Page 37 of Crimson Shifter
“But he's not here,” Talon snapped. His gaze was predator-like, his pupils slightly blown as he stared at me. “He's not here, Cassandra. He hasn't been here. There has to be a reason why, when all of our intelligence said he was coming here frequently.”
I tilted my head, anger rippling beneath my skin. “And why does it sound like you thinkIhave something to do with that?”
His lingering curious stare was enough to make clarity snap in my mind.
“Ah,” I said, disappointment making my heart sink. “I see. Zachariah got in your head. I can understand why the leader of your hunter pack doesn't trust me. Butyou? How can you not trust me by now? After what you've seen. After what we've...” My voice trailed off as I sucked in a breath.
I was a ridiculously foolish girl.
Allowing my hopes to fly when it came to this male. I’d thought we’d at least come to a mutual respect and trust with each other, especially after all the feeding and fucking and shared experiences we'd been having lately.
We'd had endless talks that lasted well past dawn, sharing histories and commiserating on things that we didn't even know we had in common. I’d started to envision things beyond the island that included Talon.
A life filled with wicked fights and even more delightfully wicked makeups. I couldn’t believe I’d allowed myself to feel for this male when it was clear he wasn't even close to being on the same page.
The anger seemed to spill out of Talon, his shoulders dropping as his muscles relaxed, those blue eyes softening slightly. “I... I...”
“I've never seen you at a loss for words before, Talon,” I snapped. “Whatever you have to say, just say it. It's fine if feeding and release and a common mission was all this was ever going to be. I was just a little taken off guard because I thought I'd earned your respect and trust by now. But one phone call from your leader and all of that is so easily crumbled. It must’ve not been that strong of a foundation to begin with.”
I clung to that anger to help bury the loss I already felt. Chided myself for ever getting attached to someone I never really thought I could hang on to in the first place.
I shouldn't be surprised or shocked, especially since the sensation wasn't new to me. Rejection, loss. It was literally my lot in life.
Talon spanned the distance between us, but I took a step back, not wanting to fall prey to the physical chemistry we couldn't deny.
He had the gall to lookhurtby my retreat.
“I'm sorry,” he said, and my eyebrows rose at those two words. I'm sure he wasn't used to saying them. He shrugged, sliding his hands into the pockets of his sweats as if it would stop him from reaching for me. “It's difficult denying the concerns of someone I've trusted my entire existence.”
“I can understand that,” I said, folding my arms over my chest like that could protect my heart.
My heart which only I now realized was inpain. The kind of pain that made me even angrier. He hadnoright to hurt me like this, and I had no right to have allowed himinenough to do so.
“But I argued with him,” he continued. He stepped closer, and I didn't retreat. “I argued with him, Cassandra,” he saidagain. “I never argue with Zachariah when it comes to a mission. I've never had to, but we are of conflicting minds on this one.”
I swallowed around the knot in my throat. “On whether I'm trustworthy or not,” I said.
Talon dipped his head, which was confirmation enough, and I shook mine.
“I don't know what else it's going to take to get you and your pack of hunters to trust me. I’ve managed to earn the trust of most of the assassins and their mates. Short of letting Alek fully into my mind and giving him access to every single one of my memories, even the ones I’ve never shared with anyone but you, what else can I possibly do?” I asked, unfolding my arms and letting my hands smack against my thighs, the frustration vibrating from my very bones. “Will it take me murdering my own mother or summoning my brother here under false pretenses so you can kill him before we even have a chance to get information? Not that he would come even if I somehow made him believe I was in danger, because he doesn't care about me. No one does. I was abandoned at that court and Alek could have easily killed me and he didn't and yet still you don't trust me?—”
Talon embraced me, his powerful hands on either side of my face as he held my gaze. “I’m here with you,” he said, emotion making his voice sound raw. “My trust is limited…not because of you, but because of my mistakes in the past. Ones I've shared with you. I lived with my brother for centuries and never once suspected him of the betrayal he dealt us. I’m sorry that my issues with opening up and trusting people are coming down hard on you, but I’mhere. I have not left. I have not abandoned you to this mission alone. And I will not,” he said. “I will not leave you. Not because I'm being ordered to by our king, or out of some need to watch you. I will not leave you because Ican't.”
Tears threatened to blur my vision, but I held them back.
“I think it would’ve been less terrifying if you would’ve just said you were waiting to kill me.” I released a dark laugh, and Talon joined in, the tension between us breaking as he softly pressed his lips against mine.
The kiss wasn't out of a desperate need for release or because of an itch he couldn't scratch. It was tender and comforting and that scared me.
“I think it would have been less terrifying if you would’ve tried to murder me in my sleep any one of these nights we've been here,” he countered.
I looked up into his eyes, unable to express the emotions storming through my soul in that moment.
“What do we do now?” I finally asked.
“We carry out the mission,” he said matter-of-factly. “And the rest?” He shrugged. “I'm here. You're here. We take it one night at a time. I know that's not exactly fair to you, but it's all I have to offer.”
The smallest of smiles shaped my lips as I shifted against him, smoothing my palms over his muscled chest. “So I get to play with a snarky vampire Viking with trust issues?”