Page 121 of Taken By the Aurelian Warriors

“But, finally, this one is yours.”

I swallow. My mouth is dry. “What if I don’t want to put the ring on?”

“I’m your father, but I don’t own you,” he admits. “I just want you to think freely. The Bond… It can corrupt your thoughts. It will pull you toward those three – but that’s notyou. You need to make the decision without them. Make the choice for yourself, then put the ring on and see if you still feel the same way.”

He takes a deep breath.

“I know you can telepath to them. Just tell them you need a moment to think – and then, put it on.”

The Bond is always lurking in my mind. It’s a powerful force that can amplify any emotion. Logically, my father is right. Ishouldmake the choice with my own mind, not with the Bond corrupting my rationality.

Still, my gut told me that it was safe to be with those three Aurelians – and it’s also telling me that the ring on the bed is something I should be afraid of.

My father holds the ring before me.

“When I first heard about the kidnapping, I knew they might think you were Bonded to them. It was a feeling in my gut, so I had this shipped to me at great expense for this very situation.”

He points at the ring.

“I’m no longer in charge of you, Natali. Don’t let the Bond be.”

My father has been the one who’s designed my life ever since childhood. Now, he’s trustingmeto make this monumental decision.

But is he?

If I decide to stay with these three Aurelians, will he really lobby for their freedom?

As I focus on the Bond in my mind, the power of it starts to grow. I feel it slowly building within my mind. As much as I hate to think of it, IknowI need to put that ring on if I ever want to be able to make my own, logical choice.

“I need to think.”

I send the message out, and feel the twinge of anxiety it triggers.

“I’m putting on a Bond disrupter,”I warn my triad. “But it’s just temporary.”

I telepath that to all three members of my triad, and their auras turn to shock and confusion.

Before they can send me a message that will trigger the Bond again, I grab the ring my father brought me, and I slam it down around my index finger.

I thought I’d be ready for the Bond Disrupter, but I’m not – not even close.

As I pull the ring onto my finger, it feels like it’s constricting around me. The Auras of my triad instantly disappear from my mind. They blink out of existence, and suddenly I’m left alone in my own mind; with only my own thoughts echoing in there.

I’d never felt empty before I’d met the Aurelians – I’d never felt alone within my own mind.

But, now – without them – I feel like my mind is a void.

I hate it, but I know I need it.

As I stand there, my father looks at me expectantly, searching for any sign that the device is working.

“It works,” I nod, searching my own thoughts for the full scope of the impact of this Bond disruption.

I hate not being able to feel the three auras of the Aurelians within my mind; but at least I know that my own thoughts feel uncluttered. The Bond had been clouding my mind. It was a subtle influence, but a powerful one. Through it, I kept being pulled towards the three Aurelians; no matter what I truly wanted to do.

The Bond dampened my fears about them, and heightened my desire.

Anything I think or feel towards Brennan, Otho and Lazar will now be my own, true thoughts.

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