Authors: Susan A. Bliler
She saw the muscles in Conn’s arms and chest bunch
. His chest rose and fell rapidly as his breathing quickened to sharp pants of fury.
“You shifted with Remy McCabe?” His words were a harsh snarl
and it appeared he was holding himself back from lashing out
.
She tried to sound flippant.
“It’s not that big of a deal Conn, I…” she didn’t get to finish.
He lunged and sn
arled
at her with his nose practically touching hers.
His arms slammed into the headboard on either side of her head.
“What else did you
do
with Remy?”
She knew what he was implying
and indignation sparked to life
. “Stop it Conn!
” She knew the tremble in her voice belied the anger she was trying to exude. “
You know it wasn’t like that.”
His eyes slid down her body then back up, “No, I don’t! I have no idea what you did with him for the night you were alone with him.
Apparently you let him teach you some new tricks.”
Aries tried to get up, but
Conn dropped his hands
to firmly grip her shoulders
. He wasn’t rough, but kept her from getting up off the bed.
“I’m not listening to this. You have no right to…”
“Wrong! He had no right to touch what was mine.
And I can’t believe you let him!
”
“I didn’t let him do anything,” she practically shrieked. “Nothing happened!”
“So tell me
my angel
when you shifted you clearly had to shift back at some point.” His eyes again dropped and
this time stayed
focused on her
breasts
, “And for your first time were you able to re-generate clothing?”
She felt herself
blush from head to
toe as she blinked back angry tears.
He knew she wouldn’t have had that ability on her first shift
. No
Walker
would have.
“I didn’t think so!” He released her arms and she fell back against the bed. “I retract my vow to you.” He turned to scowl at her over his shoulder, “When I see Remy McCabe he’s dead.” Conn stomped halfway to the door when he suddenly stopped and his body went rigid.
Aries sawed in ragged breathes as she
glared
angrily at his back. When he turned to frown at her she gasped and recoiled against the headboard at the
fury
she saw on his face.
His eyes were completely black and his face was screwed tight in rage with his lips pulled back to reveal sharp canines that had elongated as he partially shifted.
His hands were curled into claws at his sides as long sharp nails extended.
He was back hovering over her so quickly that she didn’t even see him move. Fear spiked within her. She knew he’d never hurt her, but she’d never se
en him this angry before either. For the first time since she’d met him she was actually terrified of
him
.
“Is that it?” His tone was deep, his
voice sounding different as he spat the harsh words.
“W-what are you talking about?” Aries hunched her shoulders and sunk lower on the bed hoping to put some space between herself and her en-raged mate.
“Is that why you didn’t want me to hurt your precious Remy? Because you’d fucked him and enjoyed yourself and hoped to keep us both?”
She couldn’t
control the
wave of anguish
that crashed over her at his accusation. It felt like a dagger in the heart, but it quickly gave way to anger
.
She didn’t bother trying control her own rage.
Before she could re-think it, she reached up and
slapped Conn hard.
He recoiled as if in shock and Aries took advantage of the opportunity. She dropped her feet to the floor and shoved his hand away when he reached for her. “Fuck you!” Her voice trembled with emotion and it angered her further. “
Get out!”
Conn’s anger was gone. His partial shift receded and he
took a step toward her
but
she backed up against the wall.
“Don’t! Get out Conn!” she pointed at the door. “You don’t get to talk to me like that.” She inched
along
the wall
, a slight hobble listing her gait as
her finger’s caught on the door frame that
he’d said led
to
his adjoining
room. She didn’t care, she’d
go anywhere just to be away fro
m him
.
“Aries, I…”
“I mean it,” hot tears fell and she brushed at them angrily. “Get out of here right now!”
“
I lost my temper. Can we just talk about this?
”
Aries
clicked open the door and
backed into
his bedroom
. “
I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t even want to look at you. Get out!” She slammed the door and locked it before she
limped hurriedly across his room heading straight for
what she could see was his
bathroom. She was relieved that he didn’t kick his own door in to get to her.
Inside his bathroom she closed and locked the door then stepped into the shower stall before closing the glass door as well. She wanted as many barriers between herself and Conn as she could have
even knowing none of them could really keep him out
.
Her leg was still weak from non-use and she winced from the ache in her thigh as she lowered herself to the shower floor. She let her tears fall and didn’t
even try
to stop them.
She startled when Conn’s voice spoke to her from the other side of the door.
She hadn’t heard him kick in the door that joined his room to hers, so she knew he’d entered through the other door that led from the hallway.
“Aries, I want in.”
His voice was a low growl.
“Well guess what? Life isn’t about what the great Commander
Drago
wants! Fuck off Conn.” She sniffed before turning to shout at the door, “
Leave me alone
!”
