Page 153 of A Promise so Bold and Broken

“He didn’t want to, Lessia.” Raine took a step toward her. “He wanted to ‘fight fair.’ Win your heart without using the bond, soyoumade the decision, not fate. But that’s not how the bond works… you are affected as well—it’s not one-sided! So after you bit him…”

It felt as if her eyes would pop out of their sockets.

That feeling after she bit him back on Raine’s island?

That energy.

That strange sensation of not being able to stand still?

Had that been the mating bond sealing between them?

Kerym’s eyes flew across her face. “You’re not mated yet, but you started to accept him once you tasted his blood.”

Lessia blinked rapidly, trying to process what they were saying.

Her father had told her only that the female needed to formally accept the bond…

She withdrew another step as Raine tried to approach her again.

“Stay back.” Lessia put up a hand, an overwhelming urge to scream overtaking her. “I-I can’t.”

“I know this is a lot, Lessia.” Raine tried to soften his voice, but she could see right through the urgency keeping it sharp. “But if you reject him now, you will weaken him significantly, and for a long, long time. It’ll be too dangerous for him to fight in a war.”

Lessia turned around and ran.

The white walls blurred as she pushed herself to run as fast as her legs would take her, any ounce of fatigue or hunger from the past days forgotten.

She jumped three steps at a time up the stairs, and using the railing, she flew around the corner, running right up to Merrick’s door.

Fighting the urge to kick it down, she twisted the doorknob, and a snarl—louder than she’d meant—ripped from her throat when she found it locked.

Lessia banged on the door until she heard the lock click and a livid Merrick popped his head through the crack.

She didn’t hesitate.

Using both her hands, she pushed him with everything in her so that he stumbled back into the room.

Whirling around, Lessia slammed the door shut again—so hard that the wood creaked—before spinning back toward the Fae who watched her wide eyes.

She took a slow step toward him, her voice slipping into the low, dangerous purr that usually surfaced only when she used her magic. “When were you going to tell me?”

Merrick threw a glance over her shoulder, his face hardening.

She drew one step closer. “No. You’re not going to be angry with them.”

Another step.

“What did they say?” Merrick growled.

Lessia took the final step, aligning their heaving chests and glowering right into Merrick’s eyes. “Oh, you know… They casually informed me that you’re mymate.”

Merrick’s jaw clenched.

“And that you’ve known the entire time. As in theentiretime.” Her nostrils flared. “That you’ve beenhurtingfor years because you thought you’d be some kind of unsung hero and let me choose.”

“It didn’t start like that,” Merrick snarled. “I was fucking blood-sworn to the king. He forbade me to tell you! Do you think I enjoyed following you around, reporting on your every move, when all I wanted was to snatch you away and hide you from the rest of the world?”

“No, I don’t think you enjoyed that,” she snarled right back. “But you could have told me weeks ago, Merrick. For weeks I’ve gone around thinking I’ve lost my mind because I can’t stop thinking about you—because my skin fucking vibrates when you touch me! And you let me!”

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