“No. Just observing Aflora’s struggle against my binds,” I replied, doing my best to keep my tone flat and emotionless.
“Binds?” he repeated. “You were supposed to talk to her and bring her here to meet the others. It wasn’t a difficult task.”
I nearly snorted. He remembered the impressionable little flower from my youth and had no idea how formidable Aflora had become. “She required a riddle to properly prepare. Once she solves it, I’ll introduce her to the others.”
My father’s jaw ticked. “That’s not what we discussed.”
“I have it under control.” I underlined my tone in steel, reminding him of my position among the resistance. He might be my elder and father, but I was the Source Architect.
He studied me for a long moment, his silver-blue eyes—the same shade as my own—flaring with power. But it didn’t matchmine. I’d ascended a little over a month ago, taking over his role as the Quandary Blood King. He stood no chance against me, even with his age and experience.
“How is she really?” he asked softly, a note of concern in his voice. “Did you talk about her parents?”
“No. She tried to kill me with a very interesting mix of WarFire instead,” I drawled. “But I’ll try for that topic during our next conversation.”
“WarFire?” he repeated, his ash-blond brows shooting upward. “Does she not realize you’re her mate?”
“Oh, she knows. I think it’s her version of foreplay.” A complete lie. I’d absolutely taunted her into playing with me. And I hadn’t been disappointed. “We’re working it out.”
And by that, I meant she was working through my web, which would provide her with all the answers she so desperately craved.
“She’s safe, Dad,” I added as the concern in his features grew. “That’s what matters.”
He fell silent for a moment, then nodded. “The debt to her parents is officially repaid.”
“I’m not sure they would agree with that,” I replied. “You let the Council use her as bait.” It was a sore topic between us. I’d wanted to take her at the coffee shop several months ago, but he’d convinced me to let Shade bite her.
“We needed Constantine to come out of hiding,” he said, repeating the statement he’d used several times over the last few months.
“And you wanted to put a leash on Shade,” I added. “Yes, I know. I’m just saying, I don’t think her parents would appreciate her being used as a pawn.”
“The Council was going to use her whether we approved or not. This just allowed us to make use of the predicament.” Heshrugged. “Her parents would understand. They signed her up for this fate when they agreed to the temporary mating.”
“Fifteen years isn’t temporary,” I said, disliking the term.
He clapped me on the shoulder. “It’ll feel temporary when you reach my age, Kai. You’ll see.”
I forced a smile. “Sure.” He still assumed I intended to undo the mate-bonds. It had always been my plan to do so. Even when I’d seen her in the coffee shop, I’d still meant to shatter our connection.
But then she’d undone the enchantment with the song we’d taught her all those years ago.
And I’d joined her in a dream.
The moment our eyes met, I felt as though I was looking into my very soul and finding my other half. My childhood best friend had grown into a gorgeous woman with sexual needs I couldn’t help but fulfill.
Seeing her in that manner had felt like my first time, which was insane. I’d fucked women, most of them human and during a feeding. The enchantment over our bond had muted her to a dull ache, one I’d never intended to keep.
Then she’d shattered everything with a throaty moan and a voice that beckoned sex.
I hadn’t been able to look at another woman since, and that’d all just been foreplay in our dreams. It was a total mindfuck that I didn’t know how to fix.
Well, I had some ideas. Most of them involving a few nights in the sheets. But my instincts said that would never be enough. There was just something so intoxicating about Aflora. Our history only heightened the sensation, leaving me utterly conflicted about the future between us.
What will she think when she learns the truth?I wondered, checking in on her progress through our bonds.
She was still quietly dismantling the enchanted ropes around her torso. Soon, she would reach the ones in her mind, and that was when the real fun would begin.
My heart skipped a beat, anticipation thick in my veins.
