Free Vampire's Forbidden Territory (Sídhí Summer Camp Series #2) by Jodie B. Cooper Page B

scream at him that he promised to love her forever.
    “What’s the hold up?” he asked snappishly, apparently taking some of his anger out on the two girls. He glanced between them, impatiently waiting for a reply.
    Katie bit her lip and wondered if it would help if she apologized. She knew her words wouldn't change anything. Nothing could fix a situation stemming from racial intolerance. She certainly couldn't change the fact she was half elf, half vampire, not that she ever would.
    Jared had the problem, not her. She liked herself as she was.
    Their week-long romance, before accepting each other as lifeMates, had been a whirlwind.
    Slowly, she unwillingly admitted, perhaps their pre-bonding romance had been too fast.
    Deep down, she had known he would eventually reject her. Like most full blooded vampires, Jared would never completely accept someone like her. Her heart shriveled at the knowledge, growing cold and hard.
    With the agony of his betrayal ripping through her chest, Katie realized she belonged to a very tiny group of people. She was now one of the very, very rare repudiated lifeMates.
    _____________
    Jared tapped his foot, impatiently listening to Brianna's explanation. Rather, he tried to listen, but he couldn't focus on what the shifter said. Katie's emotions continued flying off the charts. Her see-sawing emotions were driving him nuts!
    Brianna stopped talking and he grunted an acknowledgment. For the life of him, he had no idea what the girl just said.
    He turned away, dragging his unyielding mate with him as he continued down the dark tunnel.
    Katie's pain and grief smashed into him over and again. Her overwhelming sense of betrayal twisted his gut into knots. He growled in frustration.
    What had she expected, for him to thank her with a bundle of roses over her dead body? Flowers would've been rather wasted at that point.
    Bloody Hell, he wanted to scream! He couldn't take much more of her mixed-up emotions. How could someone live with such turmoil boiling around inside them?
    He never dreamed bonding with another person would affect him to such an extent. He tried focusing on the cave, watching where he was going, but his thoughts kept spiraling away from him.
    Stuck in a cave while his mate's grief drowned him was not how he planned to spend the summer. No, he had planned to keep Katie happy – no questions asked – for the duration of camp, treating her like a queen. Camp would provide a few idealistic months with no pressure attached. Because he knew when fall came, everything between them would change.
    He was bonded to a halfling. Change was an inevitable fact of life.
    He would be forced to either hurt his family or her. The decision required no thought. It was easy enough to make, but he knew Katie would feel hurt. She would argue, loud and long. No, she wouldn’t simply argue with him, she'd pitch a screaming fit and fight him tooth and nail.
    He knew underneath her calm exterior was a volcano of emotions. He didn't relish the upcoming confrontation and knowing there would be a humongous fight – a monster of a screaming match – had kept him mentally shut off from her.
    Remembering how hurt she'd been when he refused to link their minds deeply together, he grimaced. Simply put, he couldn't risk her guessing his ultimate plan, not before the right time. He sighed and realized things would be a lot easier if he could get her pregnant. He would have a greater chance of convincing her to leave her family and willingly move into McClint House, which was located on the mundane world far away from other full bloods.
    The idea of getting her pregnant actually had merit. The act went against his honor but at this point, if he thought it would work, he was willing to try just about anything.
    Unfortunately, bringing a baby into the picture was not a good idea, which left very few options. He silently snorted to himself; he really didn't think any of his ideas would work.
    Frustrated, he snapped his