He leaned back in his chair, crossed his corded arms, and nodded. A raised brow and a look of amusement accompanied the gesture.
“For a lady, you certainly have a mouth on you. I could put it to use elsewhere...” he said wickedly.
Heat flooded my core, unsure whether it was entirely anger or something else. I scoffed. “Sounds like you’re the only one benefiting from this deal,” I snapped back.
He ran a hand through his thick, wavy hair, smooth and deliberate, and embers began to caress his forearms. Then he replied, “The mate bond process is a lot more than just fucking, but yes, essentially. Don’t flatter yourself, human. I am not thrilled about it either. I would rather go celibate for the rest of my life than stoop to fucking a pathetic mortal, especially a frail, bony one like you."
Anger boiled my blood. This time, I was sure of it. The nerve of this
male. I did not care who he was. I was not going to let him talkdown to me anymore. Somewhere deep within my emotionally battered soul, I found a piece of myself. A small piece that was screaming to stand up for me. A piece worth standing up for. He had pushed me to find it.
With my last kernel of dignity, I gathered enough courage and stupidly raised my voice to the High Lord of Flame.
“Enough! I do not look this way because I want to. I was sick in my world, and for some reason, here, I am not. You have no idea what I have been through. Maybe you are the one who should not form opinions on things you know nothing about!”
His face remained cold and deadly silent. A long pause followed. Then he let out a breath and finally spoke, rubbing his brow. “We are getting off track. Look, human. The God Dragon has the ability to travel through realms. If you help me save my people, I will use it to send you home. That is my offer,” he said flatly.
My heart skipped a beat at that word.Home.Was that a real possibility? Could I be reunited with Jared? How would that even work? Would I just show up on the front lawn one day, riding a God Dragon with a fire daddy, and say, honey, I’m home?
It seemed too good to be true, but my heart devoured the hope anyway.
I stayed quiet for a few minutes, processing my thoughts and feelings. He waited patiently, as if he had anticipated my reaction. Finally, I spoke.
“In my world, my body was dying, and the people I love were suffering because of it. If I were to return to my realm, would I go back to being sick?”
He paused, studying my question, his face unreadable. “Your kind doesn’t know, do they?”
"Know what?" I asked.
“You arrived here through natural progression. Your body died in your realm, and you progressed to the next, the Fae realm. Usually, you would have no memory of your previous life, and you would be born here instead of simply showing up. But for whatever reason, the Guardians of the Realms gifted you with knowledge and this form. I suspect it is to fulfill the prophecy, to be the mortal who releases Eloria. If I were to use the God Dragon’s power to rip through my realm into yours, you would remain in your current form, but be back in the human realm. Once you are home, I will release you from our mate bond. Think of it as a business deal.”
There it was. The answer to the one question I needed most.
Your body died, he had said.
His words replayed in my mind, over and over. That was the confirmation I needed. This was not a dream. There was no returning to Jared simply by waking up.
And then my heart melted. Melted at the hope.
The hope of being with my husband again, alive, well, and able to have children. I could finally make him a father. I could be a mother. All our dreams could come true. We could live the life we planned, the way it was meant to be.
My heart swelled. I never thought this could ever be a possibility.
I was on board, the word yes already on my lips. Then I realized that if I agreed and somehow got ahold of the dagger, assuming I could survive the attempt, given how dangerous it sounded and knowing even he could not retrieve it, I would end up having to share my body with him.
Titus. That pompous, arrogant asshat.
Could I live with myself after that? Would Jared ever forgive me? Would I even tell him? How would I explainanyof this to him? Then my heart tore in two. What if he had already moved on?
A wall of tears welled along my lash line. This was all too much. So much had happened in the past day or two, or week? I did not even know how long I had been asleep. I was not ready to accept his deal. Not yet. I needed time to gather my thoughts. But first, I needed to know.
“And if I were to refuse?”
A look, dark and predatory shifted his expression.
“I have the ability to force you, but I am hoping you comply of your own free will. It makes things less... messy,” he stated coldly, punctuating it with a devilish wink.
Of course he could, and I believed he would.
