“It was a vicious cycle—each of you becoming more frustrated as the other refused you what you needed. And so the bonds, weakened as they already were by the unique nature of your matehood, were corroded even further.”
Vorthain’s voice took on a hypnotic quality, and I hung on his every word, while in the back of my mind I realized how strange this all was. When I’d made the decision to go back to Victor, the last thing I’d expected him to do was hire a couple’s counselor, and yet that was exactly what this felt like.
But even if what Vorthain was saying made sense, there was still a huge problem with his hypothesis—I didn’t want to submit. At least, not all the time or because it was just expected of me. I wanted a partner who was my equal, who didn’t get offended if I took the lead on something. Who wouldn’t be threatened by me wanting to do things on my own.
And that just wasn’t Victor.
“And so we need to start over,” Vorthain continued. “From what I understand, things really began to break down when he married Accalia, yes?”
“Yes,” I whispered. Even if I’d never wanted Victor, every time I’d suspected him of being intimate with someone else, it would gut me. “I… haven’t had a heat. Since the wedding.”
“I was trying to—”
Vorthain held up his hand to Victor, stopping him from speaking. Victor balked for only a second, and then backed down.
“And this is why we need to go back, in a way,” he said, ignoring Victor’s interruption. “He needs to embrace your relationship more openly. Claim you publicly.”
“But…” I started, choosing my words carefully. I couldn’t risk outing Ronan, because if Victor had no problem killing someone I had only just started dating, there was no telling what he’d do to the demon I had sacrificed my freedom to protect. “What if my true mate is still out there, waiting for me?”
When Victor began to growl, I addressed him directly. “I mean, we both know I’m your consolation prize. Shouldn’t you be looking for someone who actually wants to be with you, too?”
Victor jumped to his feet, pointing at me and looking at Vorthain like he’d finally tricked me into a confession. “See? She doesn’t even want to be with me. Me! Like she could do any better!”
“It’s not about some objective measure of power, status, or wealth!” I shot back. “It’s about compatibility! We don’t belong together! And I’m sorry your mate is dead, but just because she gave her heart to me, it doesn’t mean it’s still yours, too.”
Vorthain stood, the movement quieting us, and came closer to where I sat. The man radiated a dark energy unlike anything I’d ever felt before, and it began to concentrate in the palms of his outstretched hands, his mouth twisting into a grotesque grin.
“Sage,” he cooed. “Victor wants to be your mate. You need to let go of whatever reluctance you carry that’s blocking you from fully accepting him.”
With one hand gripping my shoulder, the other was pushed against my chest, his power flowing through me.
It felt oily, coating my veins and slowing my movements and thoughts.
The pressure in my chest deepened—not pain, not pleasure—but into something far worse.
Longing.
My breath evened out against my will. My shoulders slackened. My body leaned toward Victor as though pulled by gravity.
“There,” Vorthain murmured. “That’s what alignment will feel like.”
Victor let out a broken sound, coming back to my side as I relaxed into his touch. “Yes, this what I wanted,” he sighed, running his hand down my hair.
I wanted to scream that it wasn’t what I wanted, but my body had already betrayed me, curling in toward the man I hated.
“It’s not real,” Vorthain said, confirming my thoughts. “But I can make it real.”
It’s not real.
It’s not real.
It’s not…
36
Family Matters
Ronan
