“I never meant to get you to bond with me.” I had to make sure he realized that it caught me by surprise just like him. “In fact, that’s why I was so hostile and tried so hard to avoid being around you. For your safety, you need to walk away from me.”
“No. There’s no way in hell I’m walking away, and I don’t think you manipulated the bond.” He rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache. “When the witch asked if we had been fighting it, it made me remember something my grandmother told me.”
“Oh, really?” Maybe he had a piece of the puzzle.
“On her deathbed, she told me the true tale of her and my grandfather.” He took a step toward me and sighed. “Apparently, she fought the bond, which isn’t natural. Because of that, fate took control and began to force their bond to merge until they both were in too deep. We did the same thing.”
I should’ve known better. “The strongest alphas always find their mate, so the bond has to do what it needs, to make them one.” There was no way we could go on now. Our souls had begun merging. “I’m sorry.”
“Why?” He reached for my hand and intertwined our fingers. “I’m not. Before that day I saw you in the hallway looking for your class, I kind of was just going through the motions.”
“Wait. You saw me?” I remembered it was right after I freaked out the first time in the student center with Ella. I had run out, getting to my next class early. That was the first time I saw him, and I didn’t have a clue he noticed me.
“Yeah, I was trying to act aloof.” He laughed. “You smelled human.”
“I believed I could be human.” I wished I could say that I hoped this had never happened, but I couldn’t fathom life without him. “I can’t shift.”
“Why not?” His green eyes sought mine for answers. “Why would you not embrace your animal?”
“What I’m about to tell you, it’s something I’ve never told anyone else before.” I couldn’t face him. I couldn’t watch his reaction. I stepped around him and faced the lake. “I don’t want anyone to know about this. Not even Ella, okay?”
“Of course.” His voice grew louder as he turned toward me. “Every part of you is safe with me.”
That was the problem. I may have been safe from him, but he was most likely not safe because of me. “I told you that my parents died, right?”
“You did.”
“But I didn’t tell you what caused it and how they died.” Memories flashed through my mind, and I took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears. “I was six years old, and we were at a dinner party. King Adelmo was there for a visit.”
“Wait. The top alpha for Europe?” His tone was an octave higher than it usually was.
If I wasn’t bearing my soul to him, I would’ve made fun of him. “Yeah, he was visiting Dad and Mom to talk about something political.” A laugh almost slipped out as I thought back at my mom rolling her eyes at me. “But my uncle came over unannounced and told Dad that he needed to talk to him immediately.”
I paused a moment to see if he was going to speak, but the only thing I could hear was the ripples of the water from the breeze. “Dad took him to his study while my aunt told Mom that she needed to talk to her.” All the details were foggy, but it didn’t matter. The outcome was the same. “As we followed my aunt, my uncle’s son, Richard took Adelmo to the library. As we walked into the room with my aunt, she turned around with a knife in her hand.”
Now, all I could see were the memories. “She went for me first, but Mom somehow managed to kick her at the last second despite the long gown she had been wearing that night. With all the noise, Mona ran into the room and told us to run.”
I’d never forget the terror that reflected in Mona’s eyes. “Mom and I ran out toward the kitchen when Dad and Kassie showed up. Dad’s coat had been ripped from where a knife cut into him. Anyway, long story short, Dad, Mom, Kassie, Mona, and I jumped into one of the vehicles in the garage. Mona and Kassie sat in the back with me with their guns out and ready for whatever might happen.”
“Someone followed you.” Mason’s words weren’t a question but a statement.
“Yes, someone did. They ran us off the road, and we rolled toward an embankment and wound up in the water.” A tear managed to escape and slide down my cheek. “Mona got me out, and Kassie tried to save them, but they were already dead. Kassie barely escaped before the car exploded, removing any evidence of what happened.”
“Why does that story sound so familiar?”
He was a little boy when it happened, so that was probably why it didn’t stand out in his mind. “Because it was the day your king died, and soon after, his brother, King Darren, ascended the throne.”
“You’re the princess who died.” His voice was a whisper. “But you’re the rightful heir to the throne.”
“I don’t want it.” I finally turned around, surprised to see concern lining his face. “My parents lost their lives because of the crown.”
“Oh, baby.” He closed the distance between us and wrapped his arms around my waist. “I’m so sorry. No wonder you haven’t let anyone close.”
“That’s why the vampires can recognize the scent of my blood.” I buried my face into his chest, sharing the burden with someone for the first time in my life. “I thought since I hadn’t allowed my change, my blood would be less potent.”
“Your blood is your blood.” He kissed
