Amelia
P.S. You once asked if I wonder about you, and I do. Every day.
Fucking Finn, that handsome bastard.Rennick wanted to find the hair shop Finn used to dye his hair blond and torch it to the ground.A loud knock sounded from the other side of the door. “Come in.”
Ora peeked her head in, her long black hair swinging like a silk curtain. “Is it okay if I come in?”
“No,” he replied, placing Amelia’s letter on the stack.
She laughed lightly and strutted in anyway. “You’ve been testy since yesterday. Is yourfriendnot performing well?”
He didn’t respond right away, because if he did, it would be with violence. More than anything, he wanted to tell her to leave his palace and never return, but he’d promised Amelia the pleasure of doing so, and he’d not take that from her. “Her name is Amelia, and I told you to leave.”
Ora’s blue eyes rounded. He abandoned Amelia’s letters and clasped his hands over his stomach. “Why are you still here?”
She pressed her hand against her chest. “Why are you treating me this way? Is she turning you against me when I was nothing but nice to her?”
He recalled Ora’s behavior, how she’d looked over Rennick’s shoulder and stepped closer to grab his arm.Staking a claim that was not hers.
“You forget your place,” he replied dangerously. “You touched me earlier when you had no right. That right belongs to my mate and no one else.”
Her cheeks flushed scarlet, and he watched with fascination as something in her snapped. “This is ridiculous.Iam your mate, and you know that as well as I do. Drop this silly pretense and admit it.”
She could have showed him a dog tail growing out of her neck and it would have surprised him less than her declaration. Ora’s words struck him speechless.
Did she really believe that?
“Think about it,” she went on, “We have the same birthday, our personalities are perfect together, and you think you heardOrissa? Really, Ren? It never occurred to you that it was Ora you heard?”
Her expression held a delusional sincerity, and he knew not telling her Amelia’s true identity was the right call.
“If we were mates, we would feel each other’s emotions,” he replied carefully, trying to rationalize with her. Standing to hisfull six-foot-five height, he tapped his chest. “I can feel my mate here, and you are not her.”
Ora’s hands balled into tight fists. “Why are you denying our bond? I feel everything you feel. Have I not been able to anticipate everything you needed our entire lives?”
“No,” he deadpanned. “If you had been able to read my emotions, you would’ve known that when I looked at you, I felt nothing but platonic friendship. No part of me has ever desired you in a romantic or sexual way. Release whatever fantasy you’re holding on to.”
Big drops slithered down her cheeks, her mouth open as she stared at him. “You don’t mean that.”
He lifted a brow and crossed his arms. “I assure you, I do. Leave and be back tomorrow afternoon at four o’clock after my council meeting.”
The devastation on her face morphed into happiness, and he cringed at the delusional hope in her eyes. “We can figure this out,” she said, beaming at him. “I know we can.”
“Leave,” he replied and sat back down.
“I’ll see you at four.” She left with a bounce in her step that had him gaping after her.
Has she always been this deranged?
No sooner had she shut the door did it opened again, and Finn walked through. “Ora looked delighted.”
Rennick eyed Finn’s blond hair and scowled. He opened the side table drawer and grabbed a blank piece of paper, ink pot, and quill. Placing the blank paper on top of Amelia’s letters, he unscrewed the ink well lid, dipped his quill, and began to write as he said, “I told her to remember her place and keep her hands to herself.”
Finn took a seat in the other reading chair. “She’s convinced you two are mates.”
Rennick’s hand jerked, almost spilling the ink. “You knew?”
“Everyone knows but you. Personally, I don’t see theappeal,” Finn joked, crossing his leg. “You’ve been so blinded by Amelia and the rebel attacks that you missed out on her longing looks and attempts to sway you.”
