English language didn’t have one that
she knew of that did him justice. Perhaps she’d find a new word in Ilyria.
She glanced around the restaurant. A couple of other patrons
were giving her curious glances. Grabbing her jacket and jerking it on, she
stalked outside and opened the car door. She didn’t get in. “You left me.”
“No. I left the restaurant. Get in.”
The freezing wind cut through her pants and whipped her hair
into her eyes as she struggled with the desire to slam the door and leave the
bastard forever. But he was in her car and he was her ticket to Ilyria and to
her family. Not to mention away from the Predators they had fled from at the
Riverwalk . Shit.
She got in the car and closed the door. After snapping the
seatbelt in place, she rested her head back against the seat and closed her
eyes. With a few deep, cleansing breaths she forced herself into her happy
place. A peaceful, sunny meadow. Spring flowers, warm breeze, bright blue sky.
Fluffy white clouds slowly drifting overhead. Birds chirping sweetly next to a
bubbling, sparkling brook whose crystal-clear water she held Connyn’s head
under until his eyes bulged .
“You don’t need to fear that I would have left you.”
She opened her eyes and stared at him. “What?”
“Regardless of how unreasonable you might get, I will never
leave you. Ever.”
Closing her eyes again, she let her head thump back against
the headrest. “Hmph. If I were you, I’d worry about me leaving you.”
Suddenly she was thrown forward, stopped from flying through
the windshield by the seatbelt.
“What the hell are you doing?” she yelled, grateful that she’d
made sure to buckle the goddamn safety harness into place. Connyn brought the car
to an abrupt stop on the road’s shoulder, the small roadster fishtailing a
little on the snow-covered asphalt. After slamming the car into park, he
gripped the steering wheel tight enough to make his knuckles pop white. He
glared straight ahead, ignoring her question and the cars and trucks whipping
past them on the highway fast enough to rock the little car with wind tremors.
“No.” A flat, bit-out harsh word. And still he didn’t face
her.
“No?” she asked. “No what? Are you saying, no, I didn’t just
try to kill you by throwing you head-first through the windshield? Or no, I
shouldn’t have walked out on you in the restaurant? Maybe, no, I promise to
quit being such an asshole.”
When he finally turned to look at her, she wished he hadn’t.
His eyes were a penetrating, dark silvered gray, flashing with a hard
brightness like flames off polished slate.
“No. You will not leave me. You are my mate. You completed
the vow.” He picked up her hand. Held it upright. “You wear my ring.” He set it
back down and put the car into drive. “We will not have this discussion again.”
Chapter Five
The trip had not been fun. Aurora had calmed down enough to
think and sort through her options. There weren’t many. Not if she wanted to
get to Ilyria. She comforted herself with the hope that once she did get to
Ilyria, her options would expand.
They had stopped for a silent dinner before continuing the
trip into Colorado. About ten hours after they had started that morning, they
pulled into the outskirts of Denver. It had begun to snow about twenty minutes
earlier and now the heavy flakes swirled in a frenetic dance before them in the
dark.
Connyn veered off the highway onto an exit ramp and Aurora
twisted around to see the name of the exit’s road. She missed it. “Are we here?
I thought you were staying somewhere more rural. Ellen mentioned a farm.”
“We’re still about two hours from there.”
“So are we stopping for dinner?” She glanced out the side
window. “If so, you’re passing up a lot of good restaurants.”
“We’re stopping for the night.”
“Why? It’d only be around nine or ten if we kept on going.
Are you getting tired of driving, because I am completely capable
she knew of that did him justice. Perhaps she’d find a new word in Ilyria.
She glanced around the restaurant. A couple of other patrons
were giving her curious glances. Grabbing her jacket and jerking it on, she
stalked outside and opened the car door. She didn’t get in. “You left me.”
“No. I left the restaurant. Get in.”
The freezing wind cut through her pants and whipped her hair
into her eyes as she struggled with the desire to slam the door and leave the
bastard forever. But he was in her car and he was her ticket to Ilyria and to
her family. Not to mention away from the Predators they had fled from at the
Riverwalk . Shit.
She got in the car and closed the door. After snapping the
seatbelt in place, she rested her head back against the seat and closed her
eyes. With a few deep, cleansing breaths she forced herself into her happy
place. A peaceful, sunny meadow. Spring flowers, warm breeze, bright blue sky.
Fluffy white clouds slowly drifting overhead. Birds chirping sweetly next to a
bubbling, sparkling brook whose crystal-clear water she held Connyn’s head
under until his eyes bulged .
“You don’t need to fear that I would have left you.”
She opened her eyes and stared at him. “What?”
“Regardless of how unreasonable you might get, I will never
leave you. Ever.”
Closing her eyes again, she let her head thump back against
the headrest. “Hmph. If I were you, I’d worry about me leaving you.”
Suddenly she was thrown forward, stopped from flying through
the windshield by the seatbelt.
“What the hell are you doing?” she yelled, grateful that she’d
made sure to buckle the goddamn safety harness into place. Connyn brought the car
to an abrupt stop on the road’s shoulder, the small roadster fishtailing a
little on the snow-covered asphalt. After slamming the car into park, he
gripped the steering wheel tight enough to make his knuckles pop white. He
glared straight ahead, ignoring her question and the cars and trucks whipping
past them on the highway fast enough to rock the little car with wind tremors.
“No.” A flat, bit-out harsh word. And still he didn’t face
her.
“No?” she asked. “No what? Are you saying, no, I didn’t just
try to kill you by throwing you head-first through the windshield? Or no, I
shouldn’t have walked out on you in the restaurant? Maybe, no, I promise to
quit being such an asshole.”
When he finally turned to look at her, she wished he hadn’t.
His eyes were a penetrating, dark silvered gray, flashing with a hard
brightness like flames off polished slate.
“No. You will not leave me. You are my mate. You completed
the vow.” He picked up her hand. Held it upright. “You wear my ring.” He set it
back down and put the car into drive. “We will not have this discussion again.”
Chapter Five
The trip had not been fun. Aurora had calmed down enough to
think and sort through her options. There weren’t many. Not if she wanted to
get to Ilyria. She comforted herself with the hope that once she did get to
Ilyria, her options would expand.
They had stopped for a silent dinner before continuing the
trip into Colorado. About ten hours after they had started that morning, they
pulled into the outskirts of Denver. It had begun to snow about twenty minutes
earlier and now the heavy flakes swirled in a frenetic dance before them in the
dark.
Connyn veered off the highway onto an exit ramp and Aurora
twisted around to see the name of the exit’s road. She missed it. “Are we here?
I thought you were staying somewhere more rural. Ellen mentioned a farm.”
“We’re still about two hours from there.”
“So are we stopping for dinner?” She glanced out the side
window. “If so, you’re passing up a lot of good restaurants.”
“We’re stopping for the night.”
“Why? It’d only be around nine or ten if we kept on going.
Are you getting tired of driving, because I am completely capable
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