A darkness clouded his soul at the reminder that time was running out. Four months. That’s all he had left to find a way out of mating Vivian without killing her.
He wished, more than ever, that he’d let Vivian continue her dalliance with the mystery man because the woman hunted him down and harped on him constantly about their wedding. She’d been furious about delaying it for a year, but nothing she said changed Roman’s mind.
If he hadn’t been hellbent on putting her in her place, she’d probably be too preoccupied to care about their wedding, or lack thereof. She might have even run off and married the poor man.
Roman stilled.That’s it.Why the fuck hadn’t he thought of it sooner?
What if he could convince Vivian to marry the man she loved? If the guy already wed another, maybe she’d take another lover and fall in love. It might be a long shot, but Roman had to try.
With one last look at Violet and a silent promise to see her later, he slipped into the night to find Vivian.
* * *
“I need to speak with Vivian,” Roman told Meri when she answered their cottage door. “It’s important.”
“Of course, come in.” His future mother-in-law stepped aside for him to enter, closed the door behind him, and disappeared up the stairs.
Minutes later, Vivian floated gracefully down the stairs with a curious look in his direction and Meri on her heels. “What are you doing here?” Blunt and to the point; her usual mask gone.
“I need to speak with you privately.” He looked apologetically at Meri.
“Edgar will be home soon,” she said and crossed the room toward the door. “I’ll intercept him on the porch, and you two can talk in Vivian’s room.”
“Thank you.” Roman held out his arm, indicating for Vivian to go in front of him.
They climbed the stairs in silence, and once in Vivian’s room, Roman closed the door with a soft click. He hated being in here. Violet’s bed no longer stood on the opposite side, replaced by a custom-made weapons rack. The vibrant colors that once adorned the walls were noticeably absent with nothing in their place. It depressed him.
“What is this about,” Vivian queried, getting straight to the point.
Roman had spent the entire way from Violet’s cottage rehearsing what he would say. Vivian was no fool, and he had to plant the seed without her realizing his manipulation.
“Has my mother spoken with you about training?”
Vivian’s eyes slitted. “Why would your mother need to speak with me about warrior training?”
“Not warrior training. You’ll be stopping that after we marry.”Lie.
“What?” she screeched, and he stared blankly while she sputtered. “I’m not quitting training.”
“Yes, you are,” he deadpanned. “You’ll begin training with my mother on how to be queen.” If his mother knew he’d insinuated women couldn’t fight as a warrior and be queen, she’d rip his head off.
“That’s bullshit,” she seethed. “Your mother fights alongside your father.”
“My mother trained as queen from the time she was a child,” he reminded her, “and she doesn’t train with warriors anymore. She fights if we’re attacked.”
Vivian’s face reddened with rage. “I’m not stopping what I love.”
Roman chuckled humorlessly. “Yes, you are. No general will allow you to set foot inside the arena if I tell them not to.”
“Fuck you!” she yelled and shoved him.
He stuck his hands in his pockets and blew out an exaggerated breath. “We can’t go on like this, Viv. Neither of us is happy, and I don’t want to live the rest of our lives resenting each other.”
Vivian stiffened. “Are you fucking kidding me?” Her arms dropped, hands fisting at her sides. “I don’t know where this is going, Rome, but you can’t toss me aside. I’m your mate.”
Roman stepped back, putting on the best performance of his life. “If anyone knows that, it’s me. The gods bonded us, whether we like it or not, but we don’t have to be miserable.” He raked a hand through his hair and paced the length of the room. “Do you think I like having a mate who hates me?”
Vivian tracked Roman like a hunter watching its prey. “Do you think I want a mate who is in love with someone else?” she countered.
