Chapter 16

My heart felt like it was attempting a violent prison break with how hard it thrashed in my chest. The seconds ticked by, each one longer than the last. I was starting to think she wasn’t going to answer me, but then she straightened, her arms fell to her sides, and she sighed. I braced myself for whatever method of heartbreak she was about to inflict on me. Because what else could she be preparing to do?

She was an all-powerful Pendragon witch, and I was one of the infamous cursed Halstead vampires. Our kinds didn’t exactly have a history of getting along. The universe really did have a twisted sense of humor. Or maybe this was my penance for all the terrible things I’d done, for how I’d destroyed Hannah, how I’d betrayed Chloe, how I’d hurt my brother by falling in love with his soulmate.

“I wasn’t joking when I said this is complicated.” She continued to hold my gaze, too, and something about the way she didn’t back down or look away in an effort to lessen the blow we both knew was coming only made me want her more.

I nodded even though I still had no clue what she meant. “How long have you known?”

“From the moment we first met.”

My stomach clenched. I leaned forward, arms on my knees, and clasped my hands in front of me. “You didn’t say anything.”

“Neither did you.”

I cracked a smile. “Yeah, well, vampires are notorious for keeping secrets.” Our entire existence was nothing but one big secret. “You still haven’t answered my question though.” I approached her, and every step felt like I was slowly marching toward certain death.

She pressed herself flush against the wall, and I stopped in front of her. The faint smell of some floral shampoo filled my nostrils, and I inhaled the sweet scent, my eyes closing briefly. When I reopened them, my vision was twice as clear, my senses honed and razor-sharp. I teetered on the edge of bloodlust, and her physical reaction to having me this close wasn’t helping.

Her heart beat with an increasingly faster staccato. Blood and adrenaline pumped through her body, and a healthy dose of fear, excitement, and desire hung thick around her. Her chest heaved with a deep breath, and only then did I realize she was breathing me in.

I placed my hand on the wall near her head and leaned down. This time, she sucked in a breath, causing her breasts to push out ever so slightly, and I was close enough to feel the featherlight brush against my chest. White-hot lust whipped through me. If I didn’t get an answer from her, I’d lose my damn mind.

“Let’s recap, shall we?” I smiled in a way that let her know I wasn’t oblivious to her very primal and sexual reaction to me. “We both know you’re my soulmate, yes?”

Piper nodded.

“And we both know what that means for me, correct?”

“Yes.” Her voice cracked on that single word, and my grin widened.

“But we don’t know what I am to you because things are… complicated?”

“Very complicated,” she said breathlessly.

I took a small step closer, eliminating almost all the distance between our bodies. She watched me like a hawk, her gaze never wavering, and I couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking. If only I had Whitney and Wyatt’s mind-reading abilities right now.

Leaning down, I positioned my mouth near her ear, and her slight tremble shoved me over the edge. My fangs started to push through my gums, and my vision darkened in conjunction with my eyes shifting from blue to black. My muscles were tense and poised to strike. Everything around me dulled and narrowed to just me and her. Nothing else mattered in this moment.

“Does this feel complicated to you?” My voice whispered across her ear, earning me another delicious shudder. There was no way she didn’t feel how hard every inch of my body was.

“No,” she whispered.

I eased back just enough to see her eyes, and the want I saw in them slammed into me with the force of a dozen freight trains. Yet, something held her back. If I pushed too hard, I’d lose her before I ever truly had her. I needed to tread lightly until I figured out what was going on with her.

“But you still don’t know what I am to you?” I asked.

“No.” Her eyes fluttered closed with what appeared to be shame. Regret. Sadness.

I pressed my lips to her cheek in a tender kiss, and I lingered for a moment or two before dragging my mouth over to her ear. “Let me know when you figure it out.” Then I moved away and shoved my hands into my pockets. “Good night, Piper.” I turned and sauntered toward the couch. When I glanced back, she was gone.

***

The sound of Trent whistling woke me from a fitful sleep. I sat up and stretched. “Someone had a good night.”

He stood in the kitchen, coffee mug clutched in his hands. “Good doesn’t do it justice. Though, somehow, I ended up giving her the ten bucks. Not quite sure how that happened.” He laughed and held up the steaming cup. “Want some? Looks like you could use it.”

