Chapter 213: Say you’ll be mine

Anthony was reclining against the pillows in his bed, staring out the window when a soft knock sounded on the door.

He turned his head, wincing sharply from the pain that shot through his neck. Nina had changed the bandages earlier and cleaned up the wound.

According to her, the bite was nearly healed, and she would be back to remove the bandages by dusk. But she had strictly warned him to get enough rest.

"Come in," he called out.

The door clicked open and Pandora walked inside, carrying a tray holding a bowl of steamy porridge and a cup of coffee. Kicking the door shut with her foot, she walked over to the nightstand and set the tray down.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, moving closer to stand beside the bed.

Anthony flashed his usual smug grin at her and reached out to take her hand. "Much better now that you’re here."

"Oh, be serious, Anthony," she scoffed, though a small smile curled her lips. She stroked his hair gently before checking the edge of his bandage. "Does it still hurt?"

"A little," he lied, letting his eyes slip half-closed. "But Nina said I’ll be fully healed by dusk. That food smells incredible, though."

"It’s one of your favourites," Pandora said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and crossing her ankles. "Are you hungry?"

Anthony’s grin widened. "Will you feed me?"

Pandora rolled her eyes, but she picked up the tray and set it across her lap. Scooping up a spoonful, she blew gently on it before holding it to his lips.

"Open up."

"Yes, ma’am." Anthony obediently opened his mouth. The taste of the porridge had him letting out a soft sigh of appreciation. "It tastes so good. Just like the one you used to make."

"I made it actually," Pandora muttered. "I know how much you like it. And... it’s also a way to thank you for what you did. You saved me last night. If you hadn’t gone after that rogue trying to attack me, I’d be the one lying in this bed."

Anthony reached out and placed his hand on her thigh. For a moment, neither of them spoke. They simply stared into each other’s eyes, the weight of unspoken love and years of yearning thick in the air.

"I’d do it again," Anthony said finally.

Pandora’s eyes blurred as tears threatened to spill. She looked away quickly, blinking hard to clear her vision. The silence stretched for ten long seconds before he broke it.

"How’s Samantha? I heard she was badly wounded, too."

"She’s fine," Pandora murmured, grateful for the distraction. "She lost a lot of blood, but Nina’s healing worked like magic. She’s on the mend, and Alec is with her. She actually saved him; threw herself right in front of the rogue that tried to attack him."

"Mhhm," Anthony hummed. "Have you noticed how close those two have become?"

?"I have," Pandora chuckled softly. "Though it’s a disaster waiting to happen. Samantha is one mean, haughty bitch. She’ll chew Alec up and spit him out."

"You don’t know that," Anthony laughed, wincing slightly as the movement pulled at his throat. "She could be the best thing that’s ever happened to him."

"Not a chance. Alec is far too soft for her. Samantha needs someone who can match the madness in her head."

"All the more reason Alec is right for her," Anthony argued. "He’ll be the calm to her chaos. Exactly like Dorian and Alyssa."

At the mention of Alyssa, Pandora’s shoulders slumped as she let out a soft sigh. "I don’t want to talk about Alyssa yet. I feel like I haven’t even begun to process everything Dorian told us. I mean... she’s a Hybrid. The same creatures who killed our parents..."

?"Alyssa didn’t kill anyone," Anthony muttered, his tone firm.

"I know," Pandora rushed to clarify. "I’m not saying she did. Gosh, Alyssa is the sweetest soul alive, and I love her. But..." She swallowed hard, shaking her head. "I don’t... I don’t know how to react. You do realize she’s basically the strongest and deadliest creature in the realm, even stronger than Dorian."

"It doesn’t change the way I see her," Anthony replied without hesitation. "There was a time I thought I’d hate her if she turned out to be tied to the Onyx bloodline, back when Dorian first found her and we saw that red streak in her hair. But after everything we’ve been through, I can’t do it. I can’t hate her for something she had no control over."

"Even though it was the Hybrids who killed our family?"

"Yes. We’ve lived with Alyssa for so long. We’ve seen how compassionate she is. She isn’t like those monsters."

Pandora let out a long, shuddering breath. "Yeah. I suppose you’re right. Alyssa isn’t just my best friend. She’s the closest thing I have to a sister. I don’t think anything could ever make me hate her. I love her too much."

Anthony stared at her in silence, his thoughts shifting gears. He couldn’t let it go–the unresolved argument they had in the clearing the night before. He needed closure.

"Pandora..."

"Don’t," she shook her head, pulling back. She gently pushed his hand off her thigh, stood up, and set the bowl of porridge back on the nightstand. "I know what you want to talk about, Anthony. And I don’t want to hear it."

?"You don’t want to hear how much I love you?"

"Anthony, stop!" she snapped, her voice cracking. "Don’t make this any harder than it already is."

"What exactly is so hard here?" Anthony shot back, pushing himself up slightly. "Loving me? Am I really such a terrible person that I don’t deserve your love?"

"What? That’s not true! How can you even say that?"

"Then tell me why you keep pushing me away. Tell me why you think us being together is such a terrible idea."

"Because I’m scared!"

?"Why?"

"Because I love you!" she shrieked, the tears finally overflowing down her cheeks. "I love you, damn it. I love you so much that it terrifies me. It petrifies me to my core, knowing that you’re going to find your true mate someday, and that mate bond will take you away from me."

She wiped furiously at her face, glaring down at him through shimmering eyes. "And don’t feed me that crap about us being mates. If we were meant to be mates, we would have felt it all these years."

Anthony froze, the anger instantly draining out of him, replaced by total, staggering shock. "Wait... you love me?"

?"Yes," she whispered, her voice dropping to a broken tremble. "And I can’t believe you were blind enough to think I wasn’t. It was so obvious. But I’m terrified, Anthony. I’m so scared of the mate bond and what it’ll do to us when we finally find out we aren’t each other’s mate."

Anthony didn’t say another word. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, planting his feet firmly on the floor and ignoring the fierce pull of his healing muscles.

"You shouldn’t be on your feet," Pandora protested, but it was useless.

Anthony crossed the small space between them in two strides, catching her by the waist and pulling her against his chest until their faces were inches apart. Pandora squeezed her eyes shut, turning her face away in a desperate bid for self-preservation.

"This can’t work, Anthony," she whispered against his shoulder. "I love you so much, and I want nothing more than to be with you. But it’s impossible."

?"Look at me, Pandora."

Slowly, she opened her eyes, gazing into his intense emerald gaze. Her fingers itched to reach up and stroke the soft strands of brown hair hanging over his forehead, but she forced her hands to remain pinned to her sides.

"It’s only impossible if you say it is," he murmured, his breath brushing her lips. "Don’t let fear make our choices for us. I’ve spent the last century trying to bury what I feel for you, but I can’t do it anymore. I want you. All of you."

He brushed his lips lightly over hers, and she trembled from the kiss, her resolve crumbling to dust.

"Anthony..." she breathed.

"Say you’ll be mine." He kissed her again, deeper this time, before sliding his mouth along her jaw to nuzzle the curve of her neck. "Please, Pandora. Tell me you’ll be mine."

Pandora let out a shuddering sigh, her lips parting as she surrendered to the pull. She opened her mouth to answer him when the door suddenly swung open.