Chapter 33
Aurora snorts, then snaps her fingers—and vanishes into thin air.
I blink at Kieran.
Once.
Twice.
His eyes soften and his posture shifts as he walks closer, but he freezes as I let my tears run free.
Again.
And again.
“Oh, no, no—baby, please,” he breathes, pain flickering in his face like it physically hurts him to see me like this. “Cassandra, please … it’s not what you think.”
“Is it not?” I shout. “Did you not lie to me, Kieran? Am I not bound to your brother? Was I not just a piece in your perfect little plan?”
Kieran chokes. He can’t even say it.
And that tells me everything I need to know.
“For fuck’s sake; do you even love me?!”
“How can you ask that?!” he blurts. “Of course I love you! I love you so much I can’t fucking breathe!”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?!”
Kieran opens his mouth—then closes it again.
He doesn’t step any closer. Instead, he just raises both hands up, drawing in a shaky breath like he’s begging me to take a step back with him.
I’ve seen sadness in those eyes, back in the days leading up to the second trial, when we both nearly shattered at the thought of losing one another.
But I’ve never seen fear in them … not like this.
“You can feel me, love,” he whispers. “You can feel how I feel … you know I’m not lying to you.”
I close my eyes for a moment. And somewhere down bond we share, I can feel the overwhelming despair, the choked panic curling around every inch of him. His heart breaks at the sight of me crying, yelling at him.
And he’s scared—terrified—of losing me.
But he can feel it, too.
My sadness. My shock. The betrayal lodged in my chest.
“Why?” I open my eyes, my voice barely above a whisper. “You could have told me.”
“I was planning on it,” he admits, shame eating him up from the inside—I feel that, too.
“I swear I was going to. But I never meant for any of this to happen. I knew you wanted to use me, and I was no better. I played along with it, thinking if I dragged you down with me, my brother would fall, too.” He pauses, eyes darting to the floor like he can’t bear to face me.
“But the more I spent time with you, the harder I fell for you. You smile, and I get nervous. You tease, and I want to drop to my damn knees for you. You kick my ass, and all I can think of is how badly I want to marry you for it. I’m completely insane, love.
It’s irrational. It’s reckless. And it’s fucking fantastic. ”
Through the bond, I can feel it all—every flicker of emotion in his heart.
The peak of his joy.
The pit of his ache.
And I want so badly to hate him for what he did.
Gods.
But I can’t
It’s impossible.
So fucking impossible.
“I don’t want to feel your emotions anymore.
” I groan, dragging my hands through my hair.
“It’s not fair! I can’t stay angry at you when you’re like this!
” I shout, my voice cracking into a half-laugh, half sob.
“I want to fight! You deserve to sleep in the doghouse tonight, but thanks to this stupid mating bond, I can’t even be mad at you! ”
Kieran meets my eyes again, a faint smile ghosting across his mouth. “I’ll sleep in the doghouse, if that’s what you want. You can punish me however you like, as long as you like it. Just … know that I’m sorry. And when you’re ready, I’ll tell you everything. No more secrets.”
I stare at him, arms crossed.
Gods, I want to smack him and kiss him at the same time.
And now he’s grinning, because he knows exactly what just crossed my mind.
Grinning because he’s winning.
“The fitting punishment for you is no sex until further notice.” I snort.
Kieran gasps, clutching his chest like I just staked him in the heart. “Come on, even you can’t stand that.”
“Maybe not.” I smirk, lifting a brow. “And maybe I’ll miss it too, especially with you in bed next to me every damn night.
” I lean in slightly, voice dropping. “And maybe—just maybe—in the middle of the night, I will slip my hand down there … and you’ll watch me.
Hear me moan your name. Feel every tug of the bond as I chase that climax …
and when I finally shatter, you’ll still be lying there.
Hard. And helpless. Because you don’t get to touch me after the shit you pulled. ”
Immediately, I feel it—the arousal flaring through the bond like wildfire, burning hot and fast as the image sears into his mind.
It’s all Kieran can do before he lets out a low, guttural growl—and drops to his knees.
“You know you’re my mate and I love you forever,” he rasps, head tilted back, hunger and desperation burning bright in those storm-lit eyes. “And that was … incredibly hot—but also very not funny.”
“Good.” I snort, stepping closer to him, but not close enough for him to touch me. “You deserve to suffer for what you did. And now, I’m going to go home, and you’re going to watch me walk away. Because I’m still mad, and you still have to pay.”
Kieran exhales dramatically. “How are you going to get home?”
“Gideon will take me,” I say. “You’re going to sit there, think about you did, and what you want to do to me.
Do not show your face for a few hours.” I lift my chin, trying hard not to smile, even though I can’t wait to drag him into bed with me.
“Then you’ll come home. You’ll cook. You’ll run me a bath. And you’ll sleep in the guest bedroom.”
“Cassandra …” He groans, his voice hoarse.
Watching Kieran begs is so … fucking hot.
But if we’ve got forever together, he needs to learn.
“Understood?” I ask.
He sighs, long and frustrated, but his eyes soften as he says. “Yes, my queen.”
I grin and slowly making my way out of the room, knowing damn well those golden and deep-blue eyes are burning into my back.
Gideon blinks at me outside the door.
Needless to say, he’s heard everything.
He shakes his head, offering me a hand.
“And you say you’re no queen,” he mutters, amused. “Not even Aurora can serve him his ass on a plate like that.”
Then we vanish home to the mountains, a victory smile on my face.