Her gaze moved to his bare chest and a pink flush crept up her slender neck. Roman stepped away and donned his ruined shirt. “I can help you.”
Her obvious hope sparked a pull he couldn’t explain.If she isn’t my mate, why do I feel this way?
Bonded mates typically had eyes for no one else, the merethoughtof them considering another unfathomable. From the stories Roman’s parents told him, they’d been that way from the day they met.
So how did the bond allow him to feel this way about Violet and have borderline disdain for Vivian? Everything he’d read about mates described the tug he felt now, and not for the first time, he wondered if the gods made a mistake.
He shook himself from his confusing thoughts and gestured to the scattered papers. “I’m good at arithmetic, and I’ve finished the assignments already.”
She looked to be contemplating whether to rip her book in half or not. “I’m not sure I’ll ever understand. We started learning arithmetic when we were nine, Rome, and I’m almost fifteen. Eight years, and I still don’t understand it.” She leaned back in her chair, and Roman decided not to correct her.
Instead, he clucked his tongue and dragged one of the other chairs over to sit beside her. “Where do you want to start?”
* * *
A few hours later, Violet hurried across the palace grounds toward the warrior compound with her heart in her throat.What happened in the library with Roman?She’d thought the crush she’d formed when they were twelve disappeared not long after the gods bonded him to Vivian. She’d forced it away, refusing to betray her sister.
Not to mention, signing herself up for guaranteed heartbreak would be foolish.
You’re being stupid,Violet scolded herself. In no part of their world would Roman feel that way about her, especially while bonded to someone else. The nervous energy buzzing through her had her hands shaking and her breaths ragged.
The moment in the library was a one off; a fleeting feeling. That’s all.
Violet rushed up the porch steps and through the front door, kicked off her slippers, scooped the shoes into one hand, and rushed to her room.
Removing her ruined dress, she wrapped a robe around her body and carried her soiled clothes to the laundering room to treat the stains. Harsh whispers on the other side of the laundering room door brought her to an abrupt halt.
Violet shamelessly planted an ear against the door and strained to hear.
“Why do we have to hide our relationship?” a boy’s voice demanded. “Are you ashamed of me?”
“No,” Vivian’s familiar voice insisted.Violet covered her mouth. “But no one can know about us.”
Vivian has a secret boyfriend?
“Why not?” The boy sounded frustrated. “I love you, Viv.”
Violet pulled back and gaped at the closed door.
A shuffling sound broke the silence, and Vivian’s voice came out softer, with more emotion than Violet had known her sister possessed. “I love you too, but please, trust me. You know why we can’t say anything. I don’t know what would happen to you if anyone found out.”
More silence. “I trust you, but I can’t hide us forever. You swore when we explored our feelings that you would choose me.”
“I know, but I need time to figure things out.”
“I’ll give you time for now,” the boy murmured, followed by a faint smacking that sounded an awful lot like kissing. Violet’s face screwed up. Why did it sound so slobbery?
“Go,” Vivian said breathlessly. “My sister will be home soon. Check before going through the window.”
Violet turned and ran on tip-toes back to her room, then closed the door loudly to alert them of her arrival with her heart beating erratically at what she’d overheard.
Vivian is cheating on Roman.Maybe notcheatingbecause according to Viv they weren’t dating yet, but they were mated. If Violet were mated to Roman, she couldn’t imagine wanting anyone else.
She pressed her hand to her chest in a futile attempt to stop the anxious ache taking root. Should she betray her sister and tell Roman, or keep quiet and let them work it out on their own?
If she told no one and Vivian ran away with her boyfriend, would Roman choose a new mate? A wretched part of Violet wanted that more than anything, but it felt like a betrayal to her sister.
Sitting on her bed, Violet stared out the window.But is it a betrayal if Vivian loves someone else?She decided not to tell anyone, telling herself it was to protect Vivian, but deep down, Violet knew her motives contained a tinge of selfishness.
