Page 26 of Consumed By Fire
“I’m not sure, Octane.” I shrug. “But it wouldn’t surprise me. We need them, and we don’t trust each other. They’re not being honest with us. That much is clear.”
He picks up a few of the pods, handing me a couple. “I think you might be onto something. It’s an angle I never considered.”
“It’s an angle I can’t stop thinking about.”
“Talk to me, Trinity. Tell me everything you know. Let’s put our heads together. It’s the only way.”
I shake my head. “Firstly, I keep telling you that I don’t know very much about what is going on, and secondly, even if I did, I don’t trust you enough to tell you.”
9
Octane
Trinity groans softly, leaning back against a tree trunk. “That was good. I never knew a dinner of nuts, avocado, and bananas could be so filling and so darned good. Thank you.” She gives me a hint of a smile. “You sure do know your way around the jungle.”
“It’s my pleasure. I’m sorry it couldn’t be fresh meat.”
“It was so good, I almost don’t miss having meat.”
“Liar!” I say. “I would have loved a steak on the grill, and I know you feel the same. Perhaps tomorrow night, when we are closer to home, we could risk a fire.”
“We should try to make it back. If we push hard, we—”
“No!” I shake my head. “It would be too much for you in one day.”
“I can do it. I—”
“I won’t risk you or your child. We will rest often; too often for us to make it back from here in a day. You must be nearly six months along by now, surely?”
She nods. “I have roughly two weeks to go before I hit six months. Before my dragon goes dormant.”
“I thought so. Your dragon side will already be pulling back. You won’t be as strong or have nearly as much stamina as you once had. You need to take it easy, Trinity. You should not have attempted to escape.”
“You shouldn’t be keeping me captive.”
“This conversation again. I’m bored with it. Soon, I won’t have to worry as much about you escaping. It’ll be more difficult in your human form.”
“You’re telling me,” she mutters. “It’s such a stupid design. Pregnant shifters should get stronger as their pregnancy progresses, but instead, we grow weaker and even lose the ability to shift altogether.”
“That’s why you’re supposed to be with your mate right now. He would keep you safe. It’s his job. If you were mine, I would not have allowed you to leave Mistveil. I would have protected you with everything I have and everything I am. You should be with him…with your own people. Not out here.” I look around the dense, dark jungle full of the sounds of the night. A rustle of leaves, the hooting of an owl, and the calling every so often of some or other creature.
“Well, I’m not yours. Besides, you wouldn’t have allowed me to leave Mistveil. Those were your words. Even if you were my mate, you wouldn’t get to decide for me. That’s not how it works.” She levels me with a look. “Sorry to have to tell you, Octane, but I am my own person. I make my own decisions and take my own path in life. No one is making me or letting me do anything, ever.” She lifts her brows, daring me to argue.
From the way she is protesting, I would say that someone has tried to control her. Her mate, perhaps. I don’t know, but I can’t put my finger on it, so I drop it. Her eyes are blazing; her whole demeanor is tense and ready. She almost wants me to argue with her some more.
She’s spicy and so fucking sexy that I can’t help but take note. Not for the first time, I am glad that Trinity is mated, or I would be sorely tempted to cross a line I have no business crossing.
“You’re strong. Your own person, and it’s commendable, but it’s also a little reckless right now. It’s not just you anymore, Trinity. You have to think for two now. With that in mind, you really need to tell me everything you know…please. Soon, you won’t be able to make the trip home. You won’t have the wings or the scales to take you there.”
“Don’t you worry about me. I will get back just fine, thank you very much.”
“I do worry about you. I have to. I took you prisoner, which means that you are my responsibility whilst in my care. It’s up to me to make sure you get a good night’s rest and that we take plenty of breaks on the way back tomorrow, just like we did today. I won’t put either of you at risk. If something happened to your baby, I would never forgive myself.”
Her eyes shimmer. For a moment, it looks like they are filled with tears, but then she blinks a few times, and it is over. Perhaps I misread her emotions. I’m sure I did. She doesn’t seem like the type to cry easily.
“You won’t have a baby to take if it’s gone. I would be no good to you dead,” she deadpans.
“You think so fucking little of me.” I give a humorless laugh. “I guess I’ve given you plenty of cause. I won’t take your baby,” I say. It isn’t something I should admit. It’s my only leverage. Shadow was right when she said that I should try being nice. The truth is that it stung when Trinity said she didn’t trust me. It’s stupid because she can’t trust me at all. Just like I can’t trust her. We’re enemies in every sense of the word. It would be stupid, but I hated hearing her say it, nonetheless.