the red haze, and like a balm, it calms me down a little. But not enough to make it safe for me to be around her.
My body is shaking nonstop while I fight two very distinct impulses. The urge to kill Calvin, and the desire to engulf her into a bear hug.
“Solomon, don’t just stand there. Do something.”
“No. He’s your mate. He’s your problem, not mine.” He steps away, and then Aurora comes out the door.
She stops in front of me and stares into my eyes. “It’s okay, Sax. I’m not in any danger.”
“Your fucking fiancé was here.”
She touches my cheek tenderly, and sparks fly between us. I’d pull her into my arms if my nails weren’t like claws now. I must look like a veritable monster.
“That’s just a pesky formality. He’s nothing to me. You are my mate.”
Her words finally penetrate my brain and I begin to relax. When my vision is clear and my fangs retract, I lean down and kiss her because I need this connection right now. I wish I could do more than just savor her lips, but when she steps away from me, I try not to show my disappointment.
“I suggest you keep your PDA to zero while you’re in public areas. Nobody knows you’re mated, and no man likes to be cheated on,” Solomon pipes up.
“I don’t give a damn about that weasel,” I bark.
“But you do care about what your actions will do to your king, don’t you?” Solomon raises an eyebrow. “You’re still a traitor’s son, after all.”
Fucking hell. Solomon had to go for the jugular. He always knows exactly what to say to bring me down.
“Traitor’s son? What are you talking about?” Aurora asks the little possum man.
“I believe you’re due for another history lesson, child.” He turns to his office, shutting the door in our faces.
Aurora glances at me with a thousand questions shining in her eyes. Shame makes me turn away. I never wanted her to know about my disgraceful past.
“Sax, are you okay?”
“No. He had no right to bring my past up like that.”
She touches my shoulder, sending liquid fire down my back, which I have to ignore. Dipping my chin low, I cross my arms in front of my chest as I fight the urge to whirl around and crush Aurora into me.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it.”
I laugh without humor. “I don’t, but it was foolish of me to believe I could keep such a dark secret from you. You have the right to know who your mate is.”
She circles around me, and placing her finger under my chin, she forces me to look into her eyes. “We don’t need to do this now.”
I’m relieved that she’s not demanding I spill my guts out. There are so many things I want to tell her, but my thoughts get scrambled when my stomach decides to roar loudly.
“What was that?”
I step back, hugging my middle. “I haven’t fed yet.”
The acknowledgment pulls my senses into one single direction, Aurora’s neck. Now that I’m no longer driven by murderous instincts or consumed by shame, all I can think about is drinking her blood.
She touches the side of her neck. “Let’s go back to my apartment.”
“Are you sure? What about the side effects of the blood vow?”
“You don’t need to drink straight from my vein, do you?”
My eyebrows furrow. Drinking directly from a person is one thing but cutting them open and ingesting spilled blood is barbaric. Blood bags are a little different because you don’t know who the donor is, plus it’s all very clinical.
“Are you willing to bleed for me?” I ask.
“I’ll gladly do much more than bleed for you, Sax.”
27
Aurora
I’m not sure why Saxon was so shocked when I offered to give him my blood. I’d much rather him drink from my neck because it feels so damn amazing, but cutting my palm open is not a big deal for me. I’m a witch, I’m used to the sharp bite of a steely knife against my flesh. But quickly I realize a simple cut to my hand won’t yield enough blood, so I have to slash my wrist.
His eyes become rounder. “What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to die on me?”
“Relax, I can stitch myself back together with magic.” I keep my bleeding wrist above a clear teacup.
He runs with vampiric speed to the other side of the room and flattens his back against the wall.