Chapter 0310

It kills me that I can't provide for Isolde. The thought gnaws at my insides. Sure, I've spent years running, then six months locked in Sebastian's dungeon, but that's no excuse for failing my mate. What stings worse? She and her mother managed to save up during those six years fleeing her father. How the hell are Magnus and I supposed to prove ourselves worthy mates when I can't even afford a damn train ticket or a decent roof over our heads?

I'm sprawled in the darkness, tracing cracks in the ceiling with my eyes, plotting our next move once we reach Adrian's or Sebastian's territory. Then her voice cuts through the silence.

"You awake?" Her whisper is barely audible. I knew she wasn't sleeping. Her breathing never evened out into that slow, steady rhythm of true sleep.

Propping myself up on one elbow, I study her silhouette across the room. Whether by instinct or design, she chose the bed farthest from the door—exactly where I wanted her. Untrained Guardian or not, if anyone bursts through that door, they'll have to go through me first.

"Yeah. Something wrong?"

Silence. I wait, but she doesn't answer.

"Isolde?"

"Can I...come over there? Not for—not for anything like that. It's just...your scent. On the train, I got used to it. Now I can't sleep without it."

I shift toward the wall, keeping myself between her and potential danger, and pat the mattress. "Get over here."

When she curls against me, I stay on my back. She hesitates, sitting upright to study my face in the dark. I tap my chest once. She melts against me instantly, her head finding its place over my heartbeat. My arm locks around her waist, pulling her closer.

Peace. Actual fucking peace. Not something I've felt since...ever. Not when you spend your life watching your back, waiting for the next attack. Even now, with new threats looming, having my mate pressed against me settles something primal inside me.

"What if they catch me?" The words tremble against my skin.

"They won't." My fingers tighten on her hip. "I won't let them."

"But if they do? We can't fight an entire pack, Victor. Neither of us can."

I press my lips to her hair, inhaling her jasmine-and-rain scent until it floods my lungs. "I'll die before I let anyone force a claiming mark on you." My voice drops an octave as Magnus surges forward, roughening every syllable.

She lifts her head, moonlight catching the silver in her eyes. "Promise me something."

"Depends what it is. No blind promises."

"If it's hopeless—if they're about to take me—I want you to mark me."

I jerk like she's electrocuted me. "It won't come to that." The words come out strangled.

Fuck yes, I want to claim her. She's mine. But not like this. Not as some last resort. I want her willing, wanting the bond like Adrian and Sebastian's mates do. I want the devotion I've seen between them. Forcing my mark, even at her request, isn't how our story starts.