Page 119 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

“I do not make a habit of repeating myself.”

She huffs as she rises from her seat, but she and the two others shuffle out of the room, throwing glances my way as they do. When the door finally closes, his attention falls on me again.

“Something wrong?”

“When were you going to tell me that I’m bound to your lifeforever?”

He sighs. “Fucking Piper. I knew she couldn’t keep her mouth shut.”

“Yeah, well, I’m glad she didn’t because that’s not something you just forget to tell someone.”

He picks up the glass in front of him, takes a swig, and sets it back down on the table.

“You mean like you forgetting to mention that Celeste attacked you in my room?” He cocks his brow at me.

“You can’t be serious. That is hardly the same thing as not telling me something that changes my entire life.”

“She attacked mymate,believe me, it’s the same thing.”

I throw up my hands. “Do you even hear yourself? You hid the fact that I might live for thousands of years. That I will be stuck living like this if we don’t find a way to break this bond.”

Tears burn my eyes, and I hate that he is seeing me like this for a second time. He’s out of his seat in seconds, standing in front of me. He lifts a hand to my face, wiping a tear from my cheek with the pad of his thumb, and gods, it feels so good to have him touching me. I almost lean into it until I remember why I’m here.

I grab his wrist, pushing his hand away from me.

“Stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

I step back. “Touching me every time you want to distract me. This isn’t some joke, Karius. This is my life, and it’s not what I want.”

His features soften as he looks down at me.

“You’re right.” I prepare to argue until his words sink in. “It is your life, and I only intended to get all the information I could before telling you, not because I was hiding it from you. And I don’t touch you to distract you. I touch you because I like how it feels when I do.”

My stomach drops at his words, but I push them aside, too afraid that if I let them affect me, they’ll swallow me whole in the madness of this bond.

“No more secrets. If we’re going to work together to solve all the crazy things that are happening, then you can’t hide things from me.”

He nods. “Ok.”

I expect a fight or resistance, but it’s not there, and I’m not quite sure what to do with it.

“And maybe tell yourgirlfriendnot to strangle me next time she visits,” I add.

His mouth quirks up in a smile, and I instantly regret saying it.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were jealous.”

I scoff. “I’m not jealous. I just don’t appreciate getting attacked first thing in the morning.”

“According to Ivana, you weren’t the one getting attacked.” He smiles at this, stepping closer to dip his mouth right by my ear. “It sounded like you were just being territorial.”

I roll my eyes. “I think I just threw up in my mouth.”

He laughs at this. “Don’t worry, little witch, I feel it too anytime I see another male even touch you; it drives me fucking crazy and makes me want to break every bone in their gods-damned body.”

“Now you just sound possessive.”