Without Regret

She really needed to go before he started acting like his brother had when he hit puberty. If he found himself stealing their grandmother’s National Geographic and locking himself away in the guest bathroom he’d have to shoot himself. It was all her damn fault and as soon as she left he’d be able to stop torturing himself by wondering how exactly it would feel to have her suck his dick or sink into her instead of planning the next night’s patrol.

Even now as he forced himself to meet her eyes he couldn’t fight the urge to touch her again. This was f**king bullshit. He didn’t know this woman, didn’t like her, but he wanted her more than his next breath. If it hadn’t been for his damn curiosity and this f**ked up need to see her, be with her, he would have left this bullshit job of watching over her and further questioning her to his father, who was currently one pissed off Pyte.

The last he’d seen of his father he’d been downstairs in the basement growling viciously while he pumped iron.

When his father came storming downstairs and shoved him aside so he could punch the head off the training dummy, sending the rubber head flying and embedding it into the wall he’d been reluctant to accept his father’s offer to spar.

“Is this your way of telling me that I’ll have to hang you upside down before you answer my questions?” he mused, not even bothering to hide his shit eating grin as her mouth dropped open and her green eyes practically budged out of her head.

She cleared her throat. “Um, what exactly did you want to know?” she asked pleasantly and he damn near groaned. Seriously? That’s how easy it was to break her? Threaten her with a little discomfort and she’d spill anything.

Yeah, it was definitely a good thing that she was leaving, he thought with disgust. God only knows what she’d spill if a Master got his hands on her. The thought gave him pause.

Shit!

She knew about Madison being pregnant. It wouldn’t be difficult for a Master to put two and two together and figure out that there were three Pyte children to be had. There was no f**king way he was going to allow her to go to a Sentinel compound now. With his luck she’d start asking questions and word would get out and they’d have more than just a f**king war to worry about. His family would have to go into hiding and that wouldn’t exactly be the easiest thing with three Pytes needing bagged blood.

No, the only thing to ensure their safety would be to send her straight to one of the islands. He couldn’t risk having her opening her mouth and saying the wrong thing to the wrong person. Why the f**k had Eric brought her here?

He rubbed his hands down his face as he resigned himself to giving his mate an existence that he knew damn well she would hate, but had little choice. He knew she would probably end up there anyway, but knowing there was absolutely no choice in the matter and no hope of release had his stomach twisting, but it was for the best.

For his family.

“I’ll answer your question first,” he said, deciding that he’d only answer the questions that didn’t give her more information about his family.

“Okay,” she said slowly. “So what the hell is a Sentinel and why do you think that I’m one?”

“You know that crescent moon and cross mark beneath your navel?”

“Yes?”

“You were born on November 25th and had a twin that probably didn’t make it?” She nodded reluctantly.

“That makes you a Sentinel.”

“Because of a mark, a date and a brother who died during the delivery?” she asked incredulously.

“Yes, that and the vampire that drank your blood went up in smoke,” he said, noting the way her face seemed to pale at that little reminder.

“What is a Sentinel?” she asked in a harsh whisper as she clenched her hands tightly in her lap.

“A Sentinel is a warrior or a guardian of sorts, however you’d like to look at it. It’s our job to ensure that humans never know the real world they live in and to keep vampires, demons and shifters in line. Every ten years ten Sentinels are born on November 25th, five boys and five girls forming five pairs of destined mates,”

he said, watching her reaction and not too surprised as her eyes narrowed on him.

“That’s why you think I’m yours then?”

“Well, if the other four hadn’t already found each other then you could have belonged to any of the other men, but the fact that our marks turned red when we touched is sign that we are mates.”

“But I don’t want you,” she said bluntly.

“Then that makes two of us, sweetheart, so don’t worry about it,” he said, half-expecting her to get pissed, but instead she just looked relieved, which just went to piss him the f**k off.

“The only things you need to know right now is that you and I share two souls and that we could live to be twohundred,”

he said, feeling rather pleased when her mouth dropped open in shock.

“Are you serious?”

“Feel free to ask the Sentinels that will transfer you to your new home all about it if you have any doubts,” he said with a shrug, trying not to care too much that she didn’t believe him.

“Okay, what else?”

“That’s not enough for you?” he asked with a snort of disbelief.

He did not find her little eye roll cute. He didn’t.

“Well, all of your senses are supposed to be magnified.

You’re supposed to be stronger and quicker than a human,” he said, frowning when she held a hand up to stop him.

“What do you mean supposed to?”

“You’re as weak as a human. What the hell did you think I meant?”

“Okay, I’m not strong, but I am really fast.”

He had to snort at that little declaration.

“I am!” she bit out between clenched teeth as she came to her feet and propped her little fists on generous hips.

“For a human? Maybe. But you’re not cut out for the world you were born into, Izzy,” he said dismissively, more than ready to be done with her. “You have a few hours before you leave. I suggest you clean up and get some rest. Good luck,” he said, deciding that he’d ask his questions later if she was still around when he woke up. Right now he needed to get the hell away from her and find a cold shower before his dick burst through his pants.

“But if I could prove that I had these abilities I wouldn’t be sent away?” she asked, eying him carefully.

He opened the door, more than ready to be done with this conversation and her. “No, you wouldn’t be, because that would mean you were trainable,” he said, knowing there was no point in hoping for something that he knew was impossible.

“Well, I am and since I don’t want to be sent off to god only knows where I think I have the right to prove myself,” she said firmly, but he noted the way she anxiously licked her lips.

“You already had your chance,” he snapped.

“Oh yeah, you really gave me a chance by thrusting me in the middle of bunch of werewolves with absolutely no warning whatsoever,” she said dryly, making his damn lips twitch despite himself.

“You want a chance to prove yourself?”

“Yes, it’s the least you can do.”

“And how exactly would you like to prove your abilities?