Gentry (Wolves of Winter's Edge Book 1)(49)

“Gentry,” she murmured, her heart overflowing.

“I know. I know,” he chanted against her neck. “I can feel it.”

“What?”

“I can feel how happy you are, Blaire. I can feel you.”

A tear streamed out of the corner of her eye. Maybe that’s what was happening to her, too. Maybe all this emotion wasn’t only hers. “Is this… Are we okay?”

“Yeah,” he said, cupping her neck and easing back. His eyes were glowing again, and his teeth looked sharper when he smiled, but at least he was smiling. “Bonds are only supposed to happen to werewolves. I thought…I thought we wouldn’t have it.” He shook his head, baffled. “I fucking love you, Blaire. I fucking love you,” he murmured, closing his eyes tightly and resting his forehead on hers.

Another wave of potent emotion washed through her as she clung to him and cried as quietly as she could. She’d been so sad, utterly heartbroken, at the failure of her marriage, and then to find this? With Gentry?

But there was something more behind the joy and relief that was pulsing through her. Something dark. Something sad.

Confused, she pushed him back so she could look in his eyes when she asked, “What’s wrong?”

Gentry looked away and rolled to the side, pulling her with him. He was quiet for so long, but this was Gentry’s way. He didn’t give himself easily, and if he was struggling with the words, it must’ve been important.

At last, he sighed and stroked her hair. “I’m not allowed to be with you—”

“I don’t care about the rules—”

“I don’t either except when it comes to your safety, Blaire. There are people in this town who would follow through with the punishment. Werewolves police themselves. My dad chose Odine, a human, and now he’s…” Dead. “What if they found out about her, and that has something to do with his death? I can’t risk the same thing happening to us. To you.”

“But Odine is alive.”

“Because she has black magic you wouldn’t believe, Blaire. I saw some of it. I tasted it. Fuck, it nearly crippled me. She pulled the human out of me when I was Wolf, like it was nothing. She did it to my brothers, too. If the Bone-Rippers are smart, they won’t mess with her. But you have no defense but me.”

“But you can protect me.”

“And I will. With my life, I’ll make sure you’re safe. But as much as I want you here, with me, where I can see you and touch you and make sure you’re okay, Rangeley isn’t safe for you. And what kind of man—what kind of mate—would I be if I kept you here?”

“Don’t push me away, Gentry. Don’t make me leave. I’m not ready.”

“It’s not forever. And nothing in me wants to do it except for this instinct to keep you safe. And right now, keeping you safe means keeping you away from all that is happening in this town.”

Blaire flinched away from him and crossed her arms over her chest like a shield. “That’s not how this is supposed to work. We’re supposed to be a team. You’re not supposed to say you love me and then push me away.”

Yep, she was angry, but this was unexpected. She was supposed to have more time here with Gentry. Everything important suddenly felt like it was right here in Rangeley, and the thought of leaving when Gentry was headed right for the eye of whatever supernatural storm was brewing made her want to sink her claws in and stay.

She log-rolled out of bed and landed clumsily on her feet on the worn wooden floor. It was cold in here, and chills instantly took her body without Gentry’s warmth, so she rushed for the bathroom and turned on the hot water in the shower.

“What are you doing?” Gentry asked.

“I’m getting ready for a night out on the town, because surely you don’t expect me to leave tonight. It’s late, snowy, and Roman broke my window. I’ll freeze and die of frostbite.”

Gentry let off a growl in the other room. “If I take you to the Four Horsemen tonight, will you promise to leave first thing in the morning?”

Hell no, but werewolves could sense lies, so she started singing that good-girl-gone-bad chorus and stepped into the steaming shower. Blaire closed her eyes and let the water rush over her hair, but startled when she felt Gentry’s strong arms wrap around her waist. The scary predator in him made his movements silent.

He gently sucked her earlobe, then murmured, “I know what you’re doing.”

“Stalling?”

“Mmm hmm.”

“I’ll go when I’m ready to go.”

He huffed a laugh and shook his head against her cheek. “I can make most people do what I want with a look, and then you come along and tell me ‘no’ on everything.”