Page 45 of Offering Herself to Darkness

It seemed like an odd idea to Nora, but she was willing to try. She missed Xarex and wanted to see her new husband again. Closing her eyes, she felt around, feeling like a blind woman reaching for something she couldn’t see.

She didn’t expect to find anything, but to her surprise, she felt something that hadn’t been there before.

“Weird,” she murmured, still keeping her eyes closed.

“What is it? What do you feel?” she heard Liv ask.

“It’s almost like…like a wall,” Nora explained. “This is so strange—it feels like it’s hiding something from me. I can’t get around it.” She opened her eyes and looked at Liv. “What is this thing in my head?”

“It sounds to me like a mental block.” Liv looked thoughtful. “I wonder if Xarex put it between you for some reason? Did he seem upset after the two of you, er, put on your show for the Primiens yesterday?”

Nora tried to think.

“Maybe a little? I’m honestly not sure. I was so caught up in finally getting the Flower of Healing and bringing it back to Anna.” She shook her head. “I feel bad, but all I was thinking about was my little girl.”

“Of course you were. And rightfully so.” Liv reached across the desk and squeezed her hand. “It sounds to me like something happened on Primus Nine that’s keeping Xarex away from you.”

“Maybe…” Nora sighed. “Or maybe it’s just that we both fulfilled our ends of the contract we signed—I got a cure for Anna and he got to ‘breed’ me—so maybe he’s decided he got what he wanted and he’s done with me.”

Liv frowned.

“Look, I know that’s how human guys think but I promise you, it’s not a Kindred male’s mindset at all.”

“It’s not?” Nora frowned.

“No,” Liv said firmly. “They’re not just after sex like a lot of human guys often are. Especially once they’ve Bonded a woman to them. A Bonded warrior will never leave his mate for any reason unless there are some kind of dire circumstances keeping them apart.”

Nora twisted her fingers together.

“But…what if it’s Anna?” she asked softly. “I know my ex didn’t want to raise another person’s child. What if Xarex feels the same way?”

“Kindred males are excellent fathers,” Liv said. “And they don’t seem to have the same reluctance to help with children that some human men do. I really doubt that’s the issue.”

“Well…what should I do? Should I go confront him? Ask him why he put this, uh, mental block between us?” Nora asked. “I mean, I really miss him. The thing is, this was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but it turned out to be so much more than that. I thought it had, anyway,” she added.

Dr. Liv gave her a knowing smile.

“I’m not surprised. Yes, I’d go see him if I were you. But first get Anna and your mom settled back in their suite, take a nice long shower and put on something sexy.”

Nora looked at her in surprise.

“You’re saying I should seduce him?”

Liv shrugged.

“If you want him back you’re going to need to break down any barriers between you. And usually with a newly Bonded couple, sex can be very healing. It’s not advice I’d give if you were married to a human man,” she added. “Sex can just confuse things then. But with a Kindred, the intimacy can bring you closer and reinforce the mental link and the Soul-bond between you.”

Nora nibbled her lower lip.

“But what if he doesn’t want to have sex with me?”

“He just Bonded you to him—believe me, he wants you,” Liv said dryly. “He probably wants you so badly it’s nearly driving him crazy. But something is holding him back. You need to find out what that is and get past it if you want your Kindred husband back.”

“I do want him back,” Nora said fiercely.

Liv smiled.

“Then go get him!”

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