Page 112 of A Cruel Kindness

There was no other option for me.

I kept my arms crossed, brushing my hand over my skin to self soothe as I tried to control myself. Everything felt so out of control now, with my potential betrothal in the hands of Elijah and the Prince.

I wanted to sneak off and take Clover on a hunt to go find it and shred that acceptance to bits.

“You’re thinking too loud,” Soren commented passively, reminding me of how much I missed him reading my mind like that. He understood me. It was the only thing I ever craved, save his body on mine.

“I can’t help it,” I said, my voice breaking halfway through. Soren turned from his crouch, his head tilting while his eyes turned pained.

I made myself drop my gaze to the floor. “Was everything fine with the soldiers you rescued?” Even if we were talking business, it still meant I was talking to him.

Soren nodded. Not that I saw him do it with my eyes still on the floor, but I knew him that well. “Peter wanted every detail from them and us, which was probably the scariest part of the whole ordeal for them.”

I laughed quietly at that and Soren went silent for several seconds.

When he restarted, his voice was hoarse. “They didn’t say anything except that the camp cleared out within days. The only thing I could think is that they were expecting a wildfire—they’re in season and that camp is pretty far up the mountain.”

“We would know first, wouldn’t we?” We were lower down the slope, which meant we’d be hit first.

“Precisely my point. The only reason they would leave would be for a strategic advantage.”

It was too late to talk strategy, so I just said, “They seemed okay.”

Soren hummed and the sound traveled right through my chest and pooled at my core. “They were pretty beat up, but they were fed. They had their Matches with them, so they couldn’t complain in that regard.”

“I feel the same.” The words jumped out before I could stop the horrible truth in them from materializing. We both knew what I meant. This impossible situation I was trapped in was made a little more bearable by Soren’s simple presence, no matter how distant.

“Bell,” he warned, but it did nothing to stop the rapid beat of my heart. I could tell my cheeks were heating along with it.

Soren sighed heavily, standing. “Maybe it’s a good idea for me to sleep in the living room tonight.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to see him leave. “Okay.”

My eyes stayed shut as Soren’s scent trailed slowly up to me, pausing in front of me for a second, then moving to the side.

When it started to fade, a pained whimper left my throat.

And when the door shut, I had to slap a hand over my mouth to trap in a sob.

A second later, a hand brushed my hair over my shoulder and I collapsed back into his chest right as his lips came down on my neck.

Soren’s hands came around my waist and my own followed, two points of contact holding me to him as his mouth warmed my neck.

“Please don’t leave me,” I begged, one of my hands trailing up to grab his head and keep him secured to me.

“I tried to stay away, baby. It didn’t work.” Mumbled words pressed against the heated skin of my throat.

The Bond interrupted my relief with a whooping shout of joy, before settling back down and pouring that familiar warmth through my limbs.

It suddenly dawned on me that Soren might come to his senses any second and I couldn’t have that before I felt him.

Twisting in his hold, I kissed him, immediately swiping my tongue across the seam of his lips to beg for entrance.

His hands tangled in my hair, gripping roughly as his lips attacked mine right back. “I am so mad at you,” he said, nipping at my bottom lip. “But I’m also proud of you.”

He moved to my jaw, dropping kisses and compliments in succession. Telling me how beautiful I was, how much he wanted me.

“Soren, you are all I ever want,” I said, the words holding a powerful, painful meaning. No matter what happened, no matter who the Prince was, Soren would be the only person I could ever want.