Page 65 of The Path of Blood and Betrayals

“It’s nothing, Fee,” I assure. “She’snothing.”

“The fuck it is,” she hisses. “Your beast tries to take control right when you’re trying to charm some blood wielding woman, and you think it’snothing?” She scoffs. “You’re supposed to bed her and bring her back to father, Kade. How is this supposed to work? Especially when you turn into a drooling beast and kill her first?”

I glare, hating the insinuation. “I willnotlose control.”

“Right, and how happy will father be when you finally snap and destroy the entire continent before he gets his prize?”

“Happy he won’t have to conquer much, then, won’t he?”

“Fuckyou.”

We stare at each other, mirrored eyes hot with irritation and anger.

Although I’m the more stubborn of us, used to getting my way, I break first, jaw cracking. Fee’s not wrong.

My plan rests on charming her and stealing her away for my father. I can’t do that if my beast is in control. I can’t finishmyplans if I revert.

I’ve kept my beast leashed and tame for years, until one look from her big blue eyes, and a quip from those ruby lips has me falling to my knees, my beast ready to rip bodies apart for her. It wants to claim her, destroy the world to have her, and fuck, if the urge to give in isn’t intoxicating.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

“You’re right.” The words startle my sister and I sigh, tired. “I’ll work on it. Handle the trigger. I’ll do better.”

Max is my trigger and the only safe way to handle it, is by staying away from her. But I can’t. Not if I want this to work.

“You must,” she warns, face carefully neutral. “If you don’t control it—” she trails off, eyes worried.

She won’t voice her fear. The very real one that ends with me giving into the curse and her being forced to end me in order to save others.

There’s not many people my sister loves unconditionally—only myself and Reid. But she’ll kill me to protect him.

I would never make her choose. I’ll end my life before I harm either of them.

There’s a pause, a lull in conversation as the volunteers further back buzz with talks and activity. The area has been cleaned, the beasts removed but the men are scared.

They thought this raid would be easy. They’re learning that we were telling the truth.

Above all the rest, my ears sharpen on a sultry laugh that flows over the deep masculine voices and my beast purrs, entranced.

Fucking Bel’s fiery balls.

I’m a damn goner.

“Something’s wrong,Kade.” Fee sighs, arching to stretch. She drops into the mud, uncaring if she ruins another pair of leathers. “Your beast has never been this uncontrollable. What happened at the creek?”

Dropping my head back, I look into the black leaves overhead. No stars shine back, the forest too overgrown to allow it.

What did happen at the creek?

A kinship, one born of two beings seeing the darkness and instead of cowering, we smiled. Because the dark isn’t something to fear, but enjoy.

How do I explain that the need to touch the blood summoner threw out all caution, all restraint? How do I explain that need to have her body close to mine, that the sound of her voice was enough to make me abandon this plan and whisk her away to a kingdom, far away, and start over?

How do I explain this intrinsic need to claim her so that she can never escape me?

Fee wouldn’t understand any of that. So I don’t tell her.

“Nothing.” I lie. “Two Skrulls attacked and I handled them.”