Read Betrayal (Blood Haze: Book Three) A Paranormal Romance for Free Online Page B

kindest, gentlest
soul I’ve ever known.”
    I put my arms around him and laid my head on
his chest. His strong arms closed around me, and I listened to his
heart pounding rhythmically in his chest.
    “Don’t you know that’s why I love you so
much?” I asked, looking up into his crystal blue eyes.
    “You know I’ve never understood why you love
me,” he replied sadly.
    “I wish there was something I could do.
Something to make you understand what you mean to me.”
    “Just being here with you like this is
enough.”
    I stood on my toes and kissed him gently on
the lips. His arms wrapped more tightly around me, and he made a
contented sound. Then we heard the sound of someone clearing his
throat behind us.
    “I am sorry to disturb you,” Alexi said as
coolly as he could manage, but I could see his jaw clench slightly.
“Galen is going to arrive tomorrow, and we need you to stand guard
near Hillary so you can knock her out again whenever she wakes up.
We cannot risk her making a portal for herself and escaping.”
    “Oh, of course,” I agreed.
    Kai pulled away from my embrace under the
glaring eyes of Alexi, but I reached over and took his hand,
pulling him with me as I walked back into the main room of the
bunker. I wanted Kai to know that I wasn’t going to allow Alexi to
intimidate him, or to come between us. Alexi may have had certain
ideas about our future together, but I wasn’t living under the same
illusions.
    I went to sit down on the bunk nearest where
Hillary still lay slumped in the floor. Still holding Kai’s hand, I
pulled him down next to me, and I laid my head on his shoulder. I
knew it hurt Alexi to see me being affectionate with Kai, but I
couldn’t keep ignoring Kai forever just to spare Alexi’s feelings.
At some point, Alexi would have to wake up and realize it was Kai I
wanted to be with – not him.
    Admittedly, it upset me terribly to hurt
Alexi. I did care about him deeply. But I knew it would hurt him
far less if he got used to the idea now, rather than suffering
under the illusion that my feelings for Kai were something fleeting
that he could overcome. And I also didn’t want Kai to feel like he
was losing me because I was spending so much time with Alexi.
    Kai kissed the top of my head, and I smiled
up at him. I might not have known how to make Max and Alexi happy
at that moment, but at least I could keep Kai contented. He was the
one who mattered most in my heart, and he was the one I wanted.
    “We should get out there and see what we can
do to help,” Liam suggested. “There might be survivors who need
us.”
    “I am not leaving Alice alone,” Alexi
said.
    “I’ll stay with her,” Kai offered.
    Alexi scoffed.
    “No offense, but there is little you could do
should Alice be in any real danger,” Alexi growled at Kai.
    I shot Alexi a warning scowl, and squeezed
Kai’s hand.
    “It’s alright,” Kai told me sadly. “He’s
right. I can’t protect you.”
    “It’s alright,” I said. “I can take care of
myself.”
    “That may be,” Alexi agreed. “But I still
feel better when I know you are safe, and the only way I can be
assured of that is to stay with you at all times.”
    “Alexi, you can’t babysit me twenty-four
hours a day,” I challenged him.
    “I most certainly can! And that is exactly
what I intend to do!”
    “You can’t be serious! There are far more
important things for you to do than watching over me all day! And
what kind of life is that – spending every waking moment just
guarding someone else.”
    “You are my life!” Alexi shouted.
    The room became eerily quiet. The reality of
his words really sank in, and no one knew what to say. Kai and Max
were probably fuming, I was feeling remorseful, and Liam had a
strange look on his face that I couldn’t quite place.
    I heard a mumble come from somewhere
underneath me, and I turned my eyes down. Hillary was stirring, and
I saw her head begin to lift.
    “Not now, Hillary,” I grumbled,