“I’ve watched friends and family suffer and die.” Harley’s words repeated in Calan’s head, echoing the scenario Rhys offered.
Calan cracked his jaw. “I will act as her buffer, shielding her from the lure of its false power.”
“I know you will try, but she can still choose to shun your protection. If you mate her, she’ll take you down.” Rhys’s weary sigh cut worse than his rage had. “I don’t want to ask our father to banish you from the Teulu so I can turn the Hunt upon you. Do not finish the mate bond. Use her to gain your release, then take back what you shared before it’s too late.”
Calan contemplated his brother’s words. Rhys, for all his faults, had always been the voice of reason, at least in everyone else’s lives if not his own. Rhys also knew what a leap Calan’s choice had been for him. For a god, or the child of one, to mate was not a decision to be made in the spur of the moment. Calan basically had, though.
From the moment he first saw Harley, he’d known she was special. Nine years ago, she’d been pure—she hadn’t experienced the high of her darker side. Had he bonded to her then, he could’ve saved her in truth, but she hadn’t returned to him. She’d broken her promise and betrayed his trust.
No, that wasn’t quite the truth. She’d returned to him. Only she’d come back damaged. He could no longer promise her she’d never turn into a monster like her father. He could only promise her hope that with his support she’d survive. He waited for regret to consume him or at least doubt. Neither emotion surged within him. All he experienced was the all-consuming lust that threatened to own him as completely as the Hunt could.
Right or wrong, he’d made his choice, exactly as he’d told Harley.
Calan was hers until the end of time.
“Once Harley completes the bond, it’ll be easier to ensure she remains honorable. I will fight for her. I won’t lose her, Rhys. She is my choice. Together, we will endure and thrive.”
“And if she doesn’t complete her half of the binding?”
Well…then he’d discover the true meaning of hell.
Chapter Ten
Harley rolled her eyes at the antics of the drunk and horny guys prowling around the bar. A few of Ian’s childhood friends knew her from when she’d been younger, but most had never met or even seen a picture of his elusive sister. She almost wished he would’ve passed one around before the party and told them she was off-limits. Ian hadn’t, because he wanted her to find a little happiness, even if it was in the form of a fuck buddy she could hook up with whenever she came around.
Ian meant well. He just never accepted the facts of her life. Having a regular go-to only put that unfortunate guy in harm’s way. She could get away with random encounters as long as she kept her liaisons to daylight hours with preselected guys and ran as soon as the orgasm faded. Most didn’t mind. Some fell in instant lust, however. Those encounters hurt the most. She didn’t enjoy breaking anyone’s heart.
She knew well what longing for the unattainable could do to a person, only she’d finally met her fantasy. Calan offered her forever too. She simply had to accept him.
A focused stare centered on her back drew her attention to the party. She surveyed the room. The stripper gyrating over her brother’s lap had most of the guys’ attention except for the one walking toward her. Trevor, Ian’s business partner and the only other person who knew the truth about her, leaned a hip against the table in front of her.
The heated perusal from his dark brown eyes held all the lust a good one-night stand could offer. It did nothing for her. Actually, none of the advances she’d had to rebuff all night had any effect. She wasn’t indifferent to sex. She loved it, but Calan had succeeded in killing her interest in any other man.
“Ian’s making a mistake.”
She met Trevor’s eyes, the topic not one she’d expected. “It’s not my place to say anything.”
Trevor glanced over his shoulder, shook his head, then faced her. “I saw Cynthia with another man last night.”
Harley almost laughed at the ridiculousness of what he implied. Instead, she raised a brow. “And?”
Trevor took another step. He towered over her. Not as muscular as Calan or even Ian, Trevor had a swimmer’s build—tall, sleek, and powerful. She craned her head to see his face. Anger tightened his features.
“The so-called ‘virginal girl’ who’s stopped Ian from doing more than kiss her had her hands all over this guy while his were under her skirt.”
She stifled a gasp. “Did you tell Ian?”
Trevor propped his hand next to her head and leaned close enough to kiss her. He didn’t. He held her in an intense, enraged gaze. “Yeah, I fucking told him. He told me to stop lying, that I was jealous.”
“Are you?”
Trevor flashed a lopsided smile that chilled his eyes instead of warming them. “I can get any woman I want.” He pressed the palm of his other hand on the opposite side of her face. “Including you, Harley. Why would I be jealous of a seemingly sweet-natured, kindergarten teacher?”
He had a point, at least about not having a reason to be jealous. As for his claim to be able to seduce her? He didn’t have a chance in hell, not anymore.
“Has she ever done anything like this before?”
“No, and that’s the thing. Cynthia is a good girl.” Trevor pushed away, a frown on his face. “Or at least I never thought she’d cheat on him. I just…”
“What?”
“She was calling this guy Ian’s name.” He rubbed his stubble-covered chin. “I thought maybe he was a redcap, but he didn’t feel like one.”
Trevor and Ian had experienced their share of encounters
