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With a sharp jerk, she yanked her hand away, circled him, and grabbed for the door handle.

“No.” Bryce caught her arm, a familiar, delicate arm, and spun her away from the door. Away from a chance to run again. He caught her face, overwhelmed by how right the action felt. How familiar. “I won’t let you run away again.”

“Mikhail.”

The name struck a chord deep in his soul. So deep it shook him to his core. Whether she meant for him to hear her whispered word or not, it didn’t matter. He heard it. He recognized it.

“My dreams aren’t dreams, are they?” he asked quietly.

The shock that filled her eyes caught him off guard.

She twisted from his grip and slipped into her car, locking the doors as soon as she was inside.

Bryce grabbed the door handle, but her door wouldn’t open. “Please! You can’t leave!”

The engine purred to life. He saw the way her hands shook as she popped the car into reverse.

“Rihanna!” He smacked the window. Hated himself a second later for doing so. He didn’t want to frighten her. “Answer me! They’re not dreams, are they?”

To his surprise, she cracked open the window enough to be heard as she said, “I will not come between a man and his intended. ’Tis wrong, and a burden I will not carry on my shoulders. Goodeve.”

The car jerked backward. Bryce stumbled out of the way to avoid being clipped as she directed the car in a wild turn, then peeled away, tires squealing. As she drove off,something inside him broke, shattered, shredded to pieces with no hope of being salvaged.

Well, except for one possibility.

She may have escaped him tonight, but he would be sure he didn’t lose her for another six months.

Blocks away,down a dark side road, Rihanna finally pulled her car to the curb and knocked it into park. Her entire body shook uncontrollably, sobs thundering through her chest, begging for release.

And release they did.

Unable to restrain the overwhelming emotions, she grabbed hold of the steering wheel, pressed her forehead to the warm leather, and cried.

A volatile war of ice and fire ripped up through her gut. A sickening ache burst through her chest, leaving her to choke on her sobs as she fought the urge to vomit.

Goddess, the bond. The promise of eternity.

It had followed him into this life. He recognized his past name. She had seen it in his eyes, those deep green eyes that were unmistakably Mikhail’s. An old soul trapped inside this modern-day body. A body so similar to that of her belovedanam cara.

With a shriek, she smacked the steering wheel, then clenched her fists to her chest as she dropped back into the seat.

“How do I remain in the shadows? How do I fight this?” she cried to the ceiling of her car, begging for an answer, however ridiculous it might be.

Because, in the depths of her heart and the weary griefthat had consumed her soul for over a century, she knew the answer.

There was no fight to be had. No shadows to tread.

Whether she liked it or not, Thierry was right.

Her brother was right.

Once paths crossed, the bond betweenanam carasbecame insatiable. Undeniable. Inevitable.

Her bond with Mikhail had been forged prior to his death. A blood bond recognized by the Goddess herself.

A tap on her window startled her from the suffocating thoughts. She prepared to defend herself, only to relax once she realized who had found her. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she opened the door.

“Move over, sweet. You’re in no condition to drive,” Thierry said soothingly, reaching down and unfastening her seat belt. He offered a small grin and motioned to the passenger side. “Come, now. ’Tis cold out here.”