Treat her well or I will return for her.
His words are not a threat, but a promise. Narrowing my gaze, I open my mouth to ask him what he thinks he’s going to do, because Birdie is my wife. We’re bound not only by the prophecy, but by the gods and the laws as well.
You or your master?
Both.
Which means that King Elias of Bunafi has a loyalty to Birdie already, or perhaps just that much love, devotion, and loyalty to his wife.
Both. Arion clarifies.
“Colt,” a soft voice calls out as I stare at the beast dead in the eye.
Jerking my gaze away from him, I turn and look down at Birdie who is standing in front of me. She looks very much like the woman who left here and yet she has changed. I’m not sure how a person changes in just days, but Birdie has.
My gaze travels down her body and I lift my eyes back to meet hers, widening them at the sight of her. She’s wearing a dress that is much different than the styles here.
There is an expanse of her chest showing, something that means something very different here and the fact that she’s my wife, standing in the middle of a soldier’s camp, anger begins to bubble inside of me.
Reaching out to her, I take her hand in mine and spin around. Without a word back to Arion, I begin to swiftly walk back to the house. If I could throw her over my shoulder, spank her rounded bottom, and toss her into bed and take her until she’s screaming my name, I would.
That is not practical right now. Not only is my home filled, every single room occupied, I also cannot show such a strong reaction in front of my men. Nobody can know how I truly feel for her, that would make her a weakness, just like Adelaide.
Once we’re inside, I continue to quickly walk upstairs, past everyone who is standing around gawking. Making my way into my bedroom, I tug her forward and into the parlor before I make my way in and slam the door behind me.
Placing my hands on my hips, I inhale a deep breath and look down at my boots as I attempt to collect myself. I don’t want to yell at her, say, or do something that I might regret later. I try to calm myself so that I am clearheaded.
BIRDIE
I watch as he stares at his boots. I’m not sure what he’s going to say, but I do know what an angry man looks like. I’ve angered a few in my lifetime, my daddy more than any others and Colt is just about as spittin’ mad as my daddy would get at me.
I don’t say his name again, knowing that it would probably just anger him. Instead, I wait. Although, I can guess his reason for being so mad, but I am curious as to why he’s as angry as he seems. I went to safety, isn’t that what he wanted? I wish that I was better at controlling my telepathy, I really want to hear his thoughts right now.
“It is hard for me to maintain my composure with you, darlin’,” he murmurs. “You show up here, your body exposed in front of all of my men.”
I blink, then I glance down, letting out a gasp before I lift my head back up and my gaze finds his. “I didn’t even think about it. I just got here as soon as I could, this is the style in Bunafi.”
“Bunafi,” he hums.
He’s still pissed way the hell off as he looks at me, but his face isn’t red anymore, so I’m hoping that’s a good sign. I press my lips together, hesitating to tell him that I passed out and I’m pregnant, I’m just not sure how he would take it at this point.
“You went running to your sister, am I right?” he asks. I could lie. I could tell him that Arion just took me there and I had no idea. “On our wedding day.”
His last words are a punch to the gut. He feels betrayed and yet, I don’t feel guilty. I feel betrayal every time he looks at me and doesn’t see her, when I know that’s all he wants.
I’ll never be her.
I’ve never wanted anyone but him.
“I did. I thought you would be relieved to have me gone and the burden of my existence would be taken from your shoulders.”
There’s no use in lying, not at this point. We know enough about one another to be honest and truthful. The simple fact that I love him means that I will always be honest with him, it’s just the kind of person that I am.
“The burden of your existence,” he rasps. “I’ve made you feel this way?” He’s asking me a question, but it sounds more like a dare.
Pressing my lips together, I look down at the floor, then lift my gaze up to meet his. I can’t keep the tears from welling in my eyes, I can’t stop them from falling down my cheeks as well. They flow, and I sink my teeth into my bottom lip in hopes that the biting pain will help to make this crying stop, but it doesn’t.
“You know that you have, Colt. You’ve told me more than once that you could never love me the way you did her. I’m not Adelaide and I will never be her. I wanted to go away so that you would no longer hurt.”
He shakes his head once, then marches toward me, closing the distance between us quickly. He lifts one of his hands, and I can’t help but flinch. If it bothers him, he doesn’t say it. Instead, he cups my cheek so gently that I gasp.
“You are not a burden and I have been unfair,” he rasps as
