Page 75 of The King's Man
Melek froze. “You… did…what?”he growled.
An angry Melek was death for any man. I brought my hands up to soothe him and took a step back, shaking my head.
“Not like that—god, she’s mymate.She wanted me. It was entirely consensual. But… when the bond sucked out of me it… tore. Only half took root or… or something. I don’t understand. All I know is that there’s a hole in my soul and I can’t breathe and she’sfine.She joked with me afterwards as if we’d had a roll in the hay andwasn’t that nice,”I hissed bitterly. “My mate, Mel. My fuckingmatetreated me like a stallion at stud and I amlost. I need to know if anything happened between you and Yilan? Any barriers or lacks? Is this because they’re Shadekin? Is it because—”
Melek’s worried eyes were back. “No… nothing like that. We had some trouble mind-linking in a way that allowed me to talk to her, but now… no. It was never an issue of completingthe bond. Only finding our way together. Trust. And connection and…”
My heart sank. “Then it’s me. My blood. The curse.Something.”
“Jann, I’m not sure that’s—”
“Of course it fucking is. What other explanation could there be? She’s stripped my soul from my bones, but she’s walking around with a smile on her face as if I gave her a present. Shethanked me.”
Melek’s eyes widened. “Well… shit.”
I nodded. “Yeah, an absolute steamingpileof shit.”
Melek grimaced, lifting one hand to scratch the back of his neck. “That is… I understand how that must feelhorrific,Jann. But if the bond is there, it’s not a mistake. It’s Divinely appointed. It has a purpose. Don’t forget that.”
My heart sank in my chest. Divine purpose? Yes, to kill me.
It was the fucking curse. I almost laughed.
All this time, I shouldn’t have been worried aboutimpregnatinga woman. I should have been wary of a bond. Diadre didn’t need to have a baby to kill me, she just needed to keep herself away—
Out of nowhere, a black shadow flashed at the corner of my eye barely a blink before a small but powerful fist plowed right into my belly, snapping me at the waist and dropping me to one knee because I’d been entirely unprepared.
My head spun. What the fuck—?!
Instinctively, I whipped one arm up to block another blow. Then another. Then turned and pushed back to my feet, still hunched forward because my guts had taken a bruising—but the space was suddenly filled with black limbs, and the screeches of an angry cat. I blocked and spun and bellowed, until Melek got hands on the creature and pulled her away… because it was Yilan.
Yilan in fighting leathers, eyes flashing like blades, her lips spewing rage. At me.
“You fucking rapist, youtookher and fooled her—she is not a toy for your pleasure!”
Melek sighed. “Love, he’s not—”
But there was no way I was leavingthatspoken. I stormed forward to where Melek struggled with her, raising a finger to her nose. “I did no such thing!” I whisper-screamed, my voice hoarse with horror and rage.
“Bullshit! You fuckingasshole!”
“I asked her—more than once! I told her to tell me—”
“Then why is she in my tentweeping,andbleedingJann? You did that! You fuckingprick.I am your Queen, yes? I will put you down like a dog—”
“Love,” Melek grunted as one of Yilan’s elbows landed in his ribs, “You need to listen—”
She hissed and suddenly he struggled to keep hands on her because she was so small and quick and she twisted like a cat.
“I did not—she wanted—” I rasped.
“None of you fucking pricks has a clue what a woman wants!”Yilan shrieked. “You steal from her and you call yourself a leader? A General—”
Rage ripped through me as surely as the bond ever had. “You shut your fucking mouth, Yilan, I am not theliarhere—” I snarled.
“Jann!” Melek glared at me over her shoulder.
Yilan looked like she’d claw my eyes out if she could get her arms free. “Don’t youdarecompare what I did with this—I never violated any—”
