Jaxor felt guilty. Then he steeled his resolve.
His voice was rough as he growled, “Make the cut or take the blade away from my fucking throat!”
It was better this way. If he didn’t give into the Fates’ decree, then it would be easier to live without her. He could still make good on his deal with the Mevirax. He could still secure the vaccine. He could still take his revenge.
She wanted to do it. He could see it in her eyes. Her hand shook, making the knife tremble. He dared her with his gaze. Perhaps, he pleaded with her too.
“It doesn’t matter,” she finally said quietly, lowering her eyes from him. “I would have never chosen someone like you anyways.”
The words stung but Jaxor didn’t react to them. Who would she have chosen, if given the choice? He couldn’t help but ponder that question as she tossed the blade at his side and slipped from his grip.
A male more like my brother, he concluded, ignoring the ensuing jealousy from the realization. Someone stable. Sane. Someone who didn’t get off on arguing at knifepoint. Someone who could treat her well, who would protect her at all costs.
“Don’t ever tie me up again,” she tossed over her shoulder. His gaze strayed to the reddened marks around her now-bare wrists. Even he had the decency to hate the sight, to feel the rumble of discomfort from his Instinct.
With a growl, he turned over, facing the door.
It would be easier if she hated him. That way, at least she wouldn’t be disappointed.
Chapter Six
I’m not like this, was Erin’s first coherent thought when she woke the next morning. Last night returned to her and shame colored her cheeks as she lay on top of thin furs, staring at the grey of the cave wall.
She’d actually threatened Jaxor’an with a knife. A knife. She’d drawn his blood. He’d called her bluff.
Except, a part of her wondered if it had been a bluff. She’d felt this thing rise inside her. More potent and consuming than normal anger. She wasn’t even certain she could call it anger. It had been something deeper, fiercer. It had frightened her. It had exhilarated her.
He had brought it out of her, coaxed it from her.
She lifted a trembling hand to scrub her eyes and chanced a peek behind her, only to find Jaxor’an gone and daylight peeking through the slivered crack underneath the heavy door. She pushed up from her position, her mouth dry and her stomach cramping from hunger.
She wasn’t like this. She was…calm. She’d always prided herself on being a calm person. Logical, reasonable. Controlled.
Perhaps, I’m more like my mother than I originally believed, she thought, swallowing past the lump in her throat, fear rising in her breast.
Her eyes strayed to where she’d tossed the knife away last night only to find it gone. Outside the door, she heard something clanging. For a brief moment, Erin wondered if Jaxor’an had locked her inside, if this was to be her prison now that her hands were no longer bound.
Rubbing her wrists, she rose from the furs, ignoring her surprisingly sore muscles, and walked to the door. There was a bolt, not a lock, and when she slid it open, the door unsealed and she pushed it without resistance.
The light was blinding, though it was dull and grey. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust and when they did, she stilled, looking at what could only be described as a base around her.
It was situated within the crater. It was a concave shape, like a shallow bowl, the edges sloping gently down towards the middle. And yet, mountains towered all around her, circling the crater and beyond. It would’ve felt claustrophobic had the crater been smaller, but it was wide and spacious and surprisingly organized.
Erin was tempted to try to look at everything all at once, but it would’ve overwhelmed her. So, she deliberately slowed her flickering gaze and took it in small doses. First, she checked the tunnel they’d come down last night, the tunnel that led to those frightening creatures. It lay to the right, dark and small, and just looking at it made shivers run down her back, remembering the creatures’ calls and shrieking cries.
Next, she looked for Jaxor’an. She spied him to the left, next to a thin waterfall that floated down into a shallow pond. She looked at the water longingly, desperately wanting a bath, before she returned her gaze to the male.
Her heart thudded