Chapter 31

Chapter 31

“Why haven’t you asked me about your mate yet?” came the quietly murmured question that drew Ashley’s attention to find Kale watching her as she struggled not to think about how much she liked being near him. Not that, that was the reason why she was in here, Ashley told herself. She’d made a promise and she planned on keeping it. The fact that keeping that promise allowed her to be next to him was just a coincidence.

“Because it doesn’t matter,” Ashley said, nibbling on another cookie as she shrugged off his question.

“How’s that?” Kale asked, shifting so that he was using his arms as a pillow as he watched her.

“I don’t want a mate,” she said, biting back a sigh as she waited for him to argue the same points that Jacob had.

“Then what do you want?” Kale asked, taking her by surprise, which is probably why she answered him honestly.

“I want to fall in love,” Ashley admitted, trying to shrug it off like it was no big deal, but it meant everything to her.

“You could fall in love with your mate,” Kale pointed out as he reached over and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

“But that’s not usually how things go, is it?” she asked as she turned her head so that she could watch him.

“No, it’s not,” he murmured in agreement as he watched her. “Is that how it was for your parents?”

“My parents weren’t mated,” Ashley admitted, watching as Kale frowned in confusion only to see something click in his expression seconds later. “You don’t look surprised.”

“That’s because I’m not,” Kale said, holding her gaze.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Ashley asked as she watched him roll over onto his back.

“You said that you wanted to renegotiate the terms of our agreement?” he reminded her as he took the plate of cookies from her lap and placed it on the nightstand next to him.

“Are you changing the subject?”

“That depends,” Kale murmured as he reached over and pulled the comforter away, making it easier for her to crawl beneath it so that she could get comfortable for this conversation.

“On what exactly?” Ashley asked, settling onto her side so that she could look at him while they talked.

“Are you still going to give me anything that I want?” Kale asked, turning back onto his side so that he was facing her.

“That depends,” she murmured, repeating his stipulation and making his lips twitch.

“On what exactly?” Kale murmured absently as he reached over and gently traced his fingertips along her jaw, leaving a trail of warmth behind and made her wonder if he had any idea what his touch did to her.

“On whether or not you’re willing to answer my questions,” Ashley said, worrying her bottom lip as she watched him nervously, praying that he didn’t say no, but already knowing that he didn’t have any reason to say yes.

“What do you want to know?” Kale asked, watching as his fingertips moved over her jaw, looking enthralled with the movement.

“Many things,” Ashley said absently as she struggled against the urge to lean into his touch.

“That really narrows it down,” Kale murmured, his lips pulling up into a teasing smile only to slowly die away when she asked her first question.

“Why weren’t you surprised when I told you that my parents weren’t mated?”

Sighing, Kale dropped his hand away. “Because nothing about you surprises me at this point.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Do you know what an Impure is?” Kale asked, watching her closely as he waited for an answer that Ashley knew better than to give him, but…

“Yes,” she whispered hoarsely.

“Your mother was a shifter,” he guessed correctly.

“She was an Alpha.”

Nodding, Kale said, “Which is why you’re alive when most Impures are killed at birth.”

“My mother loved me,” Ashley said firmly, watching as his expression softened.

“She had no reason not to,” Kale murmured, cupping her face in his hand as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

A shaky breath left Ashley as her eyes closed while she lay there, savoring the feel of what should have been a simple touch, but she was quickly learning that there was nothing simple when it came to the way that he made her feel. Every time he was gone, she felt like a piece of her was missing and whenever he was near her, it was never enough.

“And your mother’s mate?” Kale asked, bringing her back to reality.

Opening her eyes, she said, “He hated me.”

Ashley watched as his eyes flashed silver. “Did he hurt you?” he demanded through clenched teeth.

“No,” she said softly with a small shake of her head as she reached up and cupped his face in her hand, unable to help herself. “He never got the chance.”

“Did they know what your father was?” Kale asked, watching her through silver eyes as she ran her fingertips over his jaw, enjoying the feel of the light stubble teasing her skin.

“I don’t know. They never talked about him,” Ashley said, moving to pull her hand away when something in his expression stopped her. “But you know, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Kale said, holding her gaze.

Not really sure that she wanted to know, she slowly exhaled before asking, “What am I?” because she knew without a doubt now that she was no longer just a Pyte.

“You’re an Ion,” Kale said, making her frown in confusion.

“What is that?” she asked, pulling her hand away only to have Kale reach up and take her hand in his and place it on the mattress where he held it.

“It means that your father is a very powerful demon,” he said and…

“I’m sorry. What was that?” Ashley asked, really hoping that she’d misheard him.

Smiling ruefully, Kale said, “Your father is a demon.”

Frowning in confusion, Ashley said, “You said that I was a Pyte.”

Chuckling, he leaned in and kissed her forehead again. “You are, mo ghrá.” He pulled back only to lean back in and kissed the tip of her nose. “And you’re also a shifter. An Ion means that you are directly descended from one of the demons that created vampires. Your father’s demon blood along with your mother’s shifter blood makes you an Impure, a mix of shifter, demon, and Pyte. It explains everything from how your mother was able to have you when she should have only been able to have her mate’s children, how you survived, why you didn’t hit your immortality until you had shifter blood, why you don’t need as much blood as you should, why you can eat food, and why you haven’t lost control. It also explains why your shifter side stayed hidden for so long. Your father’s blood protected you and made the impossible possible.”

When she could only stare at him, Kale chuckled as he leaned back in and kissed her forehead. “Do you need a moment?”

Not really sure how to respond, Ashley nodded.

“Do you want me to shut up?”

Worrying her bottom lip, she shook her head.

“Would it help if I told you that you were special and that there wasn’t anyone else like you?” Kale asked against her forehead.

“I don’t want to be special,” Ashley mumbled sadly, hating that word more than anything.

That’s what her mother called her when she explained why the Pack didn’t want her around. It was the same word her father used when he left her behind and the one word that the social workers, teachers, and doctors used when they had to explain why she wasn’t like everyone else.

She didn’t want to be special. She wanted-

This, Ashley thought as she felt Kale’s lips touch hers. He moved his lips gently over hers, once, twice, and then, once more before pulling away and leaving her breathless.

“What was that for?” Ashley asked as she opened her eyes to find him watching her through silver eyes.

“That was my anything.”