As she climbed into bed with him, all those familiar longings he’d tried so hard to push away came back to the surface.
Her scent enveloped him, soft and sweet like vanilla and something else he couldn’t even define. He’d forgotten in the months he’d been away just how much it affected him. How much he craved it.
“You didn’t seem like yourself today,” she finally said, her voice quiet and hesitant. He hadn’t seen her like this in a while, and somehow, knowing he was the reason made him feel guilty. Few things did, but she seemed to have a direct line to emotions he would rather leave behind.
“I guess not,” he admitted. He paused, knowing he needed to figure out how he was going to proceed sooner than later. If he didn’t care, if there was no part of him that felt attached to her in a way even deeper than the mark bond between them, it would be so much easier. He could just lie and tell her everything she wanted to hear. He could be that person he’d made her fall in love with so easily, and not the one underneath whose feelings were far more complicated, and contradictory.
She searched his gaze, her eyes shining with doubt and concern. Love, too. He recognized it now, and there was no denying it, no matter how he wished he could tell himself it was just infatuation or some other shallow feeling that could easily be dismissed.
“I’m sorry,” he said at length, deciding to give her as much of the truth as he could. And he was sorry, even if it wasn’t for the things she was likely to assume. “I guess I haven’t been myself for a while. Not since the disappearance.”
“Before that,” she pressed. “I know you’re hurt I didn’t tell you about the baby, and you have every right to be. I just wish you’d be honest with me.”
He watched her for a moment, trying to fight the urge to do just that. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he finally asked, in spite of his better judgment. It