There was no way I could continue to live these separate lives. I had to find a way to bring them together.
Dropping my eyes to Drake’s wide chest, I absentmindedly pulled my hands down to undo his tie.
His fingers came back to my chin, forcing my gaze back up to his, which had morphed from the tender look to concern as his dark brows slammed together. “Please, trust me.”
I was a fool to think he would let the extreme tension and anxiety he’d felt from me go with my silence. Unfortunately, I was pretty sure this conversation would kill the mood entirely…At least we had forever to get to the good stuff? What a jarring thought. The concept of fated mates was something I was still trying to wrap my mind around.
I inhaled deeply before blowing it out and nodding once in acceptance. I needed to trust in him once and for all. If I was going to pursue this bond, I needed to be all in. “You have to promise me to listen to everything I have to say and not act rashly, okay?” I ended my question with a single brow raised, knowing that Lincoln or Andrei would have reacted instantly if the roles were reversed.
But this was Drake—my even-tempered and controlled mate. That would take some getting used to.
His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he nodded hesitantly, voice dropping an octave as he conceded, “Okay.”
Taking a deep breath as I struggled to figure out what to share and what to keep inside, I recalled how I didn’t share with Lincoln or Andrei that Lo and Drake had this softer side to them. They didn’t allow anyone else to see that softness, so I’d held onto information in respect of their privacy.
The abuse I suspected Andrei was facing from his father felt even more intrusive to share. It didn’t help that I had no proof to back up such a serious allegation against someone who had been on Drake’s board for who knows how long. The allegation could backfire on me so damn badly.
Even if Drake believed me, I had a bone-deep fear that if Jeoffrey felt like Drake was going after him, all the repercussions would fall onto Andrei before we could help him. I needed to believe in my gut, though, and it was telling me to confide in Drake with some of the information.
“Andrei told me that completing the bond with me was a mistake and that he didn’t want me,” I started, licking my lips after as I formulated my next sentence.
But before I could continue, his eyes burned a bright crimson as his fist blew through the wall behind me, startling at the sudden aggression. I flinched at the small pieces of stone that bounced off my cheek and shoulder as I stared up at the very pissed off manpire.
“He fucking said that to you?” Drake roared, chest heaving as his nostrils flared with deep breaths, eyes completely trained on me in an eerily piercing manner. “I will end him, Alina. No one disrespects you.”
Whelp, I was wrong. I really thought he would be the calmest mate of mine, but I was quickly realizing that he wasn’t like that in relation to anything that had to do with me. Lovely.
I shook my head and let out a huff as I resisted the urge to face palm. I thought he wouldn’t be as reactive after seeing his steady, calm, and calculating nature recently.
“You just promised to listen to everything I had to say and not act rashly!” I reminded him in a stern tone that reminded me of my mother scolding my father.
For once, the thought of them didn’t make my heart want to split and swallow me whole. Instead, the memory of them brought a warmth in the center of my chest and reminded me of everything that we had on the line between Sanguis and the slayers as a whole. I’d never let the fate that befell my family happen to any families on either side of this convoluted war.
Despite how all-consuming this issue with Andrei and Jeoffrey felt, I needed to remember that I took on this role to find out who had orchestrated the murder of my family and to hopefully fix some of the miscommunication and misconceptions between our two peoples. This feud needed to end.
Drake seemed contemplative for a moment before he inclined his head and growled out in a mumble, “Yes, I did say that, and I listened to everything I needed to hear.” As I opened my mouth to disagree, he beat me to it, tacking on, “I also punched the wall instead of instantly going back out there to kill him, so truly I did reign in my instinctual reaction,Comoara.”
My mouth snapped shut as I mulled his words over.
I couldn’t really argue that, seeing as he truly could have gone back out there and killed Andrei with absolutely no repercussions for his actions, other than facing my wrath as a result. It was also really hard to be upset when he called meComoara. Something about the endearment turned me instantly to putty in his hands every time he said it.
All I could do was sigh heavily before continuing in hopes that he would actually listen, despite his rage.
“He said a lot of hurtful things to me when I tried to talk to him in private, but I know he didn’t mean any of them.” I kept eye contact with Drake, and my tongue darted out to wet my lips as I prepared to launch into the tricky part of this conversation. “I think there is something going on with his father that controls his actions and words toward me.”
At my words, Drake's previously confident posture seemed to shrink. His eyes widened and his eyebrows raised as he asked in a curious voice, “You mean Jeoffrey, my Knight?”
My heartrate quickened, and it felt like cement had suddenly been poured into my mouth, coating my tongue and making me unable to speak. Was this a mistake? What if he went and straight-up told Jeoffrey of my accusations? It could put Andrei in even further danger.
Trust him to believe you, Alina. You’ve given him every reason to run and forget about you already, and yet he’s stood fast at your side.
Squaring my shoulders, I lifted my chin and nodded in affirmation. “Yes. There’s something not right about him, Drake. Have you never felt that way about him?”
The man made my fucking skin crawl in his presence. He was a shady bastard, and I wasn’t sure how he’d lasted this long without having a mile-long list of enemies that wanted to kill him.
Drake’s dark brows rose as he tilted his head to the side in a contemplative manner. Clicking his tongue in his mouth, he tapped his foot at the same time, following the same beat for both. Suddenly, he stopped, letting his gaze fall back to rest on me.
“Well, honestly, darling, I’m suspicious of everyone on my board besides you and Lo right now.” My heart soared but took a nose dive as he continued, “However, Jeoffrey has been one of the longest standing members of my board and has never once shirked his duties or gone against my orders.”
