“Please.”
“I’ll stay on the estate,” I replied. “But that’s all I’ll promise.”
“Thank you.”
He sounded so relieved that I almost felt guilty. Almost.
I couldn’t let it influence me. He lied to me. Yes, it was by omission, but it was still a lie.
I walked out of the kitchen door without looking back, even though I could feel his gaze on me.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
Bokkan
My hands were still clenched into fists as I walked down the hall to my office. I wanted to tear something apart, only I was the cause of my own anger and pain. Ripping myself to shreds was out of the question when Leda was in the training barracks without me. I needed to be here to protect her if she needed me.
She doesn’t really need you. You made sure of that.
I grimaced at the thought, stopping just outside my office door. I took a moment to wipe the scowl from my face before I entered. By the time Dryden turned from the window he was staring out of, my face was expressionless.
“General,” he greeted me, gesturing to the chairs in front of my desk.
I bristled. He behaved as though this were his office. As though he had a right to invite me to sit in my own chairs. I swallowed a growl and moved to one of the chairs.
Once we were settled, Dryden leaned back in his chair, placing his elbows on the armrests and steepling his fingers infront of his face. He remained silent for so long that I wondered if he was ever going to speak.
“I should report you to the magistrate,” he finally said.
“Why is that?”
“The human lied for you without realizing what she was agreeing to. She is here without a contract and against her will. What you are doing is wrong and you know it.”
“I know,” I sighed. “Guldan convinced her to go to the magistrate’s office and say we were in our testing period. He did not give her all the details because he still does not believe that she was brought here by force.”
“Well, Guldan is wrong, and he is a fool. She tried to hide her reaction when I asked for an invitation to your mating ceremony. I thought perhaps it was a cultural misunderstanding. Until I explained everything to her. She looked as though I had slapped her. Or told her that she was slated for execution at sundown.”
I winced at his description because I did not want to be responsible for making Leda feel that way. Unfortunately, it was too late for that.
“I promised that she would be able to return home,” I said. “And I meant it. Even after what Guldan did, I intend to help her find her way back to the human realm.”
Dryden scoffed and shook his head. “As if you will be able to let her go once your mating instincts are fully in control.”
“I have no choice,” I replied. “I gave my word, and I am a male of honor.”
“You know what will happen if you do that.”
I nodded. “I do.”
He studied me for a long moment. “Why would you take that risk? The human cares for you. Otherwise, she would not have felt so betrayed by your lies. Why not keep her here until you can convince her to remain as your mate?”
“She will never be safe here. She will never have the same freedom a female daemon has. I cannot ask that of her. Not when she is from a realm where she is free to do as she wishes. I cannot stifle her fire like that. She deserves the life she wants, with a male who has not hurt her the way I have.”
Dryden sighed and dropped his hands into his lap. “You make it impossible to be angry with you, General.”
I shook my head. “How many times do I have to tell you to call me Bokkan? I have retired from the King’s Guard. I only work as a trainer for his private regiment now.”
