The beast and the blessed novel by Ashley Breanne novel Chapter 69

Sixty-Nine: Natalie

Natalie's P.O.V.

I could feel it. The sadness and panic pumped through our mate bond. It was subtle, almost muffled. But it was there.

It was the first thing that I had felt from Killian since I shifted. The fact that it came through at all told me that he was hurting tremendously.

I placed the towel on the counter, my damp hair hanging down and soaking into my shirt as my hand moved up to grab my chest as it grew more intense.

Killian.

I stumbled toward the bathroom door needing to get to him, pulling it open at the same time that the bedroom door slammed shut, and my mate marched toward me. There was no second thought as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and my legs around his waist as he picked me up and held me to him tightly.

The pain etched into his face, and the water lining his eyes made my heart shatter. He shoved his nose against my neck as he breathed in deeply, and I tightened my hold on him, wanting him to be impossibly closer so I could take his pain away.

But all I could do was hold him as he tried to steady himself. Watching and feeling my strong king and mate breaking made me feel like my insides were being ripped clean from my body, and I didn't know how to make it better.

"I've got you," I whispered, and his arms tightened around my waist. "You're okay. I've got you."

He had never shown any emotion so deeply. His hard and cold exterior had been melting more and more each day, and I had been worried for the day that he would finally embrace the pain and stress of his reality. The pressure alone was enough to break any man, but this was more than that.

This deep seeded agony that was pumping through his body and our bond was something I had never expected before.

Even when I was at my lowest, strapped to a pole with the flesh hanging in strips from my back, I had never felt this kind of pain. My pain had almost always been physical. Killian's was emotional, and that was something that medicine and Healers couldn't fix.

"I've got you." I bent my head down, pressing a kiss against his neck firmly as he took in a shaky breath. His body grew rigid as he swallowed, but he didn't let go. I kissed the same spot one more time. The spot where my mark would one day lay when he was ready.

"You can't leave me." He growled, and I nodded even though I was thoroughly confused. "You're mine. You can't leave me."

He pulled back, and I looked over his face. The cold mask he had before was trying to force its way forward as he pushed his emotions down, but it was failing to hide the pain in his eyes.

His eyelids dropped as he pressed a punishing kiss to my lips. I accepted it greedily, kissing him back with everything I had, wanting to show him how much I loved him...wanting to tell him that everything was going to be okay.

Killian's tongue met mine as he kissed me deeper, and I let out a moan. His hand held me to him by the back of my head before he ripped his lips away from mine, but I leaned in, following him, trying to steal one last taste.