Chapter 341 Broken for You  

If you like music while you read, try "Without You" by for King and Country. It's what I was listening to while writing these chapters!

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~ ZEV ~

Zev nodded down at her, his stomach churning with so many emotions he didn't know which to react to. He wanted to hold her close and comfort her. He wanted to snarl and race after Nick and bite out his throat. He wanted to weep and plead for forgiveness. He wanted to push everything that had ever happened before this moment out of his mind and just take her.

He settled for staring into her eyes and stroking her hair. "Sash," he croaked. "I know there's a lot to forgive. I get it. And not just you. They have… I hurt them. I know that. I wish… I wish I'd understood and thought it through. I wish I'd said no. For both our sakes. I'm going to use the rest of my life making that up to you. But… we need each other. I couldn't… when the bond was broken it… I thought I was going to die when I came back through the Gateway—did it hurt you too? Like that?"

"Yes," she breathed, her eyes wide and he felt her flinch away from the memory of the pain. "That scared me."

"Me too. We can never cross the Gateway without each other. Promise me, Sash. It was worse the second time. What's going to happen next time?"

She sucked in a breath like she was bracing at the thought. Fear and uneasiness twisted into her scent and her entire body tensed. "I don't know," she whispered, her eyes pleading with him. He was about to ask her what she was thinking when voices rose back on the trail and they both felt the pull of duty, but resisted it for themselves.

Then Sasha put a hand to his chest and gripped his top. "I just know that… that I need you like I need air, Zev."

He groaned and kissed her then, a desperate, gasping kiss, his hands clutching at her sides, his entire body pressed into hers, knees to shoulders, keeping her pinned against that tree.

Sasha whimpered and his entire body lit up at the sound. Maybe they could just—

Then Nick's voice rose. "Zev? Sasha? Where the fuck are you?!"

With an entirely different kind of groan, Zev pulled out the kiss, just barely because he couldn't stand to feel the cold air between them yet. Sighing, he closed his eyes, then inhaled deeply, taking in her scent, reassuring himself that she was really there. This wasn't a dream. Then he tipped his forehead to hers. "Tonight," he whispered. "I don't care what else happens… tonight we're alone."

Sasha nodded quickly.

They clung a moment longer, but Nick's voice was getting frantic and he was afraid the asshole would upset the females.

"We need to go," he breathed.

Sasha nodded again, but she made him be the one to take the first step apart.

It felt like tearing off the top layer of his skin when he finally forced himself to push back and away. But he took her hand and twined their fingers, leading her quickly back out to the trail, trotting when the snow would allow, until they approached Nick from behind—then passing him to put themselves between him and the females.

"Oh, thank God," he panted.

Zev just growled and didn't even turn to meet his eyes.

This man… this man had been at the center of everything wrong Zev had ever done. Every regret. Every desperate wound he'd inflicted on another Chimera or human being.

He'd thought Nick was his father. He'd thought he could trust him. He'd thought Nick had his best interests at heart, even when things were bad.

But now…

Now he just wanted him dead. Nick and the board—especially Nathan. That asshole was a psychopath. He was desperate to be alone with Sasha and learn everything that had happened, but he was terrified too.

Knowing that she'd put herself in their hands, what if…. What if they'd… done something to her?

Nick had been honest, he thought, when he defended himself saying he'd stopped them from implanting her.

Zev prayed that was true. But regardless, he didn't want Nick anywhere near any of them. Zev didn't want Nick in Thana period.

He looked down at Sasha who hadn't let go of his hand, but her face had gone dark. She was watching the females ahead of them, frowning.

He opened his mouth to tell her in more detail what they'd prepared, when a horrified scream rose from behind them, echoing off the mountains and trees.

They both whirled, Zev stepping between Sasha and Nick, then relaxing with a chuckle.

Ernie had appeared on the trail, scuttling behind Nick. Zev wasn't sure how long he'd been close, the wind was blowing the wrong way. But Nick had clearly just seen him and was sprinting forward to close the gap, clawing at the air as he tried desperately to get away from the monster at his back, pleading and screaming for Zev's help.

He and Sasha stopped walking and he felt Sasha's grin before he saw it, but she straightened her face when Nick reached them and stumbled behind them, panting, pleading.

"Sasha, you said you'd protect me! You said you'd stop them—"

"Oh hush, you fuckwit. I'm not going to eat you," Ernie said, his voice that odd, needling tone, pinched and almost painful to Zev's ears. "I just wanted to… keep a few eyes on you. Make sure you're behaving yourself."

If he'd had eyebrows Zev knew Ernie would have waggled them. He had to fight a smile. Ernie was a strange creature and usually very unsocial. But Zev liked that they had so easily discovered Nick's weakness here.

Ernie was going to come in handy.

Sasha wasn't smiling though. "Ernie, did you hear? He doesn't get harmed, okay? No wounds. And you definitely can't kill him. Unless he's pulled a weapon on someone, or is actively trying to hurt them, he doesn't get touched."

"Who needs to touch?" Ernie said slyly.

Zev snorted. He could tell Sasha was trying really hard not to laugh as well, but her own body leaned away from Ernie.

The human distaste for spiders was an odd thing. Zev was far more uncomfortable around serpents than arachnids.

"I promise, Nick… he's more scared of you than you are of him," Zev added with a derisive snort.

But all in all, they had bigger fish to fry. "We're on our way to the Village. You're welcome to join us for the walk if you want to, Ernie," he said mischievously. Sasha squeezed his hand but didn't argue.

Nick swallowed audibly behind him. Then Sasha turned to look at him. "I told you I would keep you safe as long as you don't hurt anyone. And I will. But you're in Thana now, Nick. You don't get to dictate who goes where, or what they can do anymore. So buck up, buttercup. And be grateful I don't kill you myself for what you've done."

Then she walked on, tugging Zev with her, who laughed with joy at the beauty of his strong, certain, magnificent mate.

Now if only he could help her lose that thread of fear in her scent…