Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Kent stayed away from Riley for the rest of the day. He felt like a complete ass, knowing that she was feeling sick without him nearby, but he was unable to bring himself to go back to her room. His conversation with Max played over and over. Max wanted her to accept him before he told her everything. It would have been so simple to just let things progress with Riley in her bedroom. It was next to miraculous that he had been able to pull away when he did. He had suddenly understood what she meant about a slippery slope. He had assumed that she had some type of relationship with her previous mate, and something had occurred that hurt her deeply. She had said things that led Kent to believe her last mate was controlling and didn't let her do things she wanted to. That's why she wasn't willing to rush into anything with him. And he wasn't going to push her. He didn't want her to feel forced or trapped with him. That would spell doom for them long term. Kent forced himself to stay away, going to the training academy, letting Pax blow off steam in the woods and staying in the dining hall until it closed. By the time he had returned to his floor, he could feel her illness through the bond. He tried to ignore it, despite Pax pleading with him to go check on her. He showered and threw on a pair of pajama pants and a gray shirt, laying down in bed. He wasn't sure how long he laid there, feeling her struggle through the bond before he finally broke. It wasn't like her illness was her fault. She had no control over it. He grabbed his pillow and a spare blanket from the closet and marched down to her room. She didn't answer when he knocked, but she had left the door unlocked for him again. "Riley," he said, stepping into the room. She didn't answer as he shut the door. He could barely make out the outline of her buried under the blankets on her bed. But he was positive she was awake. "I know you're not asleep," he sighed. She poked her head out of the blankets to look at him. "What?" I don't want to leave you alone," he admitted. "I know you're feeling pretty sick right now." She watched him, not saying anything. "I'll sleep in here on the floor," he said as he started walking forward. "Hopefully just being nearby will help with your symptoms." He threw his pillow on the floor and laid down, tossing the blanket over himself. Despite the soft carpeting, it was not the most comfortable place to sleep. But he had experienced worse, so he threw his arm over his face and tried to focus on his breathing. "You don't have to sleep on the floor," she whispered, looking over the edge of the bed at him. "I'm not getting in that bed again," he muttered. "But I feel bad that you're sleeping on the floor. That can't be comfortable." "I'll be fine. I will not get in that bed." His words were sharp and clipped, even though he didn't mean to sound 1/3 E Vote 569 3/3