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“Fuuuuuuuckkkkk.” I slam my hand into the nearest object, punching the tree trunk so hard that splinters fly from the other side. My fist is bloodied as I pull it back from the rough bark.
As the adrenaline pumping through me slows, I slide down to the ground. My head hangs low in my hands. How could I let this happen? First, I nearly tell her I love her. My stomach knots at the thought of letting another woman have so much power over me.
Then the bond doesn’t take.
Maybe it’s not possible. We knew that was a possibility. There have been so few fractured souls; it is only natural that the healing methods I had been told might not work.
Mira, of course, has nothing to do with whether or not I am able to complete the bond.
And then I screamed at her. Blamed her, even.
For something that she could not control any more than I could.
“Fucking fuck,” I whisper, banging the back of my stupid, empty head against the tree’s sturdy trunk.
She has a kindness about her, despite the sarcastic attitude. Maybe there’s a reason she’s my fated mate. I always thought my mate would be an equally fierce warrior. Someone to fear and respect. Like I want to be.
Who I failed to be.
Maybe the Gods didn’t give me a warrior because that’s not what I need. Are there things I need to learn from Mira? Can a human really have something to teach a fae?
I let out another frustrated roar as I throw myself to my feet. I’ve done nothing but try to fuck her, lie, and manipulate her. When she finally obliged my demands from a sense of obligation, I proceeded to yell at her after it didn’t go my way.
Determined to make it up to her somehow, I march back to where I left Mira crying on the forest floor. I’d find the words to apologize.
Grovel if I have to.
Instead of a sad or tearful woman, I find Mira fully dressed with her head held high. A statue of unmoving ice greets me as I stumble to a halt in front of her. Our bags are neatly packed and leaning against the tree. My eyes flicker to where just moments before I was worshiping her body. All evidence of that encounter erased, including the softness in her eyes.
The sight of the orange cat sitting quietly by her feet like a sentinel makes my teeth grind in frustration.
“Mira…”
She holds up a hand to silence me. “Don’t.”
I bite my words off before they fall on the ground as she hands me my pack, shouldering her own, and sets out on the path without looking back. My mouth hangs agape at the cold aura around her like armor.
I swallow a lump in my throat as I follow behind her. Following her lead. Maybe she just wants to forget it. She’s stronger than I give her credit for.
Stronger than I am, certainly, I note as she strikes out on the road.
However, I can sense her anger. It’s so vivid that it’s a living, breathing thing. It doesn’t help that the cat keeps shooting me death glares from over his shoulder.
You screwed this up royally,he seems to tell me.
I nod.
I know. I know what I’ve done.
What I don’t quite know is how to fix it.
I know that I have done the worst possible thing. Mira fears rejection; that halfhearted attempt at a husband made that clear. His treatment of her was despicable, and mine has added fuel to the fire that already burned in her about men.
I wouldn’t be shocked if she tries to get rid of me at the earliest opportunity and jump back through the portal to find her way back to her home.
I think, I realize as I look at the cat, that he would probably help her. I can’t blame them, though. If they do betray me, it’ll be because I deserve it.
I mark the passage of time by counting the agonizingly silent breaths between us. Mira’s silence cuts sharper than any sword, and I deserve every bit of it. I let it soak into me.