“Let me in! You’re my angel and you…”
“I am
NOT
your angel. I’m nothing to you,” she reached up and jerked hard on the halo around her neck, but it didn’t budge, “and I want this fucking thing off!
” She heard him growl on the o
ther side of the door.
“If you don’t u
nlock the door, I’m kicking the fucking thing
in!”
“I swear to God if you don’t leave me alone I’ll never speak to you again
Conn! I mean it
!”
“Damn it Aries, I’m sorry! I
was out of line.”
“Go away!”
She heard a reluctant groan then there was a thump on the bathroom door before she heard heavy boots stomping
away. A loud door slamming let her know that he’d left his room.
Aries’
fingers frantically searched the halo for some form of clasp
or release
but found none. She sighed and let her head fall back against the shower stall before she lifted both hands and wiped at her tear-soaked face.
What an ass! I can’t believe he said that to me.
She was more hurt th
a
n angry
,
but was trying desperately to convince herself the opposite was true.
“God I hate him!” She sighed and chastised,
N
o you don’t. You love him and that’s why you’re so hurt!
She didn’t want to admit it. She took several calming breaths
and after long minutes past
she
tried to get up. “Shit!” She was stuck. Her legs weren’t yet strong enough to push her weight up and there wasn’t anything over her head to help pull her weight off the floor.
More miserable tears fell and she laughed through them.
On the walk over, Conn had explained that the two of them
had been assigned to the East wing of the estate while the rest of
his
men
resided in the West wing, and
Tyce
was reportedly
gone on business
,
which meant she was stuck until Conn came to find her. “Fuck!” She let her head fall forward on her bent knees and rested her head there thinking about Conn and the
accusation he’d made
. Between her long day of physical therapy and the emotional roller coaster she’d just ridden it wasn’t long before her eyes closed and she drifted
off
to sleep.
Chapter
31
Aries woke when she felt a swaying motion.
Her eyes snapped open and she frowned up at Conn
who strode determinedly with her cradled in his arms
.
“Put me down, I don’t want to see you.”
Her anger had burned itself out, but she was still hurt from his words.
He didn’t look at her, “Tough!”
He took a wide step and Aries looked down
to see him step
over a chunk of wood. She looked up and realized he’d broken down the door to get to her.
“I didn’t hear you kick it in.”
A corner of his mouth ticked before he flattened his lips
into a grim line. “I crushed
pain killer
s and put ‘
em
in your
tea
.
You slept deeply.
”
Her mouth fell open, “You what?”
He gently placed her on the
bed, “
You needed rest and I know you haven’t been taking them regularly anymore.
I’ll never lie to you Aries.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and pulled her knees tighter. “Well, I
’ve never lied to you either, c
ontrary to your low opinion of me.”
He sat on the edge of her bed by her hip but faced the window. “I’m sorry. I overreacted.
”
She curled in a tight ball and faced away from him, “Go away Conn.”
He chuckled, “This is my room.”
Aries straightened out and tried to get up
but Conn spun and grabbed her, pinning her to the bed. “Don’t be angry with me beautiful.”
She struggled under his hold, but stopped when she’d only succeeded in hiking her
hospital gown up to flash bare thigh
, white satin panties, and flat
belly.
“Don’t call me that!”
“Why? It’s true.
You always have been and always will be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
”
She glared up at him, “You don’t get to insult me in the worst way imaginable then try to flatter me into forgiveness. I’m not that shallow.”
Conn sighed and the smile left his lips. “
I shouldn’t have accused you of sleeping with
Remy. It’s just…” He let his word
s
die off.
“Just what?”
If he wasn’t going to let her go then she’d gladly argue with him. After all she had the truth on her side.
“
It hurt.”
She swallowed hard, not expecting the admission.
“
I’m not all man Aries, I’m part beast too. Walkers are very territorial, very possessive. Just the thought of Remy even touching you
…
” He gnashed his teeth together
, turning to face the window again
.
“Nothing happened. I didn’t sleep with Remy. He didn’t
even
touch me intimately
. He barely touched me at all.”
“Shifting is very intimate the first time. It requires great trust and patience and when you shift back and you
’re
naked,” he clamped his mouth shut and
dropped his head so it hung between his hands
.
She heard the pain in h
is voice and realized he truly had
been hurt by her actions.
Surely he can’t think I did it just to hurt him.
“I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you. I want
ed
my first time to be with you
Conn
. But
Remy demanded
that I shift and I was afraid he’d hurt me.
I didn’t know
him, I didn’t know if he was dangerous.
”
Her voice grew quieter, “I certainly didn’t think it would actually work.”