No. Absolutely not.
I’d spent my entire adult life learning not to trust authority figures. Not to let anyone have that kind of power over me. I had friends, yes. Zara and Maya, now Baleck andMierva. People I’dchosento let into my life. People who’d earned my trust through actions, not through some biological imperative that said we were “compatible.”
The memories rose unbidden, sharp and cutting as always.
You’re useless, Cleo. Can’t you do anything right?
My father’s voice, harsh and cold, echoing through my childhood home. Standing in the kitchen after I’d dropped a plate, frozen with fear while he towered over me.
Clumsy. Thoughtless. You’ll never amount to anything if you can’t even handle simple tasks.
I’d been eight years old.
Your sister understands discipline. Why can’t you be more like her?
Stop crying. You’re being dramatic. You think this is hard? Wait until the real world gets hold of you.
Biggest disappointment of my life.
That last one had come when I was seventeen, after I’d told him I wanted to study engineering instead of medicine like he’d planned for me. He’d looked at me with such disgust, such absolute dismissal, that something inside me shattered and then hardened into steel.
I left home two weeks later. Worked three jobs to put myself through school. Built a life that was mine, that he couldn’t touch or control or ruin with his caustic words and impossible expectations.
And I’d promised myself I’d never let anyone have that kind of power over me again. Never let anyone in a position of authority make me feel small or worthless or less than.
Rezor was in charge of this entire valley. He madedecisions that affected hundreds of lives. He had guards and warriors and an entire council that bowed to his judgment. He was authority personified, wrapped in bronze skin and sacred marks that apparently thought I was his destined mate.
The idea of opening myself up to that, of trusting him with any part of myself beyond the professional courtesy I’d shown, made my chest tight and my breathing shallow.
I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.
“I need air,” I said abruptly, swinging my legs off the bed.
Mierva looked up in surprise. “Are you alright?”
“Fine. Just need to walk.” I grabbed my boots and shoved my feet into them without bothering to lace them properly. “I’ll be back before dark.”
I was out the door before she could respond, moving fast down the corridor. The guards stationed outside our quarters straightened, preparing to follow.
“I just need a minute,” I told them. “Alone.”
They exchanged glances, uncertain. But I didn’t wait for permission. I turned and bolted toward the path that led to the top of the village wall, taking the steps two at a time, my heart pounding. I ducked into someone’s dark, deserted entryway and waited for the guards to run past me. After they did, I kept going.
By the time I reached the wide, stone wall, I was breathing hard. Not from exertion, but from the panic that had been building since Mierva had explained what the glowing marks meant.
Deep compatibility. Destined mate.
No. No, no, no.
I laid my hands flat on the top of the low wall and heaved myself up. I sat, legs dangling over the other side, and stared out at the forest beyond. There was very little light left, and it painted the sky in shades of deep purple. The forest was dark and dense. The mountains were sharp silhouettes that looked like massive walls holding back the rolling storms. This valley was alive and dangerous and completely isolated from the rest of the world.
Like me. Isolated by choice, by necessity, by the walls I’d built to keep people from getting close enough to hurt me.
“Cleo.”
I turned to see Rezor standing a few meters away, his expression unreadable. His eyes were that deep fuchsia color they turned whenever he looked at me. Even in the low light, I could see the faint glow beginning beneath his shirt.
“How did you find me?” I asked, sharper than I’d intended.
