My loneliness used to stifle me. Render me a useless mess. But now it empowered me. And as I marched right up to Atlas’s gates, her clan members were up there, looking down on me.
The gate opened, and Atlas was waiting for me at the door, her eyes never leaving mine.
We hadn't had time to talk about my rejection of her proposal, and I was worried she would bring it up, but instead she merely stepped to the side and motioned for me to come in.
“It's nice to see you in one piece,” she said, her voice strangely tense. “I was worried.”
“Can you imagine if he killed his princess after she just came back from her torturous time in the witch coven?Chaos.”
Either my mind was playing tricks on me, or I finally got a small smirk out of Atlas.
“I wouldn't put it past him. But he’s not the one I’m most worried about,” she grumbled under her breath. She stepped forward, her hand raising as if to brush my arm, but stopped midway. “Truly. I’ve been worried about you.”
I took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Thank you for everything. I'm sorry I couldn't marry you.”
She shook her head and pulled her hand away.
“It’s okay, my love. I think I understand.”
The nickname caused the tension in my shoulders to melt.
“You do?” I asked teasingly. The bond was getting impatient, tugging me forward.
She sent me a sly smile.
“Not at all, actually. But I trust you. Now, let's get you to your bonded before they start wrecking my furniture—again.”
Excitement unraveled in my chest. I could imagine Vesper and Cedar getting so angry with Atlas they decided to take it upon themselves and give her room a new makeover.
Atlas showed me down the hall and through the first waiting room. The castle seemed surprisingly empty, or not, considering that, to them, I was the enemy.
“They're in there.” Atlas pointed at the open door, but I stopped at the threshold, giving her a look.
“We should probably talk about General Lee,” I said. “I found out something. Though I want everyone to hear it.”
“We can discuss it in the meeting after, but first…” She nodded to the door again. “They asked for privacy.”
Atlas sent me a lingering look before she turned around and walked down the hallway.
If my heart could speed up in my chest, it would be going a million miles a second.
I walked in and saw them immediately, both standing.
“Have time to talk, Princess?” Cedar asked and motioned for me to take a seat on the couch. I looked at her and then at Vesper, but neither said anything more.
They’re probably still upset over the way I left last time. Well, so am I.
“How generous,” I mumbled, sitting down. “This is my long-awaited wedding present?”
The memory of Cedar's blood was fresh in my mind. Her taste on my lips. Vesper's fingers moving with mine as we fucked our witch.
I could feel that she was thinking about it too through the bond.
Cedar walked around to the other side of the couch. Slow and languid, like a cat, but I hadn’t forgotten how her magic had reacted to our bond. Heat and excitement burst through me.
She placed her hands on the back of the couch, one on either side of me. Vesper simply stared at us before she stepped forward slowly.
“What did your husband say when he tasted me on your lips?”
