13. Chapter 13
thirteen
Ethan
G oing back home is supposed to bring some relief, but it’s basically torture at this point.
Despite how much of a fight I put up, at the end of the day, Ares is still my Aetherion. I’m his Warden, which means I have to submit to him. We’re never equals, and I can’t challenge him, knowing I’ll be dead before I even finish my sentence.
We’ve known each other for so long, and I know he just wants to love and protect Rodi too.
And that makes him blind.
But he was always blind when it comes to me.
I groan, not daring to think about it further as images of his marking Rodi fill me.
The desperation, the control he needed to show her and me, makes me wonder what he was thinking.
I didn’t expect this to happen, but people can’t help how they feel. Rodi and I have bonded emotionally, but Ares won’t allow us to officially connect. Physically.
It doesn’t matter, anyway. Sooner or later, Rodi will find out who she is and her feelings toward me will fade. Whatever draw she feels toward me will get lost in the magnitude of her love for Ares once she completes the mate bond, and I’ll be stuck in the background, dreaming of what we never got to have.
She doesn’t recognize me as her mate, but I believe it’s somehow meant to be.
But can a rider really have two true mates?
My chest tightens at the thought of what they’ll do next now that they’re home. I head to the staircase and walk up toward the hallway that goes to the left and the right. When I reach the top, I pause and look to the right just as Ares leads Rodi into her bedroom.
I wonder if they’ll complete the mate bond today. I can sense the call Ares is using.
Ares has been itching to complete the bond and have Rodi as his own.
Then I hear that sweet sound of Rodi’s moan. My heart jolts to a stop, my blood running cold. He’s touching her right now. Kissing her. Pleasing her. And I’m stuck listening on the other side of the door.
How pathetic does that make me?
I start to step away, but I suddenly hear a sharp, annoyed huff from Rodi. I freeze in place as I hear the moans stop and frustrated sounds start coming from the room. A grin forms when I hear a loud slap .
“Good girl,” I whisper.
I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from smiling as Ares flings open the door and storms past me.
I step to the side a little so that I can peer into Rodi’s room, catching a glimpse of her as she stands in her room with narrowed eyes and crossed arms. She mutters under her breath, shaking her head. Even when she looks furious, she looks as perfect as ever.
Rodi’s eyes catch mine, her lips slightly parting in surprise. Relief washes over me as the corner of her mouth turns up in a small smile. When she gestures for me to come inside, I don’t hesitate and stride into the room, shutting the door behind me.
“Rodi,” I say as I approach her.
Rodi reaches up and winds her arms around my neck, her body pressing against mine.
“He’s an ass.”
I chuckle as I cup her face and pull her into a sweet kiss, our lips brushing and melding like they’re meant to be. She tastes so sweet and addicting, and I can’t help but brush my tongue against hers.
Rodi moans into my mouth and curls her fingers in my hair. She gasps when I grab the backs of her thighs and lift her up into my arms, her legs winding around my waist.
I carry her to the bed and sit down on the edge of the mattress, helping her straddle my lap so that we’re still as close as can be. My body yearns for her, for every inch of her. “I’ve wanted this for so long.”
Rodi smiles and slowly unbuttons my button-down shirt, exposing more and more of my bare chest.
“Why don’t you just mark me?” she asks.
I take her hands in mine, stopping her from trailing further down. “I won’t. ”
She tilts her head, her brows furrowing together. “Why?”
“I need Ares to be okay with it first.”
She peels her hands away. “Even with what he did and is doing?”
I shrug. “It’s complicated.” I lift her from my lap and rise to my feet.
She follows quickly, grabbing my arm and tugging me back. “No, you don’t get to walk away now. Why?”
“Rodi, I can’t start us three being together while Ares wants me gone.”
She scoffs. “He won’t hurt you.”
My shoulders drop. “He won’t kill me, but he’s already hurting me.”
Defeat shines in her gaze, and I edge closer, my fingers curling around her neck. “I won’t leave you, but now that we’re back here, I have to be careful.”
“But I want you. Both of you.”
My heart races as my gaze flicks to her lips. “All of me?”
“I don’t want to wait. I don’t want to play it safe. I want it all.”
I shake my head and kiss her again, silencing my doubts and fears. I don’t want her to feel bad because I know how complicated all of this is and how big of a decision it is. I’m just glad she’s with me right now.
Rodi lifts her arms so that I can pull her shirt off. A nervous exhale drifts from her as the cool air hits her bare skin. She places her hands on my shoulders and smiles, but I can detect some nervousness.
“It’s okay. We don’t have to do anything if you’re not ready,” I say as my fingers trail over her exposed skin, careful to keep my dragon call in check.
Rodi shakes her head as her fingertips drift over my bare skin. Every little touch of hers works me up more and more. “I want to be with you.”
I search her eyes, knowing that there’s more that she wants to say. “But?”
Rodi sighs and strokes the hair on the back of my head. “You’re mine, but so is Ares.”
I nod in understanding. A part of her will always belong to Ares, and I have no qualms with that. He met her first. He fell in love with her first. They have a long, rich history that doesn’t involve me, which I respect. One she hasn’t remembered.
But that’s only one side of the coin, one part of this complex situation.
“Well, you saw how Ares reacted to sharing you,” I remind her. He’s fiercely protective of whom he loves, which is an admirable trait, but it also makes him a huge thorn in my side.
Rodi shakes her head, her eyes slightly narrowing in determination. “He has to accept it. I won’t choose.”
Her fingertips glide along my jaw. “Perhaps I’m selfish, but I just know deep down that I need both of you.”
“I won’t ever make you choose,” I say, heat and hunger stirring inside me as I take in the sight of her.
But will she continue to stay or leave me behind for the Aetherion when she does remember everything?