Groaning, I stood and shuffled into the kitchen. I hadn’t been able to fall asleep last night. Partly because I kept replaying my conversation with Piper, but mostly because I heard her pacing in her room. She’d been awake and restless, just like I had been.

Trent handed me a cup of coffee. “Rough night?” he asked.

I shrugged and took a sip of the hot, black coffee. I stood across from Trent, debating how much I should tell him. When he first realized Chloe was his soulmate, he’d talked to me about her nonstop. Of course, I hadn’t exactly offered a sympathetic ear and opted instead to harass him endlessly. Would he do the same to me now? No. My brother was better than that.

“Well, Piper knows she’s my soulmate. She’s known as long as I have, but she doesn’t know what I mean to her.” I shook my head and took another drink.

“So, what’re you going to do?”

“What can I do? Other than give her the time and space to figure it out.” I set my mug on the counter and crossed my arms. “She kept saying it was complicated.”

“What’s complicated?”

“No idea. She wouldn’t tell me.” I sighed and dragged a hand through my hair. “You know how witches are. Always so dramatic.”

Trent laughed. “Kinda serves you right that your soulmate is a witch.”

I flipped him off, but I couldn’t argue with him—he was right. Having a witch as my soulmate was karmic justice.

“She’ll come around.” Trent set his mug in the sink.

If only I had his optimism, but I couldn’t shake the feeling Piper was hiding something from me. Something big. “Yeah, well, unless she figured it out overnight, it doesn’t matter. She’ll be leaving after the wedding, and then what?”

Trent titled his head, a sly smile curling his lips. “She’s staying for ten days.”

My eyes widened. “Ten days?” That may not seem like a lot of time, but it was a hell of a lot better than her leaving tomorrow. I could work with ten days.

“Clock’s ticking. Better make every one of these days count.” He patted me on the shoulder. “She already knows what you are, and that’s half the battle. Now she needs to know what being your soulmate means. The good and the bad.”

I nodded, my throat constricting. “Where is everyone?”

Not that I intended to have the soulmate conversation with Piper right this second, but the house was too quiet for this time of morning.

“They left already.”

“I’ll shower, then we can head to Dad’s and wrangle the rest of the wedding party.” I headed for the bathroom, then hesitated. “Thanks for not being a dick about this whole Piper thing.”

He grinned. “I’m not you, Jax, but don’t think for one second that I’m not going to give you shit about this. It’s only fair.”

“Guess I deserve that.”

I took my time in the shower, letting the hot water ease the tension in my shoulders and back. Trent was right—I needed to tell Piper everything about being my soulmate, including my now ever-present need to claim her. My undeniable urge to protect her and make her happy. How, for as long as I existed, I would never love anyone but her, even if she didn’t choose me in return.

That thought terrified me. I’d been alone for so long, and I’d resolved myself to the truth of my reality, but now my reality had shifted. My entire future was within my grasp, yet she was still so far away. What if I fucked this up? What if I destroyed her like I’d destroyed Hannah? What I’d done to that poor girl still haunted me, and I’d never be able to wash away the guilt and grief I carried for her, but if I so much as caused Piper to shed a single tear…

Bracing my hands on the shower wall, I closed my eyes and hung my head beneath the steady spray of water. I’d never be able to live with myself if I did anything to harm Piper, intentional or otherwise. She deserved someone better than me, someone who was worthy of her flirty glances and teasing smiles and snarky comebacks. Because I was not that man. Not for someone as amazing as her. But even as that thought solidified in my mind, I knew I wasn’t going to give her up.

I couldn’t.

Unless she told me she didn’t want me. Then I’d have no choice because her happiness would always come before my own. If that was how this thing played out between us, would I ever be able to look at another woman again? Would I be able to touch or kiss or love anyone else? Or would I be destined, once again, to be alone? Not that I wanted anyone other than Piper, but an eternity was a long damn time to live without love.

Shaking the thoughts away, I shut off the water, stepped out of the shower, and wrapped a towel around my waist. I was going to do everything in my power not to put myself in a position to have to answer those questions, which meant I had exactly ten days to prove to Piper that we were perfect for each other.