throw her out, and she’d never get to come back in. Only minutes ago, she’d wanted out of the room, but since his announcement about his shifting problem, something had changed inside of her. Even if he wasn’t her mate, he would always be the Wolf she’d given her virginity to.
“Before I had to leave school, I studied nursing. They taught us all kinds of massages. I could rub it if you’d like.”
“No.” He jerked farther away from her. “I’d really rather you never touch it.”
She rolled closer to him. “Did you watch the news this morning?”
“I never do. Why was there something on it I needed to see?”
Lena touched his arm with two fingers, hoping she could soothe away some of his tension. Devin acted prickly, but she started to suspect it was to cover some very strong pain.
“They said the Dragons are likely to sign the peace accord.”
Devin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, they’ve said so before.”
“You don’t believe them?”
“No.” He spit the word out like it burned his throat to say it.
“The news people say it’s because you guys have been doing such a good job attacking their nesting grounds. They don’t want to lose any more eggs, so they’re finally willing to settle with us.” She grinned. Everyone felt so proud of those operations. They had really turned the tide of the war. “Egg destroying was what your unit was doing, right?”
“Before we got caught, yes.” He rolled over to look at her. His gaze seemed huge, his eyes bright in the darkness. “Lena, don’t believe them. Whatever they tell you about that—about going to the nesting grounds—it isn’t what they say it is.”
Her heart beat faster and she bit down on her lip. “What do you mean?” “When you destroy an egg, it’s not the same as say stepping on an anthill. Easy was what they told us it would be like. Get rid of the eggs, they can’t make babies. But when you burn them, the eggs scream. We are killing their babies and the sound—I’m not sure I’ll ever forget it. It will be with me forever.”
Tears sprang to Lena’s eyes both from the distress in Devin’s tone and from the imagery his words provoked. “People have to know about this, Devin. It isn’t the Wolf way to kill babies. We’re all being told you’re killing unfertilized eggs.”
“Who needs to know?” He sat up abruptly. “Every male over the age of eighteen is in the war. The Wolves we’ve left behind? The females, the old, and the disabled? We should tell them? Trust me, Lena, everyone who needs to know, knows. And I’m not even saying it’s wrong.” He stood up, his bad leg wobbling a little until he righted himself. “It’s us versus them out there. If we don’t stop them, they’ll burn all of our woods until there is nowhere left for us to shift. They’ll take our homes, destroy our people. No, they have to be stopped. But don’t make the nesting missions nobler than they are. They are the last-ditch effort of a desperate people. Nothing more, nothing less. If they’re working— fantastic. I’m thrilled.”
Lena got out of the bed. She needed to find her clothes. Devin was clearly done with her. “I guess I understand.”
“You don’t, and I’d rather you didn’t.” He turned to look at her, his eyes narrowing. “Where are you going?”
“Well…you got up so I assumed we were done.” What was it about Devin that always made her feel so unsure? Were they not finished?
“I have trouble staying still when I’m conscious. You don’t have to leave.”
His hadn’t said he wanted her to stay. “I think I’d better get going.”
It wouldn’t be proper for her to stay. Gods, it hadn’t been proper for her to come in the first place, but she didn’t want to get caught by Devin’s parents. To do so would be awful. They might force a marriage on Devin, and he’d been quite clear about not wanting to be tied to her.
“I’ll walk you home.”
The stillness of the night changed in a
“Before I had to leave school, I studied nursing. They taught us all kinds of massages. I could rub it if you’d like.”
“No.” He jerked farther away from her. “I’d really rather you never touch it.”
She rolled closer to him. “Did you watch the news this morning?”
“I never do. Why was there something on it I needed to see?”
Lena touched his arm with two fingers, hoping she could soothe away some of his tension. Devin acted prickly, but she started to suspect it was to cover some very strong pain.
“They said the Dragons are likely to sign the peace accord.”
Devin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, they’ve said so before.”
“You don’t believe them?”
“No.” He spit the word out like it burned his throat to say it.
“The news people say it’s because you guys have been doing such a good job attacking their nesting grounds. They don’t want to lose any more eggs, so they’re finally willing to settle with us.” She grinned. Everyone felt so proud of those operations. They had really turned the tide of the war. “Egg destroying was what your unit was doing, right?”
“Before we got caught, yes.” He rolled over to look at her. His gaze seemed huge, his eyes bright in the darkness. “Lena, don’t believe them. Whatever they tell you about that—about going to the nesting grounds—it isn’t what they say it is.”
Her heart beat faster and she bit down on her lip. “What do you mean?” “When you destroy an egg, it’s not the same as say stepping on an anthill. Easy was what they told us it would be like. Get rid of the eggs, they can’t make babies. But when you burn them, the eggs scream. We are killing their babies and the sound—I’m not sure I’ll ever forget it. It will be with me forever.”
Tears sprang to Lena’s eyes both from the distress in Devin’s tone and from the imagery his words provoked. “People have to know about this, Devin. It isn’t the Wolf way to kill babies. We’re all being told you’re killing unfertilized eggs.”
“Who needs to know?” He sat up abruptly. “Every male over the age of eighteen is in the war. The Wolves we’ve left behind? The females, the old, and the disabled? We should tell them? Trust me, Lena, everyone who needs to know, knows. And I’m not even saying it’s wrong.” He stood up, his bad leg wobbling a little until he righted himself. “It’s us versus them out there. If we don’t stop them, they’ll burn all of our woods until there is nowhere left for us to shift. They’ll take our homes, destroy our people. No, they have to be stopped. But don’t make the nesting missions nobler than they are. They are the last-ditch effort of a desperate people. Nothing more, nothing less. If they’re working— fantastic. I’m thrilled.”
Lena got out of the bed. She needed to find her clothes. Devin was clearly done with her. “I guess I understand.”
“You don’t, and I’d rather you didn’t.” He turned to look at her, his eyes narrowing. “Where are you going?”
“Well…you got up so I assumed we were done.” What was it about Devin that always made her feel so unsure? Were they not finished?
“I have trouble staying still when I’m conscious. You don’t have to leave.”
His hadn’t said he wanted her to stay. “I think I’d better get going.”
It wouldn’t be proper for her to stay. Gods, it hadn’t been proper for her to come in the first place, but she didn’t want to get caught by Devin’s parents. To do so would be awful. They might force a marriage on Devin, and he’d been quite clear about not wanting to be tied to her.
“I’ll walk you home.”
The stillness of the night changed in a
Similar Books
Death's Savage Passion
Jane Haddam
You Dropped a Blonde on Me
Dakota Cassidy
Black Valley
Charlotte Williams
Mindbenders
Ted Krever
Angel's Shield
Erin M. Leaf
Home Safe
Elizabeth Berg
Seducing Santa
Dahlia Rose
Elizabeth's Education (Forbidden Lust)
Maggie Carpenter
Forever and Always
Beverley Hollowed