Gabriel’s eyes blazed as he folded his arms over his chest. “That’s not what I heard. Sounds like she was giving you a pill that’s hard to swallow.”
Her shoulders stiffened. “You can’t mean to choose this … this insignificant little human over me? Our families have been friends for years. What would Genevieve say?”
“First of all, Gen has nothing to do with this,” he said. “And second, I’d love to hear her thoughts when she finds out you’ve been spreading rumors about our supposed engagement.”
“It was just a matter of time—”
“Well, it’s the first I heard of it. You know that’s not how it works,” Gabriel said in a warning tone. “And if you think spreading your lies will get you what you want, then perhaps you don’t know Gen at all. She doesn’t like being told what to do.”
Vicky swallowed audibly. “You’ll pay for this, Gabriel Russel.” Her nostrils flared as she fisted her hands at her sides. “You and your stupid little human slut!”
“Vicky,” Gabriel roared.
“You had your chance,” she told Temperance. “Now you’ll regret not taking it.”
“Leave,” Gabriel ordered. “Now, or I swear to God—”
“Fine,” she harrumphed, then turned around, marching all the way back to the bright red BMW a few feet away.
As Vicky’s car roared out of the lot, Gabriel rushed to her side. “Temperance, are you okay? What else did she say to you?” He raked his hands through his hair. “Oh God, I’m sorry. I should have told you … I just didn’t know how. Please, baby,” he begged. “Forgive me.”
“Forgive you?” she asked. “For what? She was the one who was lying.”
“Uh …” Gabriel took a deep breath. “It’s not a one hundred percent lie. I mean … this is going to sound strange, but I hope you’ll hear me out.” Taking her hands, he gathered them into his. “The Russels … we’re not like any other family. First of all, we’re, uh, wealthy. Very wealthy.”
“Wealthy?” she echoed. “I mean, I kinda guessed that.” He did have a nice place, and he could afford to fly his friends off to Vegas for the weekend on a private jet.
“Yeah, that’s not all. In my pride, as with most lion prides, it’s the women who have the power. They control the family assets and the business. The alpha—in this case, my sister—also gets to decide on alliances and has a big say on marriages.”
“Wait a minute,” she gasped. “Lions … arrange marriages?”
“Er, kind of. It’s not as bad as it sounds. No one gets married without either party’s consent. But, couples are … encouraged to get together. My father, for example, was from an Arizona pride a couple of hours away. His mother and my mother’s mother got in touch when they were cubs and decided to introduce them. They spent summers together, and Dad was sent to the same university as Mom. Both of them knew the deal. It was how they were brought up. So, they let things just kind of develop from there.
“I swear, my father always told us he loved and adored my mother, and she loved him back. He was devoted and faithful to her up to the day they died. But they probably wouldn’t have married if their parents hadn’t approved the match in the first place.”
“And you and Vicky?” she asked.
“I told you, our families were close. My sister’s been our Alpha since I was a teenager, and so she was just … following the way things have been done for generations. But I swear to you”—his hands tightened around her—“Vicky and I have never been engaged. Not before, and certainly not now.”
“I know that,” she said. “I couldn’t believe all those lies she was spewing.”
His face changed to that of relief. “You didn’t?”
“Of course not,” she said confidently. “Why should I believe the word of a mentally deranged heifer over the word of the man I love?” The words were out of her mouth so fast, she couldn’t stop them. Oh. Shit.
Gabriel’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “W-what did you say?”
“Eeep!” Her hand slapped over her mouth. “I—” She spun around, trying to hide her flaming face from him. OhGodohGodohGod. “I didn’t …” It was too early to say that, wasn’t it? “It just came out. I’m sor—”
“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry!” He spun her around so fast, she was dizzy. “Never ever say sorry, not about that. Look at me. Please, Temperance?”
Slowly, she lifted her head and looked into his eyes. They seemed even bluer now, shiny with what looked like tears.
“I love you, Temperance,” he confessed. “My chest hurts so much from my heart wanting to burst out and say it to you. Scream it to the heavens so everyone can hear. You don’t know how happy I am right now.”
“Me too.” She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, though he was already embracing her. His mouth found hers, their lips meeting in a soul-searing kiss. And that’s what it felt like—a heat that surprisingly wasn’t painful, unlike the fire that had scarred her. It was a strange sensation, slicing down her middle and pulling her apart before fusing her back together again. Whole, but not quite the same as she was moments before. When Gabriel pulled away, he looked at her, complete shock on his face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, reaching up to touch his cheek.
“I think … I think that was the mating bond.”
“Bond?” she exclaimed. “There’s a mating bond?”
He nodded. “I didn’t think … I mean, I’ve heard about it but …” Placing her hand on his chest, he covered it with his. “Feel my heartbeat, Temperance?” She did—strong and steady, following a steady rhythm. “This heart, it beats only for you. You’re in here, with me. I can feel it. Can
