Page 35 of Branded in Love
“He did.” My manner is curt. Old fears and uncertainties rise with my brother’s name. I cannot care less about the subject now.
“Gavriil…” Natalya says, leaning towards me.
Finally, I lock eyes with my cousin. “Can you see her?” I ask eagerly. “Can you make sure she’s doing well?” Now I’m the one holding her hands. “If she needs anything…”
“If that is what you want, then I will see her,” Natalya says, and her tone is imbued with genuine sweetness. “I care for her too. Do you know that?” Her dreamy eyes narrow as she nods.
I silently agree.
My cousin straightens, ready to rise when I seize her wrist. “Natalya,” I breathe.
Her head swings towards me. “Yes?”
“Yours is the gift of sight,” I begin. “I need to know... Have you seen our future? Do you see one for us?” My pulse skyrockets in an instant. Now that I’ve asked, I’m in full dread of the answer.
Natalya levels her stare with mine. “I see limitless love for each of you,” she says with firm conviction. “Promise me you’ll fix this.”
“I will,” I tell her, quickly waving aside any hesitation.
“Good.” She rises and saunters to the doorway, where Sasha waits. They exchange silent words until Natalya leaves the room. Sasha does not.
My Enforcer steps inside. He drops a golden envelope on the night table. “For the gala,” he says, sitting on the foot of the bed, facing me.
The storm subsides. Sasha clasps his hands between his knees and looks out the window. “That’s a start,” he says, pleased. “Natalya’s magic is absolutely impressive.” He smiles.
“Are you seeing each other again?” I ask in a dull tone, longing to escape my tormenting thoughts.
“We are,” Sasha says. It takes me by surprise for a second. But then, he adds, “As friends.”
I frown, immediately drawn to sweep Sasha’s expression. No pain contorts his face. No sorrow like the one I suffer. “Sasha, you and Natalya are meant for each other. How can you…?”
My Enforcer leans forward. “I will always love her, Gavriil,” he’s quick to say. “It’s because I love her that I cannot force her back into my life.” He bites his lower lip. “She’s happy here.”
I smooth a hand over my chin. “And what if it were the other way around?” I ask pensively.
“How?” Sasha says.
“What if shewantedto be part of your life?” I add.
My friend considers the question for a moment. The corner of his lips twists up. “Then I would be the happiest man in the world, Gavriil,” he says. “But this is not about Natalya and me, is it?”
“It’s not,” I mumble. Uneasiness washes over me immediately. “Volodya, he said…”
“Vladimir left the minute you became king.” Sasha frowns in disapproval. He interlaces his fingers. “I’m sorry, Gavriil, but it’s true. His loyalty might be great indeed. His gratitude to the clan, unbroken, for taking him in when he became an orphan. But in the end, Vlad walked out when you needed him the most...”
“I love her,” I breathe. The words come as a release from my misery. My heart quickens as I speak them loudly for the first time.
“Then all else shouldn’t matter.” Sasha rises from the bed and moves towards me.
“I am the Ursa King… She’s human,” I say, pain clenching my throat. “I should claim the Deveraux witch… I should…”
“You are the Ursa King,” he says, pressing my shoulder. Sasha then crouches until his ice-blue eyes meet mine. “Good kings follow the rules…Great kingsrise above them.”
His revelation strikes me full force.
“Life is too short to fill our days with senseless regrets. You can either choose a mate branded in duty, or choose one branded in love… The clan will support you, Gavriil,” my Enforcer adds in reassurance. “Always.”
I gasp in relief. And my breathing picks up, harsh and broken, as if I’ve emerged from freezing waters after being under for a very long time.
