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Gasping, I glance up at the male face in the semidark room. Same shape, same intent gaze…but the golden hair tips me off.
Raiden.
“What are you doing here?” His voice cracks sharp as a whip.
“Is this your bedroom? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“What are you doing in this house?”
“Leaving, actually.” I try to dodge him.
He grabs my arm. “Did Ronan bring you here?”
Raiden’s brassed-off expression tells me he knows the answer, and he’s not pleased.
“Isn’t this where he brings every stupid girl he shags?”
Raiden pauses. “Yes.”
I feared that, but hearing the truth still hurts. “I’m presuming all the others made their way out of this fancy maze. Care to tell me the secret?”
Another hesitation. Then he snaps his fingers. The towel around his waist disappears, replaced in a blink by denim, a black jumper, and trainers. He sighs as he wraps his arm around my waist.
“Don’t touch me! I may have been empty-headed enough to bed down with one of you, but that hardly makes me eager to shag you both.”
He presses his lips together. “Keep your voice down. I can’t teleport you to your flat if I don’t have a firm grip on you. Otherwise, you could disintegrate into a million pieces, never to reform. Painless way to die, but what would become of the Brew?”
Is he lying? I have no idea. But Ronan did hold me very tightly while bringing me here.
“All right. Do what you must.”
Raiden settles an arm around me again. “Ready?”
No, but I need to go. Waking to realize that I mean no more to Ronan than any other woman bruised my fragile heart. Avoiding that ugly reality is impossible, but it will be easier after I’ve showered him away, cried, and processed my reckless rush into his bed.
Still, something stupidly hopeful inside me doesn’t want to give up on Ronan.
“Wait! Is it true that a wizard knows his mate after a taste and uses ritual words to attach his woman to him?”
Raiden’s face closes up. “That is customary.”
“Does that usually happen…right away?”
“If you’re hoping Ronan will speak the Call to you, stop. My brother will never take a mate. I promise you that.”
* * *
Someone waits at the pub’s door as I open for business that evening. Tall, large boots, a hulking shadow through the window. My stomach flips. Did Ronan come for me after all?
Full of ridiculous hope, I fling open the door with a smile. It falls when I catch sight of Tynan. Quickly, I recover and paste on a welcoming expression. “Come on in.”
“I’m sorry you’re not more pleased to see me.”
I wish I was. Someday, I suspect Tynan will recover from Auropha’s horrific loss and devote his whole heart and soul to a lucky someone. On one level, I wouldn’t hate being that woman. He’ll never cheat, like Edward. He’ll never seduce another woman under my nose, like Ronan.
But Tynan and I… There’s no spark. Besides, he’s still grieving, and I’ve lost interest in every male except Ronan.
“It’s not you. I’m tired.”
