“I don’t want to do that, either,” Marcus whined.
“You can't keep leaving her in limbo! It’s selfish, and it puts the team at risk!” I insisted. “Her magic keeps getting weaker the longer this drags on, and if she can’t use her powers… dude, we’re fucked. If you can’t be her partner, you need to let her be with someone else who’s willing to step up to the plate.”
Marcus made a strange sound, like the thought of her being with someone else was unfathomable. His jealous behavior when Kallie had dated Scarlet last semester made everything so obvious.
“You don’t want to be with her, but you don’t want to let her go,” I stated. “Have you given one single thought to consider whatshewants? This isn’t fair to her.”
“Who are you to talk? You and Ava put everyone through so much drama last semester because you two couldn’t figure out how to get back together until you were forced to,” Marcus accused.
“Yeah, and it was fucking stupid dragging it on for as long as I did,” I insisted. “I should’ve put in an effort to work things out with her before the wedding happened. I caused both of us so much unnecessary pain because I thought it was easier keeping us apart, but itwasn’t.Instead, I gave up, and that’s exactly what you’re doing now. You’re too afraid to make a decision, so you’ve decided not to try. And thatisa decision, Marcus, no matter how far you run from it.”
Rishi meowed, and Marcus mumbled, “I don’t know what to do.”
“Secure your bond, Marcus,” I demanded. “I know you and Kallie have been screwing around. You love her, no matter how much you try to deny it.”
“Yeah, and that’s the problem!” Marcus yelled, so loud his voice echoed down the empty hall. “I loved Anya, too, but what I feel for Kallie issomuch deeper. Losing Anya nearly did me in, and I can’t go through that with Kallie. Worse, I can’t putherthrough that. If she has a mate, she can lose a mate, which is worse than hell for a fae. With everything we’re facing, we’re bound to lose each other. It’s better to stop loving her altogether than to lose her!”
I crossed my arms. “I don’t believe that for a second. If you truly thought that, you’d have broken your bond.”
“I can’t!” Marcus insisted. “Believe me, I’ve done everything I can to fall out of love with her, but my feelings for her aren’t going anywhere. If Kallie’s going to lose me, then she’ll lose an unbonded mate. It will be easier that way. I saw how fucked up you were when Ava died. I’m not putting her through that.”
“So you’re just going to keep your mating bond hanging in limbo?” I demanded. “Eventually, you and Kallie aren’t going to be able to resist it any longer. You’ve already acted on your bond with Kallie. You’re going to have a hell of a time coming back from that,ifyou even can at this point.”
Marcus huffed. “You don’t know anything about what’s happened between Kallie and me. Whatever details Kallie spilled to Ava doesn’t cover what’s really happening.”
“So tell me,” I pleaded. “Let me help.”
“So you can guilt trip me into making a decision about my own life?” Marcus snapped.
I sighed. “That’s not what I’m trying to do, Marcus. I’m trying to help you see the situation for what it is.”
“What makes you think I don’t know what’s happening?” he growled.
“Because you’ve started something with Kallie that you can’t stop, even though you want to leave that door open. Push any further, and that door’s gonna come slamming straight shut behind you. Your mating bond will secure before you’re ready for it, and then therewon’tbe any going back.”
“You think I’ve done this all on a whim, without thinking about the consequences?” Marcus demanded. “I overthink every damn move I make. The moves I made on Kallie?I could not stop. Don’t treat me like an idiot.”
My stomach sank, and my tone became lighter. “You’re not an idiot.”
“Then why do I feel like it sometimes?” Marcus’ voice cracked.
“Love makes you feel crazy shit,” I told him. “I’ll tell you one crazy truth, Marcus. If I had to choose between losing Ava all over again or never loving her in the first place, I’d lose her a million times, because the time I got to love her meant everything.”
Marcus swallowed. “Do you really mean that?”
I nodded. “With my entire soul. I think you and Kallie deserve a shot together. Ava and I can be there with you. We’ll go on a double date. That’ll make it easy.”
“I’m not sure…” Marcus started.
“I’m not asking you for results,” I said. “I’m just asking you to try.”
He gave a defeated sigh. “I guess we could give it a try.”
“So we’re good?” I asked.
Marcus groaned. “Aw, man. Don’t make me talk about my feelings.”
“You’ll get used to it,” I told him.
