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“But,” she continues, “that won’t help your sister. Iknowyou love her – but I also know the Bond will grow more powerful every time you mate with your triad. You’ll soon find yourself so entwined with those three Aurelians that you won’t be able to keep yourself from them.”

She pauses.

“It’s achoice, Allie.”

I screw shut my eyes as the meaning of her words suddenly hit me.

If I stay with the Aurelians right now, I’ll grow ever more Bonded to them, quicker and quicker, until it floods my thoughts and takes over my very being.

I am prepared for that now. Iwelcomethat…

…but I have a little sister who spent years being abused by a terrible, terrible man. I need to help herbeforeI surrender to my selfish urges.

Queen Jasmine sighs.

“I’m sorry, Allie. I know this isn’t easy. My psychologist believes she might never fully recover. I’m concerned the fear of Aurelians ispartof her now. Your little sister will probably never be able to be near your triad – to be part of your new family.”

Queen Jasmine extends her hand. Inside it is the black Orb-Ring I’d discarded in the arena.

“This Ring isn’t an escape,” she tells me. “It’s achoice.” She holds out the Orb-Ring – offering me the device that can sever the auras of my triad from my mind.

My heart wrenches.

“What’s wrong? Where are you?”

I don’t answer Hadrian’s frantic words.

“Tell them,” Jasmine urges me. “Make it clean. Make it quick. Set them free.”

I swallow hard. I suddenly see two futures ahead of me.

One, in which I surrender myself fully into the Bond. In that future, I create a chasm between me and my sister – one that can never be bridged. A future in which she never gets any better.

The second future? I requires that I cut myself from these three warriors – the men I’ve come to deeply love. In that future, I can try desperately to help Lilac get better. I’ve been searching foryearsfor my sister...

Surely, I can’t abandon her now.

I take the Orb-Ring from Queen Jasmine. If my sister will never get better, then I can’t have the Aurelians in my life. It’s as simple as that.

Ineedthem to know it’s over. Ineedthem to forget about me and move on with their lives – building their harems, living their lives on their own. Ican’tgive them what they want from me.

I love them. Iwantthem.

But my sister needs me more.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I love you, but I can’t be with you.”

I telepath the message – and then I put the ring on my finger.

The auras of my triad wink out like stars being extinguished.

I suddenly stand there, on the home world of Colossus – in the heart of the Aurelian Empire and surrounded by billions of people on millions of planets…

…and I’ve never felt so utterly alone in all my life.