The word pounded through me until there was no room for anything else.
And that was why I stopped.
Because Maisie did not know.
Because forever was not mine to take from her.
Because I would rather carve the want out of myself than become another male who decided what she belonged to.
I tore my mouth from hers.
It took more strength than breaking chains.
I set her down slowly, my hands shaking on her waist. Then I stepped back.
Cold air moved between us. It didn’t help.
Maisie blinked up at me. Her lips were swollen. Her breathing was uneven. She looked confused and hurt, and still hungry enough to drag me back under.
“You should go back to the house,” I said. The words came out rough. Almost unrecognizable.
Her brow furrowed. “Why?”
Because you are my mate.
Because I want you too much.
Because if you ask me, I will give you everything, and I do not know if I am strong enough to survive it.
I said the only thing I could.
“Because if you don’t, I’m not sure I can stop a second time.”
For one terrible moment, I wanted her to tell me not to.
Instead, Maisie stepped back.
Then she fled.
5
MAISIE
I didn't kissKazan again.
I also didn't let him kiss me, which was harder than it should have been.
For three days, I kept busy. Very busy. Ridiculously busy. I worked in the cidery because that kept me away from the orchards, and away from Kazan, and Kazan kept making me want to do stupid things. Like climb him. Or kiss him. Or ask for a personal tour of his bed.
No. Absolutely not.
I hadn't come to this planet to fall into bed with a minotaur.
I hadn't come here to fall into anything.
I came here to get away from Earth, from James, from wedding plans that made my skin itch, and from a future that had started to feel more like a prison than a promise.
The cidery was a long timber building behind the main house. It smelled like apples, yeast, and the sharp bite of something fermenting. It wasn't unpleasant, exactly. But after a few hours, the scent got into the back of my throat and stayed there.
