“Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop,” I chanted, rocking back and forth on the bed, clutching my head in my hands until my knuckles were white and I felt the bite of my broken nails against my dirty scalp.
“I’m sorry, Faylinn, I’m trying,” a vaguely familiar, decidedly male voice responded. I felt a bolt of panic and self-hatred before the suffering abated, leaving only an echo of pain.
I took deep, gulping breaths, my back heaving with each inhale, as I tried to reconcile what the fuck just happened.
A large, warm hand landed hesitantly on my back. Their touch was soothing, comforting, even if their identity was unknown. When I didn’t move away from the caress, the hand started rubbing small circles on my back, rough callouses causing goosebumps to erupt across my skin.
“What is happening,” I mumbled, my tongue thick in my mouth, as if it was swollen twice its normal size.
“I believe we’re Bonded,” the voice rumbled again, all traces of emotion wiped completely. At the admission, the memories of the night Rohak died came rushing back like a broken dam giving way to a flood.
Flash.
Rohak falling, his body broken.
Flash.
Rohak burning Alois’ body, his magic fleeing as Gisei burned out and died while clutching his hand.
Flash.
Sasori poised to strike Rohak, Alois’ sword held high above her head.
Flash. Flash. Flash.
Me erecting a protection border around Rohak while I fought to keep him alive.
Me pulling Rohak onto my shoulders and entering the Academy.
Me Bonding Rohak against his will.
I flinched at the last memory, my body stiffening under the hand that I was now sure belonged to the surly Destruction Mage, my grumpy General.
Once wishful thinking, it now seemed that the General trulywasmine.
If he even wants you, a caustic voice whispered, the one that liked to remind me that Rohak hated Forced Bonds . . . and I’d just done that to him.
“I’m sorry,” was the only thing I could think to say, even though the words and sentiment were not nearly powerful enough to convey the soul-deep sorrow I felt at depriving Rohak of yet another chance at a True Bond.
I wrestled for control over my erratic emotions, but the effort was futile. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes as I fought against the self-loathing that consumed my being.
“Faylinn,” Rohak rasped, his fingers twitching against my spine. “Faylinn,stop. I can . . .feelyou.”
I reined in my emotions as quickly as I could, my head shooting from myhands, only to stare directly into the emerald eyes that had haunted my dreams and memories since I’d left Isrun all those months ago.
Rohak,I breathed in my mind, his name both a balm to my wounds and the cause of them.
“Hello, Faylinn.” His voice echoed in my mind, and I jolted with a gasp, scrambling back on my hands until my head hit his wooden headboard with a resoundingthump.
“Ow! Fucking godsdamned piece of dead tree,” I groused, rubbing what was sure to be an egg-sized lump at the back of my head. I watched as Rohak winced as if in pain before his lips twitched in amusement at my curse.
I continued massaging the sore spot while trying to parse throughwhyI could hear Rohak in my head, and he, apparently, could hear me.
Skittering back to the headboard dislodged the sheet from where it covered my torso, exposing my naked chest to the waist down. The movement of my arm only served to emphasize my lack of clothing, my breasts moving in tandem with my gestures.
Rohak’s gaze heated, his eyes darkening to a near forest-green, before sweeping his gaze slowly down my naked form, settling on my breasts. My nipples instantly hardened under his stare, despite the warmth of the air.
I dropped my hand from my head and moved to recover myself despite the fact that I rather enjoyed Rohak’s eyes on me.
