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Nerine
I stared out my bedroom window, utterly exhausted from the day. Two months since Andraius’s death. No. Two months since the bastard had attacked me and I killed him. I had a new life. But in a sense, it was my old life. One I’d wanted and didn’t want. Not without Papa and Linus.
Then again, if I thought about it. Papa would have had to pass for me to get the title anyway.
What the hell was wrong with me? My emotions were getting the better of me.
Mama told me I was being moody today, but I’d chalked it up to the nerves about the meeting with the families.
Anyway, my bitchy side helped me.
“What are you thinking about so hard?” Xander came into the bedroom holding a crate of some kind and set it on the floor.
“Today. It feels—” I paused. “Surreal. I’m in the seat. I get to be bitchy, and no one says anything.”
“No, they say it. You just shut it down.”
“What now?” I studied him, and a crease formed between his brows.
“I’m not following.”
“What happens now?”
Theo walked in, his intense gray gaze on me. “You tell us. Do you still have the urge to run away? Do you want your freedom from this life? Can you live without us?”
“No,” I answered without hesitation.
Both men prowled in my direction, one slow step at a time. It almost gave me the sensation of being cornered and hunted. My skin prickled, and my heart felt as if it skipped a beat.
Xander rubbed his jaw. “Are you sure there aren’t more lingering thoughts about leaving us?”
“I’m here to stay.”
“Does that mean you’re ours forever?” Theo stalked closer.
Arousal pooled between my legs, and my nipples tightened into hard, stiff peaks. My skin burned for their touch. The pull of these men was all-consuming, and I wanted more.
“I’ve always been yours.” When they were near, I set my palms on the center of their chests. “But I have a question.”
“And that is?” Theo slid a hand along my waist.
“Do the two of you belong to each other?”
Theo and Xander locked eyes. The emotions passing over their faces brought tears to my eyes.
“It’s time to forgive, Theo,” I whispered.
He remained quiet, continuing to stare at Xander.
After a few moments, he said, “After you decided it was over, I had absolutely no one. You have no idea what it feels like to be so fucking alone in the world, when everyone else is surrounded by people who give a damn about them.”
“I’m so s?—”
“Let me finish,” Theo cut Xander off. “In one night, I lost everyone I loved. And then I became a traitor to everything I valued to stay alive. It destroyed a piece of me. I had to fucking build a new life on a different continent, pretending to be someone I was never born to be. It isn’t something a person can get over with a simple sorry.”
“Are you ever going to forgive me?”
I heard the longing in Xander’s voice, and it broke my heart. I wanted to fix this for them so much, but I couldn’t. This was something they had to do.
