CH16
Snow’s P.O.V
I didn’t know how to swim.
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Frigid water rushed into my lungs, burning as my legs kicked desperately against the pull of the water, but I couldn’t reach the surface. Every gasp that left my throat only pulled in more water, suffocating. I was going to die. Again.
I tried to scream for help but it was all in my head as my body convulsed. The world above me became nothing but distorted silver light, growing fainter as I sank. My heartbeat pounded in my skull, but then it began slowing, slowing.
And then darkness.
I awoke to warmth. Soft leather beneath me and a steady pressure around my shoulders. My lashes fluttered open and it was as if my vision was swimming in and out of focus. Dim lights and the faint hum of an engine. A strong scent of pine and leather kept swirling around my brain. And it was dangerously familiar.
Wait. That scent belonged to Roman.
I jerked upright right then only to find myself cradled in Roman’s lap. It didn’t seem like I was in the cabin anymore and the last thing I remembered was running on the deck and a rope had sent me overboard.
Just then, I remembered the reason I’d panicked was because of my baby. I didn’t know if my body was okay. Instinctively, I touched my stomach, my heart crushing when it felt very flat. I knew I was barely three weeks gone and the pregnancy wasn’t something I really wanted, but protecting the baby was something I vowed to do and now I might have failed at that already.
My eyes misted over and I blinked back the tears. Just then I felt a strong hand cup my chin, slightly tilting my head up so I could meet Roman’s assessing gaze. “Does your stomach hurt?”
I didn’t answer the question because what would I say? My throat felt so tight and all I wanted to know was if I was still pregnant. But I didn’t know how to ask Roman because I didn’t want him to even know about it yet.
So I shook my head to assuage him. A large exhale slipped through his lips and the grip he had on my shoulders loosened. “You almost drowned,” he suddenly said. “Thank the gods I came after you so I jumped in with you. You should have woken up earlier but I supposed you are still tender from just being turned so I let you rest after changing you into one of my clothes.”
I looked down just then, surprised to see I was wearing a large T–shirt and somehow jeans that fit. As if he could read my thoughts, he explained the jeans had been from one of his men whose lovers had been on the boat before. I almost snorted, imagining how the Lycan queen would have been when he discovered his boat had been a hookup site.
“Anyway, we docked hours ago and since you still didn’t open your eyes, I carried you into this car.” he finished.
I blinked and my fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt I was wearing. Hours ago? How long exactly was I out?
Those were the words I wanted to mouth to Roman but instead, my lips formed the words, “Thank you for saving me, your majesty. But you didn’t have to.‘
Roman’s mouth twitched, something unreadable flickering behind his eyes. “Of course I did.”
I swallowed hard, the last memory of icy water filling my lungs flashing behind my eyes. I needed to focus. Think. I licked my lips, hesitated, then mouthed at him: When I was… dead. Did you notice anything? Anything unusual?
His brows knitted together. “Other than watching a vampire drain my mate dry and listening to her heartbeat stop?” His jaw clenched. “No, nothing unusual.”
The air in the limousine grew thick and my fingers trembled as I asked the next question, the one that had been clawing at the back of my mind since I woke up. How did I turn?
Roman went very still. It was barely noticeable–the slight stiffening of his shoulders–but I caught it.
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Then, he exhaled, dragging a hand through his dark hair. “The same vampire who took my form and drained you and turned you. I made him do it.”
I froze. So my maker is my rapist and my murderer. In the slew of things that have happened to me since I was a child and lost my parents, honestly, it didn’t feel out of place.
“I didn’t have a choice,” he continued. “It was either that or let you die.” A pause and then his voice grew softer, “And I couldn’t let that happen. You are my mate and I promise to protect you.”
My chest ached, though I wasn’t sure if it was from his words or the gnawing hunger curling in my gut. My eyes locked onto his, searching. Was he lying? Could I really trust him despite all the males in my life who did nothing but hurt me? A part of me felt all of this was too good to be true. The goddess hated me so she couldn’t throw good fortune my way. I couldn’t brush the feeling that Roman wanted something from me and that was the only reason he accepted me as his mate. When I was just a weak omega with no defense, I held onto hope like a lifeline, but with my new powers, I felt…a little more perceptive. Once he got that thing he wanted, he was going to get rid of me and anything that reminded him of the humiliation of being mated to a mute
runt.
But as my eyes continued to hold his gaze, Roman left his eyes bare, like a window to his soul. And not once did he look away or waver. And I decided to trust him, not with everything, but enough. Maybe Roman’s intentions were good. I’d give him the
benefit of doubt.
A shaky breath left me as I mouthed my next question. The blood I drank… whose was it?
His lips curved, but there was something strange about his smile. “Your maker’s. That’s how it works.” His voice dropped an octave. “Your first taste of blood is always from the one who turns you. After that, it becomes revolting.”
He was right. It did become revolting.
I shuddered, the mere thought of drinking that blood again making my stomach churn. But before I could say anything, his fingers brushed my cheek, tucking a damp strand of hair behind my ear.
My breath caught.
The world shrank to the space between us. The warmth of his touch. The way his golden eyes darkened, softened like I was something rare, something he didn’t quite know how to handle.
“You won’t go hungry,” he murmured. “I’ll make sure of it. I promise you Snow, I’ll never hurt you.”
I swallowed, my body swaying toward him without thinking but right then, the car passed a brightly lit storefront with neon
signs.
A convenience store.
I instantly began to tap on his shoulder, asking him to stop the car.
Roman’s brows furrowed. “What?”
I scrambled to sit up fully, chest rising and falling too fast as I mouthed the lie. I’m pressed and I need to use the bathroom.
His eyes narrowed. “Do you?”
I nodded frantically, hoping he wouldn’t see through me.
For a moment, he just stared. Then, with a sigh, he pressed a button that slid open something like a window that had been covering us from the driver. Then he said to the driver. “Pull over.”
The limousine rolled to a stop, and Roman offered to come with me, but I refused, and stumbled out, my legs unsteady beneath me. The second I stepped onto the sidewalk, a wave of scents hit me.
Humans. Wolves. Walking on the same curb together. Nothing like this ever happened in my pack. I’d actually never seen a human until this moment. They looked so ordinary.
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The city buzzed around me–bright, loud, alive–and I wasn’t ready for it. Faint hunger curled inside me, like a whisper of temptation I didn’t want to acknowledge. I shoved the feeling down and rushed into the store.
Fluorescent instantly lights burned my sensitive eyes. The human behind the register barely glanced at me as I grabbed a pregnancy test, and bolted for the restroom. A part of me was surprised as to why she didn’t stop me when I didn’t pay. Anyway, it was the least of my worries.
My hands shook as 1 locked the door to the bathroom. The mirror above the sink reflected a pale, wide–eyed girl with tangled
hair and bruised red lips.
Me
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to steady myself. Then, with a deep breath, I sat on the toilet seat and did what I had to do.
The waiting was excruciating.
Seconds stretched into eternity as I paced the tiny bathroom, fingers twisting into my sleeves. My stomach churned, nausea rising–not from hunger, but from fear.
The number I was counting in my head suddenly got to 180 and I ran toward the sink, staring at the pregnancy test.
My treath hitched as I reached for it, hands trembling. My eyes widened on the double pink lines.
A sob rattled through me and my knees buckled, my fingers clenching around the ceramic sink like it was the only thing tethering me to the earth..
My baby was alive.
I pressed a shaking hand to my stomach, crimson tears spilling down my cheeks. I hadn’t lost it.
A knock suddenly vibrated on the door.
“Kitten.”
Roman’s deep voice rumbled through the wood. “You’ve been in there for a while. Do you need help?”
