“Colt,” I whisper.
He dips his chin, his nose sliding against mine, before his lips touch my own. “I apologize, wife,” he groans. “You are no Adelaide. I am okay with this and I release her to live happily among the gods. I must focus on you, on the life that I have now.”
“Please,” I breathe. He hums, probably not understanding my plea as his hand slides down my back, cupping my ass, then squeezing tightly. “Please don’t give me false hope of happiness, Colt.”
He releases me abruptly, then takes a step backward. His eyes widen before he bares his teeth at me and growls like an animal, almost like the lions that he has a close relationship with. Instead of flinching, or taking a step back, I square my shoulders.
“I passed out and apparently I started to transfer somewhere else after I did it. The witches in Bunafi bound me to this world magically. I can’t leave, Colt. I can’t go back to see my parents or my friends. If Dru never makes it here, I won’t be able to see her ever again. Don’t give me false hopes of happiness,” I ramble.
“Bound you?” he asks, his brows rising.
Placing my hands on my hips, I nod my head a couple of times. “Yes, bound me. I also didn’t have a choice in coming back here,” I announce.
His brows rise even more and he watches me. He doesn’t say anything and because I ramble everything when I’m upset, I continue to talk and I tell him about the baby, because I’m an idiot.
“And I’m pregnant and apparently if we’re separated that horrible pain we feel in our stomachs, that isn’t the only ramification of us being apart, it could kill the baby too.”
Colt freezes, his entire body is stock still and I can do nothing but keep blurting out things that I really shouldn’t, I just can’t stop myself, even though I really want to.
“And not only that, once I found out I was pregnant, I was going to come back here anyway, maybe in a few days, but then I got worried that I could really hurt the baby so I came back immediately.”
“Darlin’—”
I don’t even let him say another word, far too gone on my roll to stop. “We can leave once he’s born, but those aches are so bad, I’m really worried that this baby could feel them too.”
“Birdie—”
“Maybe you can have a little cabin built for me in town, or maybe even at the edge of your property so you don’t have to see us all the time, maybe just when you want to.”
Then, before I can say anything else, I open my mouth, but instead of words coming out, Colt’s tongue fills my mouth. I whimper immediately, then I lift my hands and grip his shoulders tightly.
Both of his hands grip my ass and he picks me up, I don’t even realize what’s happening as he walks across the room, but my body goes flying before landing on the soft mattress. Colt is a few feet away, his gaze hungry—starving—exactly like an animal.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
BIRDIE
I watch as he quickly undresses, then grabs something from his pants before he makes his way closer toward me. Sitting up, I move backward to get away from him, but in this bulky dress, I can’t go far.
“I’m not building shit for you,” he growls just as he leaps forward and straddles my hips with his knees.
The sudden movement forces me to fall backward and my eyes widen when I realize what he’s grabbed from his pants. It’s a larger handheld pocket knife, flipped up and ready to strike. Oh God, he’s going to kill me.
I open my mouth to scream as he plunges the knife downward, but he’s too quick. Pinching my eyes closed, I hold my breath waiting for the pain to take over my entire body. Instead of pain, I feel my dress being tugged and pulled from the center.
Opening my eyes, I look down, shocked to see that Colt is cutting down the center of my dress. He’s not just slicing it, he is hacking it.
The fabric is thick and strong, no doubt with metal boning sewn between the pieces, but none of that stops him and in just moments I’m in nothing but a corset and bloomers.
“Colt,” I cry out.
He is looking down, admiring his handiwork, then slowly lifts his gaze to meet mine. His eyes are dark, but I can’t read them. I don’t know what he’s thinking, and I hate that I truly don’t know him well enough to figure it out.
“That dress will be burned, Birdie. Never again will my wife look like a common whore.”
My eyes widen and I press my lips together. Looking up at him, I wonder why this man cares so much now? He didn’t seem to care weeks ago, but now, he’s all concerned with the way I look.
“Why do you care now?” I ask.
The words spill out before I can attempt to stop myself, not that I probably would anyway, I’m not really great at that whole self-preservation thing. Colt’s lips twitch into a grin and he lets out a grunt.
“You’re mine, darlin’. You’re carrying my baby. There are hundreds of men outside that would love to get a taste of you.”
“Gross and I highly doubt it,” I snap.
His brows rise and he shakes his head a couple of times. “Truth, Birdie.”
Pressing my lips together, I widen my eyes as I look up at him. “Colt, seriously. A couple inches of chest isn’t going to make them lusty toward me.”
He snorts. “They’re already lusty toward you, darlin’. Firstly, you’re female. Secondly, you’re very beautiful, and thirdly, you’re mine which makes you very desirable to any man who wishes to have power.”
Scrunching my nose up, I continue to look up at him, only to watch his lips curve up into a
