The mate bond, the claiming, the declarations of love, all of it. Was it all a manipulation? A game? Did he have Vix waiting in the wings the entire time, laughing at the stupid human who thought she was special? Should I have trusted him more and let him explain?
I was spiraling. I knew I was spiraling. Couldn’t stop.
I should have known better. I should have sworn off men after Damien, after years of manipulation and abuse and learning the hard way that people who claimed to love you could destroy you.
Damien took my money, my confidence, my sense of self-worth. He made me believe I was worthless without him. That I couldn’t survive alone. That I needed him even when he was hurting me.
And I had escaped that. I had clawed my way out of that relationship. I had started to rebuild myself, piece by painful piece.
Then Caelan came along.
Caelan with his pretty words and his protective growls and his “you’re mine, you belong to me, I’ll never let you go.” Caelan who looked at me with reverence, with devotion, with a hunger that made me feel precious. Caelan who said I was his mate, his fate, his everything.
And I believed him. I trusted him. I let myself fall in love with him.
And nowthis.
Behind me, I heard cursing and running footsteps. He was chasing me.
“RILEY! STOP!”
I ran faster.
The world was spinning. My vision kept going in and out. I touched the wall to stay upright, stumbling, tripping over my own feet. The headache was blinding now, the nausea overwhelming.
I couldn’t keep going. My legs gave out and I fell, the stone floor rushing up to meet me. I hit hard, pain shooting through my knees, my palms, my shoulder where I crumpled against the wall. The impact jarred through my bones, but I barely felt it. The physical pain was nothing compared to the agony in my chest.
“RILEY!”
Hands were grabbing me. I fought them, punching and scratching, desperate to get away from him, from his lies, from everything.
“STOP PUNCHING ME!”
The familiar, high-pitched voice cut through the haze, and it wasn’t Caelan. It was Thessa. When I blinked, trying to focus, her face swam into view, worried and confused, her hands raised defensively.
“What the fuck happened?” Thessa demanded. “You came running around the corner and just collapsed. Are you okay?”
“No.” My voice broke. “Cae... he...”
I couldn’t get his name out, couldn’t form the words. Everything was spinning.
“What did my stupid brother do?”
“He... Vix... I heard...” I wasn’t making sense. I knew I wasn’t making sense. “They were... she was...”
“Slow down. Breathe.”
I tried. Couldn’t.
The nausea surged, and I barely had time to turn my head before I was throwing up on the stone floor. Thessa held my hair back, muttering curses in a language I didn’t understand.
“Okay. Okay, that’s not good. We need a healer.”
I wanted to argue, wanted to say I was fine. But I couldn’t speak, could barely see, could barely do anything but shake and cry and try not to vomit again.
I felt him before I saw him. Caelan was close, and I could sense it through the bond, feel his presence pressing against my chest. He was saying my name, trying to approach...
“STAY AWAY!” Thessa yelled, putting herself between me and whatever was behind her. “I don’t know what you did, but she’s clearly not okay, and you need to back off.”
