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“Isn’t there anything you can do to change your parents’ minds?” Eden said.

“It’s all arranged.”

She puffed out a sharp breath of disbelief. “How much longer have you got?”

“I’ll be married in six months. As soon as I leave the Apocalypse.”

Her heart did a somersault. “You’re leaving me in six months?”

Blaze looked away again, but she didn’t miss the flash of hurt in his eyes. “Probably before that. These matches are never low key.”

“What about your role on the Apocalypse? I thought you loved it.”

“It’s been the best assignment. But I made a deal.”

“Break it.”

His intense gaze locked onto her. “For you?”

“No! Not for me. For your own happiness. You can’t live a life without love.”

“Isn’t that exactly what you’ve been doing?”

Eden paced to the door. She needed to get out of here. This conversation had turned into a mess. And this wasn’t about her. It was about the crazy-assed way Blaze was being traded like a commodity.

It was wrong. He should be with someone who loved him, made him laugh, and left him with a smile on his face for hours. Marriage shouldn’t be about duty and honor. That was bull.

“I’ll leave you to rest. I’ll come check on you later,” she said.

“Eden, don’t go. We need to talk about this.”

She couldn’t stay a second longer. Her heart throbbed at the idea of Blaze leaving. It made her feel sick. It made her want to throw herself on him and beg him to stay.

What was wrong with her? She was never the needy girl. She was independent, strong, and never locked her feelings into place with one guy.

That had always worked. Until now. Until reality punched her in the face. Blaze was leaving, and he’d never come back.

He’d soon be someone else’s, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to change that.

***

Despite the late hour, Blaze couldn’t get back to sleep. He kept replaying the conversation he’d had with Eden. She told him he shouldn’t settle for anything less than love, but that’s what she was doing. Every time she pushed a guy away, she was rejecting what could have been. She’d done it to him so many times.

But he kept coming back for more.

He’d been an idiot for trying to get close to Eden. Now his finish line was almost in sight, and he had to keep his distance from her. He should never have developed feelings for someone he couldn’t have.

And when he had broken that rule, he should have left straight away.

Blaze always knew what the end result would be. It would never be a happily ever after with the one woman who set him alight.

Nipper shuffled up to his face and nuzzled his cheek.

“You can’t sleep either?” Blaze stroked his hand down the creature’s silky back. “How about we go for a walk?”

He slid out of bed, pulled on his clothes, and looked down at Nipper. “You staying here?”

The doggo ran up his arm and settled on his shoulder.