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Why did I allow it to get this far? Why did I invite him back to our room? Would it have been better if we let him walk away?

My tears fall before stopping as rage courses through me.

How dare he do this to me? To Brenden?

He made us trust him, and then he walked right out the fucking door like we were nothing to him.

I don’t give a fuck what pretty words he left on paper. He’s a fucking coward. A real man would’ve waited until we were awake and talked to us about this.

If he would’ve done that, then Brenden and I could’ve convinced him to wait until after Wren’s final. We could’ve all gone to see Lucifer together.

But no, he ran away while we were sleeping. Probably because he knew we’d convince him. He knew he wouldn’t be able to walk away from us.

Well, fuck him. I won’t give him another chance to hurt us—to destroy us.

Even if we can’t find a way around the Fates’ words, he’ll never have a chance at my heart again. I’ll bond him if I have to, but there’s no way in hell I’ll give him another chance to shatter me.

He’s gotten more chances than he deserved, and he’s shown us over and over what kind of man he is. He doesn’t deserve us.

“Fuck him,” I mutter into Brenden’s chest. “He’s a fucking coward.”

Brenden growls, and when I pull away, he’s snarling. “He’ll pay for this.”

“He will. He fucked me over for the last time. I hope he’s ready for hell to rain down on him.” I’m certain the smile I give him is feral, but I don’t give a fuck.

I’ve run out of fucks to give.

Taking a deep breath, I tug Brenden into the bathroom so we can wash away the night. I don’t know about him, but I can’t stand the idea of leaving any part of him on my skin. Not his cum or his kisses. Most certainly not his scent.

I’ve never regretted anything more than I regret giving in to the stupid mate bond that makes me want to forgive him, even when I know he’s not sorry for a single damn thing he’s done. If he was, this never would’ve happened. He never would’ve walked out on us.

Our shower is fast, as neither of us wants to linger in this hotel room longer than we have to. When we step out to pull our clothes on, I realize that not only do I not want to put them back on—I never want to see them again.

Without a thought, I click my fingers and watch as hellfire envelopes them before flickering out and leaving nothing but ashes behind. Hopefully, Wraith can get us checked out without us being here because I’m not walking into the lobby in nothing but a towel.

Linking my fingers with Brenden’s, I walk us through the shadows and into our living room, where I find Cassian, Wraith, and Donovan making out on the couch.

“I’m glad someone had a better night than we did,” Brenden snarks, causing the three of them to break apart.

They turn to us with smiles that quickly fall away when they take us in.

“What the hell happened?” Cassian frowns as he stands, walking toward me until I hold up my hand to halt him.

I glance at Brenden, who looks just as wrecked as I do. “Brenden and I made a mistake last night. We ran into Nex and went to dinner with him. One thing led to another, and we slept together. When we woke up, he was gone. All he left was a note telling us he’s sorry and that he’ll be asking for his services to be transferred to another of the horsemen.”

Wraith’s eyes flash with anger as he joins Cassian. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“That’s not really something I would joke about, Wraith.” The only joke is me—not that I’d say that out loud. My mates would eviscerate me for talking about myself like that. “I fell for his pretty lies. It won’t happen again. If we need me to bond with him in order to keep Cassian, then that’s what I’ll do. But I’ll never trust him. He’ll never truly be a part of the family we’re building. He made his bed, and he can fucking sleep in it alone.”

“Oh, pretty girl. This isn’t on you. It’s on him. He fucked up—not the two of you.”

Brenden scoffs. “No, Audrey is right. We heard what we wanted to hear—what we needed to hear. Now, we know how far his lies will go.”

None of them have anything to say to that. I mean, what can you say to that?

Nothing they have to say is going to make us feel better. Or erase the last twelve hours. We’ve learned a lesson I would’ve preferred neither of us had to.

Pretty lies are the easiest to believe, but they’re also the ones that cut the deepest.