Part of him was pissed.
He knew if he did anything stupid, Katie would suffer. She was here because she chose to be here, and he wasn’t going to make her life uncomfortable. Again. So he clenched his teeth and nodded.
"Maybe that's all in the past. The immortals can polish her up a little. It'll make Hannah so happy," Giovanni said with genuine warmth.
Giovanni took Rhyn’s silence as encouragement and began to discuss his pedigree and which immortals he knew. Rhyn found he didn't need to respond. Giovanni was capable of discussing himself--and his Hannah--without any sign of stopping.
Instead, Rhyn began to wonder where exactly his mate would fit in. It wasn't here, in a place best suited for privileged immortals accustomed to wealth. It wasn't in the barracks of Kris's fortress. Gabriel had told him just how small and cluttered her apartment was.
She was like him: someone who didn't fit in anywhere she should.
He had nothing, no castles or gold like his brothers. He had nowhere else to go. It'd never been a problem when it was just him. Now, he had a reason to care what tomorrow brought, and he wasn't certain he liked the newfound feeling.
Hannah returned a short time later, the only thing that interrupted Giovanni's ramblings. Rhyn pulled himself from his thoughts as he stood. He didn't like thinking--he preferred to act.
"…my greatest honor to meet you," Giovanni said with a warm smile. "You're welcome here with Katherine anytime."
Katie, Rhyn corrected him mentally.
Hannah appeared puzzled by the invitation but smiled when Rhyn turned to her.
"Hannah, dear, please instruct the servants that Rhyn and Katherine are given whatever they ask for."
"Of course, darling," Hannah replied. "Katherine's waiting for you, Rhyn. She said you were interested in taking a walk around the estate."
Rhyn said nothing and followed her out of the study. They strode through the opulent mansion down a stairwell spilling into sunlight and swaths of green grass at the side of the main house. He was unaware how tense he was until Hannah left him, and he breathed in deeply. His muscles were so bunched, they ached when he shook them free.
"They can be pains in the ass," Katie said from her seat on a stone bench beneath a massive oak tree. "They mean well, I think."
He gazed at her, at once hungry and pensive. He didn't know much about the woman staring at him except that she was the strongest person he'd ever met. She was genuine, straightforward, and sweet. He wanted her in his life, permanently, only he'd need his brothers' help. To keep her, he'd go to them.
"I have to go somewhere," he said abruptly.
She frowned, and he couldn't tell if she were more disappointed or relieved at his news.
"You'll be safe here. Giovanni is an immortal."
"Giovanni?" she echoed, surprised. "Hannah must not know. She can't keep secrets like that."
"She doesn't. I'll be back soon enough."
She looked as if she wanted to say something, then crossed her arms with a glare. He didn't want to try to interpret the look or await her scathing return, not when he needed to find a place for them go to. Instead, he started walking away and summoned his powers, wondering which of his brothers could be coerced into giving him what he wanted.
"Rhyn, wait!" she called.
He faced her. She approached him, gaze troubled once again.
"Kris sent me an apology," she started.
"And?" he asked impatiently.
"He said he knows someone older than him who can put my life back the way it was." Her words surprised him. She didn't meet his gaze. "He said he only needed two months of my time, and even if he didn't do what he needed to at the end of it, he'd let me have my life back."
"You trust him after what he did to you?" he demanded.
"He's not a bad person, Rhyn. If he's making the offer, he'll keep his word. Besides, he owes me, for more reasons than one," she said. "I can't live like this, Rhyn. I won't make it in your world. I’ve barely survived my first week."
Stunned, he waited. She fell silent.
"You said you loved me last night," he said at last. "I'm leaving now so I can find a safe place for you."
"I was tired and probably half-drunk," she whispered.
"I read your mind."
"And you wonder why I want out of this world?" she snapped, fire lighting up her features. "It doesn't matter what I feel, Rhyn, when I know I don't belong in this world or here with you, and I know without a doubt I won't survive, even if you find some place on another planet to stash me! I don't want that, Rhyn!"
"Gio and Hannah say your life sucks as it is," he pointed out.
"But it's my life, even if it does suck. You try but you can't protect me, Rhyn, which you've proven a dozen times over. Two months is all Kris asks, and I'm free. What do you have to offer?"
He said nothing. He had nothing. They both knew it. She turned away, but he saw the tears gathering in her eyes. He'd never felt inadequate in his long existence until he stood before a mere mortal with the knowledge he had nothing to offer her.
"Don't come back, Rhyn," she said softly. "Please."
"You said you're giving Kris two months. How about me?"
"How about you what?"
"If, at the end of those two months, I haven't fixed things, you'll go back to your world. If I make things right, you'll stay. With me," he said in a hushed tone. "As my mate."
She was quiet briefly, considering, before she said, "Fine. Sixty days."
Emotions spiraled through him. He wasn't sure what he felt, but it wasn't gratitude. If anything, he was stunned she agreed so quickly. It meant she didn't believe him.
She walked away. He watched, hurt and then fury filling him.
He'd never had anything worth fighting for until now. Just when he’d accepted he needed to find a way to keep her safe, he was about to lose her. He'd spend the rest of his existence in Hell before he'd let her go without a fight.
The Rhyn Trilogy
Katie’s Hellion (Book I, May 2011)
Katie’s Hope (Book II, September 2011)
Rhyn’s Redemption (Book III, March 2012)
Rhyn Trilogy: Origins (short story, October 2011)
Gabriel’s Hope (Rhyn Eternal Series, September 2012)
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