I needed to be

I needed to be
Jensen sighed again. "I think you should..."
"I don't care what you think. " I blurted out the words as my concern turned to irritation. Worry about Amara had become claws digging into my chest, and each breath made them even deeper.
A clock ticked the time on the wall behind me as I listened to Jensen's regular inhalations. Finally, he spoke again. "Maybe I'll wait a few days. Then make up your mind." He omitted the fact that that was the thought I had just told him I didn't want to hear, but my phone screen was still cracking worryingly under my tight grip.
"That's your suggestion for my next move, right? " My voice was soft, almost a purr, but Jensen's response was forceful.
"Yes, it is. Don't burn a bridge you might have to cross again. And how could Donatelo warn everyone so quickly? How were they to know about the truce?
I let out a harsh laugh. "Donatelo torched the bridge and the whole town the moment my colleague was attacked on his turf by vampires under his control. He's lucky New Orleans is still standing. He needs better behaved subjects." I uttered the last words in a booming voice, and they echoed through the cavernous two-story space of my house. Then I looked back at the open doors of the east wing and lowered my voice. "Just make sure he gets the message, Jensen . I was serious about protecting Amara when I talked to François earlier, and I'm serious now. No truce."
"All right. " Jensen's tone said he still disagreed, but he knew better than to argue further.
I'll send the helicopter to the airport. Call me when you get there. Although he could be stubborn and a bit reluctant at times, his safety was still one of my top priorities.
"Okay. Talk to you soon." He hung up and I turned away, already thinking of Amara as I walked the distance from the top of the stairs to the guest wing.
I hesitated outside her door, unsure if I should enter her private space, since privacy had been one of her negotiations before agreeing to spend a month with me.
But how could I protect her if I wasn't by her side? That was where I needed to be.
I had never felt an attraction like this before, and I leaned my forehead against the door for a moment as I inhaled deeply, but to no avail. His scent invaded my senses. It was everywhere, all around me.
I opened the door and a whisper crossed the carpet before creeping in and moving the lounge chair to the side of the bed. I sat up with a deep sigh that seemed to rise from the floor and fixed my gaze on Amara's face .
Unable to restrain myself, I leaned forward and brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek. Ana had removed the bobby pins that held her hair back, and it fell loosely over her shoulders. I wished the gray dress had gone to the cleaners, though that was the least of my worries. I could buy her a new gray dress for every day of the year if she had liked it. And I would, if that was what she wanted when she woke up.
"Hello " I said quietly." I'm so sorry about today."
The words were out of my mouth before I even thought them.
I didn't apologize. I wasn't wrong.
But today I had.
I screwed up so badly today that I almost lost my partner.
Maybe I needed to tell him the truth about me, about vampires, about those damn New Orleans weirdos, so he'd know exactly how seriously to take his safety. But then what?
Then it would be scary. It would be something out of a horror movie.
And no one would willingly give themselves over to the villain of a horror movie. He would jeopardize everything with Amara if he told her now. I hadn't spent enough time with her yet to convince her that she deserved my claim. Unless she accepted me, I would just be a monster.
I didn't want to be a monster to her. Fate was bringing us together, but she needed to accept me completely, give herself to me, or.... Fuck. She needed willing blood, willing surrender of her body, and I couldn't risk what little trust I might have forged between us.
He shifted slightly in his sleep, and a small wrinkle appeared between his brows. I longed to smooth it out or know what had caused it. A murmur drew my attention to his lips, and I longed to feel them against mine again.
I took her hand between my palms, and I was willing. Willing for her to wake up because I needed my mate.
My queen.
AMARA
I rolled over, not ready to wake up, but not sleepy enough to go back to sleep either. I tucked my nose under the thick comforter and willed myself to rest, but something in the luxurious room felt different.
Something was out of place.
Everything was completely silent, but a presence hovered in my mind. I didn't feel alone, and slowly opening one eye, I discovered that, with slightly blurred vision, I was looking at Arturo , sitting in a nearby chair, illuminated by the gloom seeping behind the curtains.
I stifled a gasp and opened my other eye, then watched him for a moment. He didn't move; his eyes were closed and his chest was rising and falling without stopping. It was logical to assume that he was asleep and had not noticed my scrutiny. Well, scrutiny was more accurate than simple observation, especially the way his unbuttoned shirt revealed the beginnings of a tattoo on his left breastplate.