“Actually, it does make sense. It means?—”
“I don’t fucking care what it means, Maliki,” I say, setting my glass down on the bar—since that’s the only piece of furniture he didn’t ruin.
Whatever. I don’t even care about the mess, either.
“What matters is Serapina,” I growl. “She’s alone right now because I’m up here trying to convince you to come help me worship her. And you’re making me jump through hoops to gain your acquiescence. If that’s how you’re going to treat our mate, then forget everything I’ve said. She matters more than your bruised ego.”
“Bruised ego,” he echoes. “Hades, myegois fine. What isn’t fine is the way you’ve used me where Sera is concerned. I care about her, more than I’m probably allowed to care. That’s not about ego. That’s about pain. She means something to me, and she’s not mine the way I want her to be. Because she’s yours. And you’ve made it quite clear that you’ll only share her if it benefits you. So I’m saying no. I won’t pleasure her to please you. I’ll only pleasure her to please her.”
“As you should,” I reply, frowning. “Our mate-circle revolves around her, not me.”
“Fancy words,” he mutters. “Do you understand them? Because I’m not quite sure you do. Everything I’ve done has been under your advisement or commandment. What if I want to do more without your permission?”
My frown deepens. “You don’t need my permission to touch or claim our mate, Maliki.”
He stares at me, his golden irises seeming to burn like twin flames. “You consider her to be mine, too.” It’s not a question but a statement.
“Isn’t she?” I ask. “She seems quite content with you.”
“I’ve never wanted a mate.”
“I’ve never wanted to share my mate,” I point out. “Fate creates changes we could never have foreseen, yes?”
He continues to study me. “Is it fate when you’re claimed without your consent?” he asks.
“You mean my mark?” I guess.
“Yeah. That.”
My eyebrow wings upward again. “Do you want me to remove it?”
“Can you remove it?” he asks, arching a brow. “Is that even possible?”
“It is, yes. Now ask if I want to remove it.”
“I can already guess that you don’t want to,” he says flatly.
“Of course I don’t.” Why would I want to break our mate-circle? We’re stronger together. And as I already told him, this is about Serapina and what’s best for her. Not us.
“Then why offer?” he asks.
“Because you’re right—I shouldn’t have claimed you without consent,” I admit.
“That’s not exactly what I said.”
“It was implied, Maliki.”
“True,” he agrees.
“But I don’t regret claiming you. Serapina needs you as much as I do. Actually, probably more.” Because he’ll be the one to hold me accountable. And fate knows I need that.
He sets his glass down by mine and folds his arms. “Allright. Let’s say I consider this. You understand that I can’t protect her properly if I don’t know what the fuck you’re doing, yeah?”
I release a breath, my chest feeling a bit tight. “I realize I fucked up by not sharing all of my plans with you. I didn’t think it would be needed. Because, as I said, I had no intention of ever sharing my mate.”
“Well, as you pointed out, fate changes Styx.”
“That’s not quite what I said,” I hedge.
