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Natalie
Iinvited both Lucian and Rumir to my house without saying anything about the other one being there. It wasn’t nice, but it was the only way I could think of to get them in the same room together.
I kept thinking about the conversations I’d had recently—with Lucian, with Cedrik, and with Finola, to whom I owed so much.
I was thankful for her words of wisdom. And today, I’d be putting them to good use.
In the end, the decision was mine. And though it would hurt, I knew what I had to do.
After a full hour, I smelled both Lucian and Rumir, so I hurried to the front door and found them both waiting, staring at each other in confusion.
“Yes, I invited you both,” I told them as I stepped back to allow them to enter the house. “We need to talk. Come in.”
Both hesitated, but finally Lucian walked in, and Rumir followed. I led them into the living room, where I sat down while they stood at either end of the room. Already the tension in the house was starting to build.
"Natalie, I'm sorry. I need you to know how sorry I am," Lucian pleaded, while Rumir stared at us, confused. I hadn’t had a chance to tell him about what had happened between Lucian and me. "In the beginning, I'd been searching for ways to break our bond out of fear, out of centuries of believing I had to spend eternity alone to atone for what I did to Otsana. I was wrong.”
“You told her?” Rumir grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. “I guess I know why we’re here then.”
I frowned. “You knew about that?” I asked Rumir, who went still. “You were a part of that?"
“I wasn't a part of it, but I knew,” Rumir admitted. "I said nothing because there was no point. If I had told you, you would have thought I was only letting you know about his betrayal in order to manipulate you into rejecting him. I didn’t want that.”
“I didn’t betray her,” Lucian growled.
"Didn't you, though?" Rumir argued.
I snapped my fingers at both of them. “We’re not here to fight,” I told them. “You're grown men, so act like it and stop bickering. Lucian . . .” I turned to look into his eyes. “I can understand that you were scared. I know that you've been walking around carrying a heavy burden and that you can’t suddenly stop doing it just because we’ve known each other a short time. But that doesn’t mean what you did was right.”
I had to get this out before I broke down completely. "It doesn't matter that your feelings changed over time. You were using me. So don't tell me you acted out of fear for my life here. My life is mine, and any decisions made about my life should include me. You made a choice to end our bond for your own reasons."
“I agree,” Rumir grumbled, and I pinned him with a glare.
"As for you," I said to him, and his brows rose. "I know this hasn't been easy for you, either. I know your possessiveness runs deep because of who you are biologically. And I haven't been giving that the attention it deserved. You both had tried to tell me this wouldn't work, that you wouldn’t share, but I refused to listen. Instead, I’ve been trying to understand the issues between you two, hoping I could solve them. But I was wrong.”
Rumir, who'd been leaning against the wall, stood up straight. "What are you saying? I'm willing to try and make this work."
"Come on, Rumir, what have you been trying to make work? I'm still mated to two men who can't be in a room together for two minutes without making jabs at each other.” I shook my head, fanning away strands of my hair from my face. “You hate each other! So what kind of future do we have? Am I supposed to continue splitting my time between the two of you forever? Am I to continue playing counselor? What kind of relationship is that? What kind of future do either one of you see with me? Be honest.”
Neither of them said anything, and I released the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
I looked at Lucian. “You were thrown into this, just like me and Rumir were, but you don't want a mate. You never did. And I won't force that onto you the way the Goddess did.
“And Rumir,” I said, turning my attention to him. “You deserve to be with someone else, someone of your stature—a god or a dragon. I just can’t be what you need.”
“Natalie . . .” Lucian, who looked fearful, took a single step forward. “What are you saying?”
I couldn’t look at either of them, as I said, “I think it’s best if I reject you both. I'll do the spell the witch was offering to do, and none of us will die. We'll just be set free.”
“No!” they yelled in unison, their voices bouncing off the walls.
“No,” Lucian repeated. “Sure, I didn’t want a mate at first, but I have you now. And I can’t imagine not being with you. I don’t want that to change.”
"And I might be dragon, but I'm still mated to you, Natalie,” Rumir added. “I don’t want to be with a dragon or a god. At this point, I don't care what your species is, as long as I’m with you. Aren’t you an advocate of interspecies relationships? We can make this work.”
"He's right," Lucian agreed. "In the beginning, we were all just trying to make sense of this. We said things and did things that weren't right. You could have grown tired of us and rejected us, but you didn't. You stuck by us. You've been trying to help us, but we were blind to it. We've been selfish not to see the toll this has taken on you, the one caught in the middle.”
Rumir and Lucian nodded in agreement, and I was too stunned to speak. They were agreeing with each other.
