Broken Bond by C.J. Primer

31

CALLUM

The tip of my pencil moves against the page in quick, sure, strokes as a Nine Inch Nails song blasts through my earbuds, a heavy guitar rift drilling into my skull. The eyes I’m currently drawing are etched into my memory; surrounded in a fan of long, dark lashes and brimming with sadness. I wish I’d never seen that sorrowful look in her eyes. I wish even more that I wasn’t the one who put it there. And I wish I wasn’t stuck in a masochistic loop of drawing her eyes like this over and over again, forcing myself to confront the cruel consequences of my actions.

Sketching used to be my escape. Now, it’s my penance.

I’m so in the zone that I’ve tuned out everything around me- I don’t even realize someone is knocking on my apartment door until the pounding grows more insistent, rattling the door on its hinges and causing pples to form in my water glass beside me. yank out one of my earbuds, jerking my ead up to stare warily in the direction of the oor.

Whoever’s banging their fist against the >ther side clearly isn’t going away, and my nind immediately conjures up the worst- case scenario of who it could be. Fuckface has been blowing up my phone since I got back into town. I’m sure he’s figured out by now that I never put in a good word for Spence with our alpha before leaving, and he’s no doubt pissed about me failing to follow orders like a good little soldier. I wish I could avoid the guy forever like the plague he is, but he always seems to find a way to track me down.

I have half a mind to keep ignoring the knocking at my door, hoping he’ll just go away, and I even go so far as to pick up my earbud and start to slip it back into my ear. Before I do, though, I hear a voice call out that stops me in my tracks.

Her voice.

“Callum? I know you’re in there.”

My breath catches, my pulse skyrocketing.

I tear my other earbud out, tossing them both onto the side table and shooting to my feet. My sketchbook and pencil clatter to the floor, but I hardly even notice until I’m stumbling over them, nearly tripping over my feet in my haste to get to my apartment door. I can’t get it open fast enough; my heart pounds at a chaotic rhythm as I fumble with the lock, nearly tearing the door from its hinges when I finally get it open.

The girl on the other side looks like a goddamn angel descended from heaven and dropped on my doorstep. Her light blue sundress contrasts with her glowing bronze skin, her dark hair swept back in a casual ponytail and her face makeup free. I swear Nessa has never looked more beautiful than she does right now standing in front of me, brown eyes wide and puffy lips slightly parted on a sharp intake of breath when our gazes meet.

She’s here.

I don’t know why or what it means, but I’m not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Stunned into silence, I step aside and gesture for her to come in, her sweet floral and cherry scent assaulting my senses as she glides past me into my apartment.

I kick the door closed, my eyes glued to Nessa as she wanders further inside, then spins around to face me.

“I thought you might want this back,” she says, and only then do I realize that she’s got my sketchbook clutched to her chest, grasping it so tightly that her knuckles are white.

“You can keep it,” I mutter, shoving my hands into the pockets of my low-hanging sweats and striding toward her with jerky steps. “There’s plenty more where that came from.”

She arches a perfectly sculpted brow. “How many more?”

I shrug, gesturing to the stack of sketchbooks on the small table beside the recliner. “Take your pick.”

Nessa eyes the stack with curiosity, shuffling closer and running her fingers along the spines. “Are all the drawings like these ones?” she asks, depositing the book she carried in on the top of the stack and tapping the cover with a silver-painted fingernail.

I swipe a hand over my chin, eyes roaming over her form appreciatively before meeting her own again. I probably shouldn’t be checking her out right now, but fuck, I can’t help myself. She’s gorgeous. “I told you before that you were my muse.”

the array of drawings taped to the wall instead. ” I need to know, Callum,” Nessa murmurs, her back turned to me. She suddenly spins around, her eyes blazing with fierce determination as they lock with mine. “No, I deserve to know. After putting me through hell, the least you can do is tell me the real reason why

heave a sigh, pinching my eyes closed and raising a hand to rub my

She stares up at me in demand, pressing a palm to my

ache from the loss of her contact. Her eyes flare in desperation and she folds her arms over her chest protectively. “Don’t you think I deserve to know?” she asks, a sharp edge to her voice that betrays her emotions. “Why’d you say you loved me only to walk out on me? Was I

landing on her biceps and pulling her closer. “Not enough?!” I scoff angrily, hating her insinuation. “You’re more than enough. You’re fucking everything, Nessa.”

wrenches her arms out of my grasp, stepping back with fresh tears shining in her eyes. “Then why, Callum? Why’d you leave

Without thinking, I move forward again, wrapping my arms around Nessa and yanking her into my chest. She doesn’t resist or struggle; instead, her body melts into mine, every soft curve of her meeting every hard edge of

my lips to the crown of her head. “So fucking sorry. I should’ve stayed.

up every second that I have her in

relinquish my

my shoulders. slumping in defeat. “You deserve to know.

going to like what

at me right now. Her eyes are so wide,

say- the truth will set you

the truth feels like a death sentence. I can’t see a life worth living

against my frayed nerves. It’s time to man up

things up beyond repair, so what’s one more nail in my coffin?

recount the same story I told Chase, and even though it’s a special kind of torture to see her reaction play out on her face, I don’t look away. I watch as she takes it all in, and when I get to the part about how I killed the woman from Boulder with my bare hands,

me of what I’d done,” I grind out, my throat tightening. ” He reminded me that it could happen again, to you, and I just… fuck, I knew I couldn’t put you at risk like

long pause hangs between us as she digests my

why you left,” Nessa

only way to make sure that what happened to her wouldn’t happen to you.

her hands in

what I had to,” I grumble, shaking my head. “It killed me to walk away that night, but even the mate bond didn’t

leave to protect you

eyes while I absently trace a fingertip over the little heart she tattooed on my wrist. “Do you get it now? Why we can’t be together?”

watch as she goes back and forth, practically seeing the wheels in

right in front of me, her arms folded tightly over her chest and her eyes rounded in sincerity. “You’d never hurt me,” she says resolutely. “Not physically. I know you wouldn’t. But leaving without a word? That hurt, Callum. It hurt so

my arms. She falls into them, fisting my shirt and burying her face

you loved me,” she

me crack open and bleed, and I just wish I knew how to

sniffling, and I cup her face with both hands, angling it up to mine and staring deeply into her eyes. “I love you,

covering my hands with her own and shaking her

made a mistake. That doesn’t make you a monster. I know

seeing the

out a breath, leaning down to press my forehead against hers. “You’re too good, you know that?” I grumble, sweeping