27. Violette
VIOLETTE
Queen Theia’s expression is nothing short of withering as her gaze dances between Winnow and Gideon.
“Perhaps the location she chose wasn’t entirely coincidental.
” At the Duchess Winnow’s words, I train my features into a neutral expression as my eyes slide to meet hers from where I’m standing beside the portal opened between Bellorum and Terrenea; more specifically, her soulbound Gideon’s cattle ranch.
Did Theia whisper something in Winnow’s mind?
Despite my malicious intent, my threadbare compassion compelled me to dump the Duchess in the relative vicinity of her human soulbound. To give her some kind of chance.
Not that I should have cared.
At all.
What foolishness that would be.
To feel any modicum of joy or fulfillment at playing any part in uniting Duchess Winnow with her soulbound.
To allow myself to feel any whisper of peace knowing that at least someone had found the other half of their soul in this dreadful world.
Utter absurdity.
A phantom weight presses upon my chest, followed by a burning tug that I swear is trying to steal my breath.
Get a hold of yourself.
Of their own volition, my eyes are drawn to the tall, tattooed, rough-looking male standing several feet away. For some unfathomable reason, my heart stutters when I discover him already staring at me. Expression ice cold, if not borderline contemptuous.
I’m half tempted to justify his disdain.
How dare this crass human male cast his brutish gaze upon me?
With each passing moment, the tugging in my chest grows until it becomes a visceral, unrelenting thing.
Deep breaths.
The mere color of his eyes is not why your heart feels like a bird in a cage.
You simply haven’t been tending to your own needs.
So what if he has perfectly sculpted muscles and a razor-sharp jaw?
How many virile warriors have I coupled with?
Countless.
Because there is no way in sacred fuck that my soul is in any way connected to a fragile human male.
Praise Akash, I’ve succeeded in eluding my father and all those under his control. Still, I have no wish to force a life of exile upon a human that could so easily be broken by him. Akash forbid my father ever find me; I have no doubt he would use my soulbound against me should he discover them.
Such concerns are useless, however, because having a soulbond doesn’t guarantee love or loyalty or happiness—as my mother and father proved.
It does, however, open the door to a lifetime of misery.
So, despite the occasionally suffocating, soul-crushing loneliness my life of solitude has gifted me... It’s a price I’m willing to pay.
Queen Theia finally leads her blasted cousin and her mate through the portal, closely followed by Reginald.
Praise Akash.
Now I can leave this godsforsaken realm.
Get as far away as possible from this unseemly human with his enchanting gaze.
Following the last of Queen Theia’s sentries back through the portal, I refuse to acknowledge my eyeballs are practically trembling from the effort not to look back at him.
Gods-be-damned.
I’m looking back at him.
My eyes narrow as a corner of his mouth gives a subtle tilt upwards.
I nearly gasp at the audacity he has to look so smug.
I have many a potion that would wipe that look off his face.
The fantasy of how thoroughly he would be reduced to a writhing, hallucinating, ejaculating mess should I force-feed him a concoction of ficklewort, fae lash, selky tears, and sanguinati venom.
He would be completely at my mercy...
My clit tingles at the visceral image, immediately halting my train of thought.
Though something tells me from the darkness I see lurking in his gaze that he might enjoy such a thing. Woefully, my vagina finds that a thrilling prospect.
Fuck.
Perhaps I should portal him to my bedroom in the nearest Hell realm and teach him a lesson.
Clench.
With more force than necessary, I slam the portal shut. That unfamiliar weight on my chest gives a tortured throb, and I’m forced to suppress a growl of frustration as some twisted melange of frustration, disdain, and desire burns through me.
Praise Akash, I never have to see him again.