AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I couldn’t help but smile. Served him right.
“Don’t gloat too much.” He loosened his grip on my back and legs. “It’s a long drop from here.”
I gasped, grasping his shoulders. “You would drop me?”
His face colored as he continued to stare straight ahead. “No.”
Rage pulsed across my bones like a living thing. “Then why say it?”
He blew out a breath, tightening his hold on me. “Because you frustrate me.”
“And you infuriate me. Look, I know you don’t want to be my mate. I don’t want to be yours, either.” My chest ached as if I’d plunged a knife through my heart, and each word that dragged from my lips was me twisting that knife. He was my mate. Mymate. And I wanted to sever the bond. But what choice did I have when he was so cruel to me? “We’re stuck with each other for now, so the least we can do is be civil to each other until we find a way to break whatever this connection is between us.”
Was I imagining things, or did he flinch?
“We can’t break it.”
I gritted my teeth, pushing out the words. “We will find a way. Then you won’t have to put up with me or my spoiled nieces ever again.”
“And what about my brothers?” His voice cracked and splintered like shattered glass. “Are you just going to toss them aside, too?”
We locked gazes for several soul-crushing heartbeats. Was that regret swirling in his eyes? “Of course not.” I felt compelled to look away. “I don’t mind bonding with them, just not you.”
“Where will you live?” His voice dropped to a low rumble. “I’m the Lord of Abyssus.”
I assumed Abyssus was the name of his estate. “I don’t care, so long as I’m far away from you.” I didn’t mean it. I knew that deep in my soul. He was my mate. The elements had chosen him for a reason. But I couldn’t bond with him.Wouldn’tbond with him.
“You won’t get far without me.”
I shot him a glare and let out what my mother would’ve called an unladylike snort. “I’ve managed twenty-three years without you. I will do just fine.” I crossed my arms, looking away from him. “Now, if you don’t mind, I don’t want to talk anymore.”
The bastard had the nerve to laugh. When would this torture end?
Chapter Six
The cave my mates chosethis time was more like a shallow overhang that stretched for miles, like a long, hollowed out bone that sat just below the flat top of the mountain. The rock formation was white like bone, too. The air here was dryer, making my lips crack and my skin itch. The floating sand particles dried my mouth. I kept running my tongue over the roof of my mouth, trying to get the gritty taste out to no avail. Thankfully, the sun had set, cooling down the ground beneath us, for I suspected it would be warmer here. I didn’t care for this stretch of mountains and wouldn’t feel love lost for leaving it.
