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I glance away. “I won’t, though.”

“You can,” she whispers. “I would probably want to too, if our roles were reversed.”

“I don’t need to command you. I don’t want to hurt you despite everything. I could never hurt you.” I clench my teeth knowing how weak that makes me sound.

“It’s fine, Soren. I don’t want you to doubt me. Do what you need to do; it’s the only way you’ll know for sure.” She yawns completely unfazed by the idea of me commanding her like she just expects and accepts it.

“It’s not the only way,” I tell her and she looks at me, I move to sit beside her on the bed. She goes to shuffle over. I grip her knee, wanting her to remain close.

“You can mark me, and then I’m going to change you. You’ll never be able to lie to me again.”

She goes to say something, when I cut her off.

“That goes both ways. You want me to believe you, you let me…”

Aubrey launches herself at me, and I barely catch her before feeling her teeth graze my neck. I clutch her closer, my hand moving to her hair feeling her hesitation.

“You marking me will hurt, it will be agonizing,” I warn her knowing she is marking someone whose mark she doesn’t bear. I want Rhett’s mark gone and the only way I can do that is by marking and changing her. I just need her to mark me. I need her to choose me over her mate. I expect her to hesitate, instead, the sharp points of her teeth pierce my neck, she sinks them deeply and groans immediately in agony, her bond fighting her for marking another. Her body recoils, still, her teeth only sink deeper and pull her closer, letting my calling flood out trying to take some of her agony from her.

Chapter 28

• Aubrey •

Agony like never before rushes through me as I sink my teeth into his neck, Rhett’s mark burns violently and I worry I will pass out from the pain before my mark embeds. Gosh I hope it does. The thought of being tied to Rhett for the rest of my life terrifies me, especially when my reason for wanting to live is clutching me like he needs me just as much.

Soren’s hand moves in my hair, his calling rushing over me, easing the pain some. I blink, disoriented as I feel the mark on my neck suddenly go numb. However, the pain in my chest still throbs along with my heartbeat. Pulling back, I find myself in Soren’s strong arms. My heart pounds against my ribcage. His glacier-blue eyes lock onto mine, filled with an intensity that both thrills and terrifies me as he wipes his blood from my lips.

“Aubrey.”

“I love you,” I blurt, praying to whatever goddess is listening that he can feel the truth of those words even if this bond is only one sided. What I would give to know he still feels the same. Soren nods, dropping his head against my shoulder, his breath shaky yet warm against my collarbone.

He rearranges me, setting me beside him on the bed and for a split second I think he doesn’t believe me.

“We need to talk about your bond with Rhett.”

I suck in a sharp breath, my hand instinctively flying to the mark on my neck. The connection to my mate pulses beneath my fingertips, but the bond right now feels different, numb, like it’s me feeling his agony.

“What’s there to talk about?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

Soren’s large hand engulfs mine, pulling it away from the mark. “I can help you break it,” he says, his tone gentle. “You don’t have to be tied to him forever.”

I nod, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes.

“Nothing is unbreakable,” Soren insists, his grip on my hand tightening. “Not even fated mate bonds.”

As he speaks, I search his face, noting the set of his jaw, the fire burning behind his eyes. There’s more here than just wanting to help me. He wants to claim me for himself, to erase every trace of Rhett from my being and I want nothing more than that. Even if it means dying. There is only one person I want to be tied to and he is the man I just sank my teeth into.

“I will mark you, and when I do, I’m changing you and I’m not waiting. I won’t risk you, so if you have any doubt you need to tell me now because once I mark you, it won’t be reversible.”

“What do you mean?”

“Rhett marked you, and now you’ve marked me, your bond to him won’t be broken until I’ve changed you. I need to mark you and change you.”

I nod, the idea of him marking and changing me no longer scares me, not if it means I will be free of Rhett and free to be with him.

Soren gets up and moves to the small bar area by the windows. He reaches for a crystal decanter and returns, grabbing a glass on the nearby bedside table, his movements fluid and purposeful. The rich, ruby liquid sloshes as he pours it into two ornate glasses.

“Here,” he says, pressing one into my hand. “This will help.”