Page 46 of The Rebel's Prize

"It's clear that a day's rest wasn't enough to restore your health. You need the bond."

"I said no," he gritted out, stomping over to the bed.

She followed. "You're being ridiculous."

"I just need sleep." He started to turn toward his trunks when her hand shot out, gripping his forearm.

"Stop treating me like I'm the enemy, Lucien."

He didn't know exactly what it was, but something about her tone snapped the last threads of control he'd been holding on his temper. "And why should I do that? You're hardly acting as an ally would."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Perhaps there's the fact that you fled our wedding night. That you broke the bond. That you didn't let me know where you were going. Didn't come to me. Didn't trust me to help you. If I'm an ally, you should turn to me. Instead, you ran. Just like you did the last time."

She threw up her hands in exasperation. "I don't see that there's any point going over why I ran again. If you want an ally, Lucien, perhaps you should learn to treat me as one. To offer me your trust."

"Why?" He snarled. "You clearly don't trust me."

"I'm trying to help you," she snapped back.

"I don't need your help."

"Oh really?" She stepped a little closer and put her hands on his chest. "I'm guessing if I shoved you hard enough, you would fall on your stubborn ass onto the bed."

"Try it," he suggested, "and we'll see what happens."

"You need to let me reform the bond," she repeated. "You need to be healthy for us to carry out this mission."

He shook his head, unable to contemplate sharing her magic again, to have that sense of her emotions, and worse, to let her feel the swelling mix of fear and love and desire and anger that she was still currently eliciting in him. She'd shown him once how to lock those emotions away from the bond, but right now, with the way he felt, he wasn't sure he would be able to.

He took her wrists and pushed her back gently. "You're the one who's overreacting," he said. "Silya doesn't think I'm about to drop dead, and she knows more about the effects of firewort than you do. So perhaps you should just have a little faith in me."

"Why should I trust you? You don't trust me." She sighed. "This is going around in circles." Her spine straightened, and her chin snapped up. "If you leave me no choice, then I'll be forced to take action."

"What, you're going to tie me to the chair and force me to take a bond? I don't think that's even possible."

He didn't know much about that kind of magic, but he did know that generally both parties to the bond had to be willing. That was true even with sanctii and petty fams. The history of the empire would have been a lot darker and bloodier if mages had been able to enslave people to their will.

"No, but I will send word back to the capital that you are ill."

"You wouldn't," he breathed.

She stepped back, folding her arms. "Just watch me."

Was she bluffing? "It's not safe for you in the capital."

"It's not safe out here for you if you won't take care of yourself," she retorted. "And you said Aristides didn't think I was guilty. I assume, therefore, that he could, should I request it, put me under suitable protection. Indeed, I imagine the judiciary would be willing to guard me as well, given that I'm one of the only witnesses to see any of the people actually involved in the attack in the palace."

Something flickered across her face that he couldn't quite interpret. He wondered if she was thinking about what it might be like to be interrogated by Truth Seekers. The thought of someone else doing that to her made him irrationally angry.

"I can simply tell Lieutenant Envier that they're not to take any messages from you."

Chloe let out a laugh more angry than amused. "One word from me and Octarus can be in touch with Ikarus or Martius or any of the sanctii who work in the Imperial mages. I can't imagine it would take long for them to send reinforcements to bring us home if the emperor was really concerned for your life. Plus, I could ask him to have someone inform your mother. At the very least, she'd send several squads of your personal guard. And if I tell them you're sick, I'm sure they would be happy enough to take my orders and rush you home."

"Why are you so concerned with my health? I would have thought you would be quite happy if I dropped dead and freed you from this marriage that you never wanted. In fact, that might neatly solve your problems. It would leave you as Lady Castaigne. You'd be rich, you'd be wealthy, and you'd be free to live out your life however you wanted."

At that point, she did shove him, furious. "Because, you idiot," she yelled, "you would be dead. And if you haven't noticed, I happen to care about you."

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