He reached me, placing both of his hands next to my head, caging me between his strong body and the rough wall. “You shouldn’t have come here,” he whispered darkly.
“Tell me!” I half sobbed, half yelled, my voice broken.
He searched my eyes for a few seconds before saying, “Three hundred and seventy-two.”
My knees gave out and I fell on the floor with a cry. He haddone thisto himself. I might have started it, buthewas responsible for the madness taking over as fast as it did. All this for—an impossible quest.
Amyntas words made so much sense now…
Dimitri crouched in front of me, catching my chin between his fingers to lift my face to his.
“Amyntas,” I whispered, feeling the hidden wound onmy shoulder throb. “How long—how long have you held him prisoner?”
His expression was unreadable as he answered. “How long have you lived in peace?” he asked back. “He never would have stopped hunting you, and you know it.”
No…No, he couldn’t—“Two years…He searched for two years before—”
“I did what needed to be done,” he snapped. “What I had to do to protect you.”
I looked back to Arc, frantically fighting against the chains holding him.Burning him.
“Set him free,” I said before he could explain anything.
The slight concern pulling at his features turned bitter. “I can’t. Iwon’t.”
“He’s my mate, Dimitri!”
“Would he even be if my father didn’t use a piece of your soul to createhim?”
“It doesn’t matter!” I screamed, trying to push him away. “You can’t—hurthim! Mates of the same bind group aren’t supposed tohurteach other!”
“I can’t let him go,zhizn moya. Not until I get that piece of your soul back. Not until I cangive youthat piece for you to be able to track the rest of it in Hell.”
My hand closed on the hilt of a dagger at my waist. “You were going tokillhim?”
Dimitri’s eyes turned to the side as the muscle of his jaw twitched. “What I wanted to do doesn’t matter. I can’t get it, and I need more time to figure out a way to rip it free.”
“Sethimfree, we’ll find another way,” I ordered.
His hand came to softly circle my throat, before he repeated, “I can’t. I told you, I’ll always put you and my binding promise first. I don’t care what I have to do to protect you and reunite you with your soul. To finally—”
“You’re insane,” I said in disbelief.
A sad smile tugged at his lips. “And I learned to live with it. You shouldn’t have come here.” I gasped, feeling a tear roll down my cheek. He wiped it with his thumb. “I thought I made you resent him enough. Making him act all controlling and possessive of you…Hefought me when he noticed someone had invaded his mind. Making himdothings he didn’t want to. Making youdoubthim. I guess it wasn’t enough.”
“What are you saying?” I asked, not wanting to believe the words I was hearing.
“That you’re not supposed to bechoosing. That you lied when you said you’d always be on my side. That even though you barely know who he really is, you’re choosing him. That I made him act like an absolute jerk and made you think he couldn’t be trusted, yet you still came here to rescue him. Still hadfaithin him. Do you realize that he hasn’t been himself since I showed up? That you have no idea who he truly is?”
“Well, now I know he’s not the manipulativebastardthatyouturned out to be!”
He flinched at my words, visibly backing up. “You don’t mean that.”
“Let. Him. Go.”
“No.”
My hand tightened around my dagger as the door burst open, revealing Carter, covered in dark blood and panting, eyes wide as they landed on us.
