“Nobody forced your hand, asshole.” He can’t blame anybody but himself. I saw the look on the coven’s faces. They were nearly as shocked as I was.
I knee him in the groin again. This time it lands. I feel pain radiate through him, and my own knees nearly buckle as my vision goes white. Alright, that hurt him more than I thought it would. Roiven hisses. His body crushes mine for a moment as the muscles of his neck cord with tension.
“Damnit,” he growls. The pain radiating through both of us makes me smirk before I shove the connection closed yet again.
“Let. Me. Go,” I demand.
“These people,” he says, his voice still thick with pain. Roiven throws his free hand out to the side, to gesture toward the houses that no longer have a view of our argument.
“Fuck. You,” I mutter, because it doesn’t hurt to throw it in again.
Roiven shoves at me again, pressing me harder to the rock wall to get my attention. And, probably, to make sure I don’t have room to knee him again.
“They’re. All. Going. To die,”Roiven hisses. “What part about this don’t you understand? It isn’t a game.” His body is pressed so tight against mine I can feel every inch of him, hard muscle, the grip of his hand on my wrist, the sharp exhale of his breath against my cheek.
“Then you should’ve—”
“I should’ve done a lot of things,” he says. His voice is a rasp now.
Roiven finally steps back. I feel him go like a plunge into the sea, the absence of all things good.
“There was no need to make me bond.”
“There waseveryneed.”
“Why? Just so you could shove your emotions in my head? So you could tell everyone Ibelongedto you?”
Roiven drags his hand over his face.
“We’ve been losing for generations.Your Empirehas taken everything. And yet you, of all people, hold the most powerful familiar bond we’ve ever known.” He turns away, hands on his hips, like he’s trying to get a hold of himself. “And when my people find out who you are, if they try to kill you to get the kraken to bind someone else, itwon’tbe enough time. Our last chance will be gone.”
I huff a laugh.
“You really thought they’d care if I was your wife?”
He turns over his shoulder to look at me, eyes sharp.
“They will, or I’ll have their blood,” Roiven growls.
“They all thinkIforcedyou, you idiot.”
His eyes drop and seem to notice my shoulder for the first time. I was barely grazed by the blade, which lost speed when it bounced off my sword. The cut’s already scabbed, but the rip in my tunic and the flecks of dried blood remain.
Roiven’s eyes darken. He turns all the way around, his gaze glued to the miniscule wound.
“Who did that?” His voice is dangerously cold.
“Two idiots. It doesn’t matter.”
His eyes drag slowly up to mine. His nostrils flare and his lips are pressed furiously tight.
“Their names, Cai,” he hisses. As if I need his help to defend myself. I roll my eyes.
“It’s already handled.”
“Their. Names.”
If he thought the bond would keep anyone from touching me, he must be mad they disrespected him. That makes more sense to me than him worrying about my safety, when I’m clearly fine.
