Page 40

“How so?”

God, the way he can pretend like he’s blameless… “I Claimed her, Uncle Jack. I made a blood oath to Avalon Dougherty andyousealed it. Ten damn years before that idiot tried to make her his bride, you already promised her tome.”

Jack’s new surgeon is really excellent. He can even move his eyebrows now.

“But she didn’t accept your Claim then.”

“Because sheleft,” I snap, losing my composure. “If she’d been at the Claiming ceremony, she would’ve.” I would’ve made sure of it. “And yesterday… she married me yesterday. Isn’t that accepting my Claim?”

“From how I understand it, she married you for the same reason she would’ve married the St. James boy: because her father’s life was on the line. Would she Offer herself to you otherwise?”

I can’t fucking believe this. This… coming from the man who tried to downgrade her from an Offering to a Used only to change her back. I know why he did it, too. For the same reason he did it then: because my uncle will do anything he can to keep Loni from me.

Hell, no.

“For ten years, I’ve been the perfect Order member. I do everything you ask of me. I’ve been loyal. You can’t deny that.”

I’m that good. He has no idea that I’ve been plotting against him just as long because, on the outside, it appears as if I’ve been falling in line all along. I didn’t chase after Loni. I’ve thrown myself into fattening up the Order. We’re damn nearuntouchablebecause of me.

Ideservethis.

“I can’t.”

Good. “Then give me Loni. That’s all I want.” All I’ve ever wanted. “Let me keep her as my wife.”

Jack thinks it over for a moment. I know he remembers the blood oath. He can’t say that I’m not right. I won’t go down for murdering Desmond, but he could easily decide to void my marriage because it’s fucking Wednesday or something.

He’s the King. What he says go.

And that’s why, when he tells me, “Until the next Claiming ceremony,” I have to grip the arm chairs to keep me from launching out of the seat and grabbing Jack by the collar.

“What?”

“I’ll let you have your fun, Adrian. But at the next Claiming ceremony, if she doesn’t stand there and let you Claim her, you will accept the Offering I choose for you.”

I won’t. I can say that much. But if he thinks I’ll take Haven after all this time when Connor finally has her…

“You see, there’s a fresh eighteen-year-old who would be a perfect and willing wife for a Collins.”

I blink. Set aside the fact that I’m proudly a Heller, Jack didn’t just try to tempt me with an eighteen-year-oldkid, did he?

“Not necessary,” I retort. “I already have one. Remember? We don’t do divorce in the Order.”

“It wouldn’t be a divorce. It would be an annulment.”

No.

“Uncle Jack?—”

His eyes flash in annoyance, a signal that I’m pushing my luck. “She was never meant to be an Offering. She was damaged. Used. Don’t you understand that? I was saving you, Adrian.”

No.

He was keeping me in line and Iallowedit.

Not anymore.

“If that’s so, why did you let Desmond Claim her? Why did you make her an Offering again after all these years?”