“You can’t tell me what to do at all, Andre. I have to make my own decisions. I’m all grown up.”
“You left the safety of the cave, and you were nearly taken by a vampire.”
Everything in her went still at the sound of his voice. Her gaze jumped to his. Her heart accelerated all over again. His expression was darker than ever. He looked seriously angry and she didn’t want to wave a red flag in front of him, but he had to get what she was saying.
She licked her lips carefully, trying to moisten her sudden dry mouth. “That still has to be my choice, Andre,” she said quietly. Firmly. Even though inside she had begun to shake. “It’s called free will.”
He shook his head. “Not in my world, Teagan. In my world there are rules we all live by. I hunt vampires, and they run in packs now. It is too dangerous to have an unprotected woman running around drawing their attention.”
“You aren’t getting it. This isn’t about vampires, this is about you making decisions for me. That isn’t acceptable.”
He shrugged. Casually. Her head nearly exploded. She gritted her teeth to keep from shrieking at him like a shrew, even though he totally deserved it.
“What does that mean?”
“That means I refuse to argue about this. I will not allow you to place yourself in danger. Te avio päläfertiilam. You are my lifemate. My wedded wife. The keeper of my heart and soul. Without my soul, I will be the undead, a curse on the world. There is no question that I would take such a risk.”
She opened her mouth to blast him, but at his explanation, she closed it. She was very confused. Andre seemed to believe every word he said, and if it was the truth, that meant he could become a vampire. She wanted to tear her fingers through her hair, but it had taken hours to put all those braids in for her journey.
She took a deep breath. “I’m really intelligent, Andre, but I’m not getting this. You met me, and just like that you knew I was the one you wanted to bind yourself to?”
He nodded slowly. “The males of my people lose their emotions and the ability to see in color after the first two hundred years.”
She closed her eyes briefly. She couldn’t deal with the time thing right then. There were too many other issues. They’d have to come back to that one.
“We live long lives but the living is barren and cold. Brutal. When a man has nothing but violence, brutal and ugly in his life and he finds beauty, sweet, funny and vibrant color, believe me, csitri, he will do anything he can to hold on to it. He will fight, kill if necessary and he will protect, even if that woman thinks she is capable of protecting herself.”
He was killing her with his words. She understood. Okay, maybe not really, because how could anyone comprehend what he was telling her? If she hadn’t seen him kill the vampire, hadn’t experienced flying or any of the other things he’d done, she would be certain he was absolutely out of his mind.
He made her feel special and beautiful and the way he looked at her with his gaze so focused and intent on her, she could easily believe she was the only woman in his world. She took a breath and opened her mouth to speak.
He got there first. “Sivamet, seriously, you scared me. Terrified me.”
Teagan studied his face. God. He was beautiful. Masculine. Strong. Alone. She shook her head.
He placed his hands on either side of her head. “Open your mind to me. See me. I was terrified for you. For me. For the world. See me, Teagan. You have to know.”
She was fairly certain she didn’t want to know any more, but it was too late to protest. Already he was pouring into her mind, and this time he opened himself to her fully. She thought she knew fear, but even the terror of the vampire’s attack didn’t compare with the sheer naked horror of that moment for Andre.
The terror wasn’t for Andre, but for her and what the vampire would do to her. The horror she would experience before she died. And she would die hard. And then fear that if he didn’t reach her, he would lose his honor. He would become the very thing he had hunted and destroyed to keep the world safe.
She felt sick, her stomach churning. Her body shut down, frozen with the knowledge that this man had gone through such trauma on her behalf. She would never fully comprehend it.
“Andre,” she whispered, and trailed kisses to his jaw and back up to the corner of his mouth, as if that could somehow erase what had happened between them.
“You have to understand, Teagan. I know it is difficult for you, the transition into my world. I wanted to bring you in gently. To court you in the way you deserve. But you do not listen. You are of the modern world and you cannot comprehend the dangers of my world. Te avio päläfertiilam. You are my lifemate and you must live in my world with me. We no longer can be apart.”
His knuckles stroked down her face in a gentle caress. “I know that frightens you, Teagan, but there is no need.”
“Are you kidding, Andre? You have vampires in your world.”
“They were in your world as well. The difference is, you know about them now. You know they are difficult to kill and someone has to do it. I just have to make certain you are safe when I do so.”
She took a deep breath. He was holding her so close. So lovingly. She was surrounded completely by his warmth. She could still feel the evidence of him inside of her, a thick, beautiful invasion that made her feel complete and perfect. The way he touched her, everything about him.
“Tell me what living in the rules of your world means.” She didn’t do bossy well. She knew that, but maybe for him, she could find a balance. She couldn’t help the little tremor that ran through her at the enormity of what she was considering. “You took my blood in the way a vampire would. Why? How?” Her gaze jumped to his mouth. He had perfect teeth, not fangs.