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I spin around to tell them to fuck off, but I’m thrown for a loop when my chest pulses with a warm, fuzzy feeling. We’re fated mates, and the bond is pleased to have us in close proximity to one another again.
I pull my shoulders back, shaking away that ridiculous impulse.
Silence quirks his eyebrow, eyeing me from head to toe. His chiseled jaw flexes, betraying his tension as a tattooed hand aims in my direction. “We can’t let her out of our sight. That’s just asking for her to run from us again.”
“Head down that hallway. Once you hit the club, find someone to keep you busy.” I point to be sure they know where I mean for them to go. “I don’t care what you do. I’ve got something I have to take care of.”
“We’ll accompany you,” Hex says, crossing his meaty arms over his chest.
“Absolutely not,” I snap. “If you don’t want to visit the club, which is where the bar is, then check out The Den. I’m sure there’s someone fucking. Watch or join in.”
I don’t care what they do, but I can’t have them around for this. Fear slides through my veins like I’ve taken a dip in an icy lake.
My hands shake, and I link them together in front of me to keep them from noticing.
“We won’t be giving you the chance to run from us,” Silence says again.
“I’m not going to run,” I say a bit hysterically. “I have something I have to do, and it doesn’t involve either of you.”
Now isn’t the time to hesitate. If there’s any hope of fixing the mess I’ve made, I have to find my orcnow.
I spin around, heading down the hall that leads to my office. I’m staring at my bare feet and trying to formulate an explanation. I really should have manifested shoes before running outside earlier.
I’m not halfway down the hallway when I walk into Atlas. His pale green arms are crossed over his chest, and tension seems to vibrate off him in waves. I’m not sure if I can tell just by looking at him or if my empathic gifts are picking it up.
“Are you all right?” he asks, watching me carefully.
My head shakes. I’m not, not even a little bit.
I pull back my shoulders, trying to fortify myself for whatever comes next.
I deserve his wrath.
I’m fairly sure he saw and overheard enough to have some idea of how I’ve lied to him.
We stand, staring at each other for several long moments. I can feel his anger, and it only ratchets my anxiety higher.
“Husbands, Ali?Really? Fucking plural?” Atlas snarls.
I take several steps toward him, and a sob rattles out of my chest when he backs away. His head shakes violently as he puts up a hand.
“Atlas, please,” I whisper. My face burns at the fact he just retreated from me. I won’t even let myself consider how badly my heart throbs, because I’m not sure if that’s my pain or his.
“Answer me. Are you fucking married?” He spits the word like he’s truly disgusted.
I nod. The last thing I want to do is lie on top of everything else.
“Gods,” he says, chuckling derisively. “What the fuck was I thinking?”
“Please, give me a chance to explain,” I beg, reaching for his arm again.
A warm, calloused hand wraps around my throat. I could stop him if I had to, but my magic is depleted. I’m exhausted physically and mentally.
Atlas spins us until my back hits the wall. I’m not human. I won’t break, and he knows it. At least my body won’t, but depending on how this goes, my heart very well might.
“You fucking lied to me,” he snarls, moving me up the wall with his hand on my neck and the other on my hip.
My eyes squeeze shut as fat tears slide from the edges. I want to tell him that I didn’t, because he never asked. But I know, if there was a woman here claiming to be his mate or wife, I wouldn’t give a fuck if I’d asked or not. We’ve known each other long enough that it would be a logical assumption to assume the other has no mate or partner.
