!!! TRIGGER WARNING: This is for #teamEthan readers. The following chapters may trigger you !!!
“What?” I breathed as I look at his lips. “What do you think, Shane?”
“I like the hunt but you know what? I think you like being chased. I think you like knowing that I’m coming for you. I think you like knowing that I’ve been pining after you for years. I think you like knowing I would never give up on you. I think you like knowing that I’m yours. I think you like knowing that you’ve always been mine,” his voice was laced with confidence.
He was such a cocky, arrogant, full of himself piece of- As much as I wanted to break that confidence and rip that smile from his face. He was right. I did like it and that fact alone should scare me. That admittance should frighten me and have me running, should have had me bolting, and regretting coming here. But it doesn’t. I don’t regret coming here, I don’t regret forcing myself to get to know him, I don’t regret walking up to this room with him. I wanted to be here.
This revelation felt freeing and for once since everything had happened, I felt light. I shouldn’t feel this good. All of the bad things happening right now tried to flit through my mind but I wouldn’t let them. Was I being stupid? Possibly. Was I being an idiot? Yes. Was I being cruel? Yes, but right now this is what I needed. If I could just be honest with myself here in this moment, it would be easier to do, and all of this would be easier to achieve. I still hadn’t found any time to get the sword but I was here. I was supposed to be here.
At this moment, I wanted to be with Shane. I wanted to know everything about him. I wanted to know what he wanted to do to me, I wanted to taste his lips again, I wanted to know how he felt, I wanted to know if he would be salty on my tongue, I wanted to know him. Didn’t I owe that to the Shane of the past? Didn’t I owe that to the Shane that was my mate? Didn’t I owe that to the Shane that should have been my mate in this life? Did I have to feel guilty for wanting this? Did I have to feel guilty for wanting him? Should I feel guilty for wanting this as badly as I do? Maybe. The lines had blurred again and for once, I didn’t want to see straight. Instead, I focused on the blurred lines and how to stay here a little longer. I didn’t want to know what was the right choice. So, while I did this, while I made. this choice, I would only look at him. Shane, the one of the past and the one of today.
“I think you’re right, Shane,” I whispered.
Looking up at him, his eyes darkened at my admission. I leaned into his grip and his hand tightened around my throat. I didn’t bat an eye as I struggled to get air down. I stared straight into his eyes and I didn’t miss the way they lit up.
“I think I like being chased and you know what else I think, Shane?” I asked.
“What?” He asked. His voice was low but I could hear the hint of curiosity in his tone.
“I think I like it even more when you’re the one chasing me,” I murmured.
Shane groaned, his eyes closed as he dropped his head back. A sexy rumble vibrated in his chest and I felt it between my legs. When he dropped his head, his gaze landed on me again.
“Are you going to follow me?” I teased.
“Fucking hell, Ady. I’d follow you anywhere. I’d damn my soul if it meant I could follow you to hell.”
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, and I took a shaky breath. The truth to his words hit me like a ton of bricks. The reality of the situation was almost foreshadowing. Would Shane ever really hurt me? Touch me, squeeze me, yes. But kill me? Would Shane kill me?
As I stood in front of him, his hand squeezing on my air supply, I knew the truth. I felt it in my bones, I felt it down to my very core. No. Shane would never hurt me. Not purposely. His love hurt but he’d never threatened my life.
When had he ever caused me physical harm other than the slap at Crescent Moon? The truth was like a revelation and I felt my eyes widen as I realized the truth for the first time myself. Shane wouldn’t hurt me. He wouldn’t kill me.
Looking up at him, my heart broke and melted. The beast in front of me was beautiful, cruel yet kind, dark yet light. Crueler than he was kind. Darker than he was light but he was still kind and light.
There wasn’t much of the man I remembered left in him. But there were times when, I saw him, heard him. From what I’ve seen since being here, told me parts of him were still in there.
Did the note mean he knew why I came here or did it mean he remembered? Did Shane remember anything? Was that possible? I told myself when I first got here that I was going to assume he did know but now that I stood in front of him, I wanted to know if he did.
Did he remember his death in the last life? Does he remember any of the ones before that? Were they all the same or were they different? Could things be different? Could things be changed? Could we be changed? Had anything changed? And if it did, wouldn’t we have broken the curse? Wouldn’t we have been destined for this life? Wouldn’t things have been different? Was it even possible to break this curse without a witch?