Chapter 94: A Challenge
"You want to spend the night here?" Kael asked slowly as Ramona sat across from him. His gaze stayed fixed on her, watching every small shift in her expression. She tried hard to keep her composure, to act as if nothing was wrong, and for a moment she almost succeeded.
Almost.
But Kael was not fooled. He could feel her emotions as clearly as if they were his own. She seemed to not understand that he was an Enforcer and an empath. Which meant she would not be able to hide behind any facade with him.
The disgust had hit her the moment she stepped through his door. Then came the flicker of fear when her eyes had wandered over the "decorations," the reminders of who he was and what he could do, without blinking an eye.
After that, he felt her desperate attempt to clamp it all down, to force her body to stay still and her face to remain calm.
Yet no effort could erase feelings that strong. She might sit across from him and pretend, but beneath the surface, all she wanted was to run from this place and from him.
It was what made it difficult for him to accept this mate bond. Why would the fates do this to him? To them. To give them a mate that could not accept all three of them? It was like Heaven’s own punishment.
If it had not been for Zen and Lance, he would have long rejected her as a mate. It was better to not have one...
His thoughts were broken by her soft voice as she asked," Why are you not saying anything?"
He stared at her. What did she want him to say? Should he jump with joy? Maybe, once upon a time,he might have done that, when they’d just found her and had hope...
"Ramona.. I only have two rooms and a guest staying in one of them. If you want to stay with me, it is up to you."
He did not give her any more explanations. It was clear. He had two rooms. If she wanted to stay, it would mean sharing a room with him.
He looked at her. Did she dare to choose now? The girl could barely breathe in his space. Would she dare to stay the night?
As expected, her face turned ashen at that. The thought of staying the night was impossible for her. She’d stayed with Lance during their absence and with Zen in the past. But he’d always been a tabboo.
Kael stood up. He was in no mood for this. "Ramona. I think you should lea..."
Kael didn’t get a chance to finish when Ramona suddenly ran to him. Her body collided with his, her arms wrapped around him, almost desperately. Before he could react, she tilted her face up and pressed her lips against his.
Kael stiffened, his entire body going rigid as if struck. For one breathless moment, his mind went blank. He didn’t move, didn’t think, didn’t even breathe.
The warmth of her lips was real, the closeness undeniable, and the bond inside him surged with a force that nearly knocked him off balance.
He tried to gauge her feelings, to make sense of why she was doing this, but his own emotions swirled too wildly to focus. The mate bond roared in his blood, drowning out reason.
His thoughts stumbled over themselves. Was she finally accepting him? Was she giving in?
He knew she had tried... but this desperation... was she finally willing to do anything to overcome her fear of him? For a moment, hope surged. If she were really willing, he would do all he could to soothe her.
Trying to ignore the confusion, he forced himself to surrender to the moment. Just enjoy it, he told himself. For once in his cursed life, he could let go and feel what it meant to be wanted by his mate. Slowly, his hands lifted,moving towards her waist, ready to pull her closer-
But before he could, she pulled back and the kiss broke as abruptly as it had begun.
Ramona’s eyes were wide, her breath uneven, and for a heartbeat he thought he saw a flicker of something. But then it was gone. Her face hardened, and what replaced it hit him like a blade to the chest.
Disgust.
It rolled off her in waves so strong, that Kael did not even have time to set his own emotions to handle it.
She looked away then and even though he could see she probably didn’t mean to, her hands moved as she wiped her lips with the back of her hands. Trying to wipe him off.
He closed his eyes at the hatred and anger surging through him. There was no point in hating a mate. "Leave." He spoke the word hoarsely, barely able to get it out of his mouth.
That was all he could do stop himself from going to her and hurt her. He was willing to stay away from her! Why did she have to do this and come to hurt him repeatedly?
At that point of time, she seemed to realize his anger and took a step towards him. "I don’t want to go. I’ll stay here. I know we are not used to it but..."
"Enough. Ramona, Leave. Now." Kael bit out. He did not want her to stay the night.
But something seemed to have made her desperate, and instead of heeding his warning, she insistently took another step closer to him.
"If you take another step closer to me, I will show you what a real kiss is like, Ramona."
She froze. He smiled. And waited for her to leave. She didn’t. She stood there, staring at him with her large moist eyes, as if she was on the verge of crying.
"I really did kiss you, Kael..."
Before Kael could say anything, they heard a small sound and turned around to see a stunned Emira standing there...