With a roar, I burst out of the carriage. All interactions on the dock stopped, everyone from merchants to whores turning to watch me dash up the gangplank of the Tiger's Claw. Aras also turned to look at me, along with the man in his arms. The man he'd just been kissing.
Henceforth, he shall be known as the dead man.
“Ly, no!” Aras pushed the smaller Hulfrin behind him, shielding him with his body.
This only served to enrage me further.
I pushed Aras aside—just enough to get him out of the way, not to hurt him—and grabbed the other Hulfrin by the throat. As I lifted him off his feet, Aras smashed into me, taking us both to the deck. Around us, his crew drew back, watching the battle along with my knights. No one interfered.
Snarls and growls rolled out of me. Aras matched them. Again, this did not help. To see my mate stand against me was heartbreaking and infuriating. To see him defend his lover against me was ten times worse. I could only assume that Aras's race made him immune to the mating magic. He felt no bond with me. No loyalty. I wanted to hate him for that but couldn't. Which made me even angrier.
I was bound to a man who didn't give a shit about me. A man who made vows he didn't keep. A fucking dishonorable whore.
Maybe he doesn't give a shit about you,the Eye said.But you don't love him either. Not yet. You need him. You crave him. But you haven't fallen in love.
Of course not! It's only been five days!
And yet you expect Aras to feel something for you beyond lust.
That gave me pause. I stared at Aras, chest heaving, and sanity slowly returned. Sanity and sadness.
You're right. It's too soon for either of us to feel love,I said to the Eye.But after these last five days, after the promises we exchanged, I thought there was more between us. I trusted the Goddess's choice and assumed love would come. Now, I see that I was wrong.
You are not wrong,the Eye said.The mating magic never fails. It always chooses the right mate. Aras is the only man on all of Serai who you will ever love.
Yes. I sense that. But am I the only man he will ever love?
The Eye went quiet. Into that quiet came other voices. Or rather, one voice.
“It's not what you think, Your Majesty,” Aras said.
The words sounded familiar.
Because I just said them to you,the Eye huffed.Listen to him and believe him. He's telling you the truth.
“Explain then,” I said, casting a vicious look at my mate's lover.
The Hulfrin sailor cringed back, his tail curling around his legs. Definitely a submissive. Was that what my mate wanted? Was I too aggressive for him? Too alpha? If I was, we were doomed. I couldn't go beta for any man. Not even my mate. It simply wasn't who I was.
“What you saw was a goodbye kiss,” Aras said. “I was ending my relationship with Fren.”
I took a deep breath but the dragon inside me refused to back down. “Ending?” I growled. “That did not look like an ending to me.”
“He has been my lover for over two years!” Aras snarled. “And I was giving him up. Foryou!” Aras turned his back on me to cup the Hulfrin's cheek. “Go below deck, Fren. I'll handle this.”
“But . . . are you sure, Captain?”
I growled, low and vicious. A warning.
But the man had bigger balls than I'd thought. He ignored me and waited for Aras to respond.
“Little cat, I'm going to skin you alive if you don't remove yourself from my sight this very moment,” I said. The words came directly from my dragon, spoken in a dark, primal voice. The voice of fire. No water to it. No balance. Only flames. And those flames were about to burn down a ship.
“Go!” Aras shoved the man toward the doorway behind him.
As soon as Fren was out of my sight, I started to breathe easier. I closed my eyes and sighed. But when I opened them again, my mate was glaring at me.
“With all due respect, Your Majesty. Get the fuck off my ship.”
