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“I will.” Ferol’s voice has us whirling around to the door, but she’s gone. We share a look, but minutes later, Emrys is dragged into the room by his collar. He struggles and grumbles but doesn’t really resist. He could get away if he wanted to. Ferol pushes him to the table then moves to Bram, gently waking him, and he joins us, yawning as she grabs a chair and sits on it backwards. I cross my arms to avoid reaching for her, so I understand her distance.
“We need to talk. Clearly, last night was a mistake.” Her cheeks heat, and I feel her shame and worry. “I didn’t know the heat would take over like that.”
“None of us did,” I admit, taking her side. “It wasn’t just on you.”
“Still, it changes nothing. We will break the bond.” She gasps and covers her heart, struggling to get the words out before shaking her head. “Break it,” she forces out through clenched teeth. “I wanted you to know that. Now, let’s not make this weird—”
“You mean because you fucked us dry?” Raiden teases, and she narrows her eyes on him as he chuckles. “The way I see it, we’ll have fun until the mate bond breaks.”
“You just want sex.” Bram smiles and winks at her. “I’m with him.”
“Enough. We had no choice last night, but we need to ignore the bond as much as we can. I’ve checked the conditions. We should reach land tomorrow, so until then, we’ll stay away from each other,” Kitt snaps.
“Good idea.” Nodding at us, she moves away. “I’ll head to my room.”
When she’s gone, I look at Kitt, who’s watching her go with a confused expression on his face. He hates the mate bond more than any of us, worried about our freedom being taken, but maybe he’s starting to hate it less.
Or is that wishful thinking?
She hasn’t left her room at all, which is making me wary. There’s this nagging feeling in my chest, so after three hours, I give in and knock on her door, trying to block the others out, but it’s useless. When she doesn’t answer, I frown and crack it open.
She’s lying on her bed, but she doesn’t move when I step inside. Moving closer, I stand above her, automatically reaching for her, but when I touch her skin, I hiss.
She’s burning up, sweaty, and tossing. “Ferol . . . Ferol!” I shake her, and she snaps awake, her eyes wide and terrified before she spins us and pins me to the floor.
She blinks and comes back to herself. “Sorry. Habit,” she mutters, and it’s then we both realise she’s astride me. She winces and goes to move away, but I grab her hips and keep her in place as her eyes snap to me.
“Nightmare?”
She nods, looking at the bed, but she doesn’t attempt to move away again. “I get them sometimes.”
“I have them nearly every night,” I admit. “I was worried.”
“That’s the bond,” she scoffs, detangling from me and standing. “Don’t overthink it.”
“Bond or not, it doesn’t matter. I can’t ignore it or you . . . and I don’t want to,” I tell her.
“Torrin, you hated me. It’s the bond.” She presses to the wall, her hands fisted. “Leave.”
“Or maybe I hated you because I knew what you would mean to us and it terrified me. I can’t change how we met or how we treated you. Maybe it is the bond, or maybe I just don’t care right now. Tell me you don’t want me in here and I’ll leave. Tell me you don’t feel the same way and I won’t bother you again.”
She hesitates, and it’s all I need.
Throwing her onto the bed, I follow her down and hold her when she would fight. Sighing, she stiffens in my arms, looking everywhere but me. “Kitt will be mad.”
“Kitt is scared.” That has her looking at me. If she focused enough on the bond, she would probably feel it, but it’s clear she’s ignoring it as best as she can. “And right now, he’s jealous, wishing he were here. It could be the mate bond, you’re right, but the mate bond cannot make you love someone. It can only bind you and enhance feelings, so whatever we feel is what we felt all along, just exposed. You know that.”
“I can’t trust anyone like that again,” she whispers, vulnerability shining in her eyes. “Not after him . . .”
“We are not him,” I murmur. “We have an end time, we all know that, but I’m going to make the most of it and cleanse my horrors with your warmth and pleasure. You can fight it if you want, but I’m giving in.” I don’t wait for her to respond. She needs time to think, but I know I’m right where I want to be.
Wrapping my arms around her, I close my eyes and absorb her scent and warmth, relaxing just like she does. “Sleep, little one. I’ll keep watch.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN
Iwake slowly, comfortable, happy, and relaxed—something I have not felt since I was young. Opening my eyes, I realise why. I’m wrapped in Torrin’s arms, and he’s snoring softly, his horns pressed to my bed as I peer into his face. Even asleep, he looks strong, confident, and beautiful. I should move away, but instead, I untangle my hands from his and slide my fingertips over his face softly, obsessed with the strength in his features and arms, as if nothing could ever get past him to me. It’s not real, I know that, but he’s right. It’s nice to feel this way, even for a short while. A noise has me lifting my head, and I find Kitt in the doorway. He jerks his head, and I nod.
