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Tasha’s mulling over something, not sure if she wants to share it. I wait, patient, knowing she won’t be able to stop herself from spitting it out. “Sawoot, this might sound crazy, but I have the feeling that Aelon thinks I’m his Fated Mate.”

My eyes go wide.

Jealousy pulses through me. Garrick told me that Kit’s offensive scent meant he wasn’t my Mate, but I don’t believe him. Because the other thing he said?

The better a woman smells to an Aurelian, the more likely she is to be his Fated Mate.

I smelled sorightto Kit he lost his head for me.

Garrick and his triad are able to hold back. I don’t drive them wild. I don’t make instinctivelyneedme the same way I did for Kit.

“Exactly.” She nods. “That’s what’s been really bothering me. Like, what if… What if Iam?” Her voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I have to do my best to be there for her even when my own mind is clouded.

The thought that she might be Aelon’s mate is eating her up. I tap my fingers against the coffee table. “Then, I’d say you’re lucky.”

“Lucky? Really?”

“Yeah, of course!” I lean in closer. “You know, some people claim the Bond can control your mind, but I don’t believe it. Remember my friend from the harem? She asked the Aurelians about the Bond once. The leader of that triad told her that all the Bond does is enhance any desires you already have. So, I’d ask you, Tasha—is there anything lurking inside you that you’re scared might awaken?”

It's easier to tease Tasha than it is to deal with my own torment.

Because if I was Bonded to Garrick and his triad?

I wouldn’t be able to control myself. The way he makes me feel…it’s overwhelming.

Tasha looks down, blushing like Theme. I feel a little bad for pushing her. I saw how turned on she got when she was getting spanked, and I know it makes her feel guilty. She’s not like me. She doesn’t fully accept herself and what she wants.

She shudders. “The problem is, the Bond isn’t betweenoneof them and their Fated Mate. Each triad is a package deal—you’re Bonded with one, you’re Bonded with all of them. Iunia looks like a brute,” she muses, “but I actually think he’s the smartest of the three. Vinicus? Heisjust a brute.”

I had some time alone with Iunia, when he walked me to my chambers. He’s smarter than he looks, but he’s got a brutish, violent streak to him.

My triad is a closed book. Garrick, Markrin, and Tar’ank keep themselves blocked off, not letting me in. They barely say a word, and when they speak, they rumble out only as much information as necessary.

It’s easier to think about Tasha’s problems than mine. “So, with those three you’ve got an insufferable, cocky bastard, an intellectual, and a brute. It sounds like the start of a joke—they all walk into a bar – only your life is the punchline.” I snort. “Sounds like enough to keep things interesting, at least.”

I lean in towards her. “Tasha. If you think there’s even a chance you’re Bonded to them—even a slim one—youhaveto take it. Just imagine, you’d live forthousandsof years. Isn’t that worth whatever side effects it comes with? It doesn’t change anything aboutyou. If you hate them, you don’t have to stick around. Take their precious Bond and get the hell out of there if you so choose!”

I give her the advice I know I couldn’t take.

As insane as it sounds?

If I was Bonded to Garrick and his triad, I wouldn’t leave. I couldn’t. Tasha’s wild and free. I always thought I was, too. I’ve barely known Garrick and his triad, but when I’m with them, I feel safe. Secure. There’s this weight that leaves my back, a tension I never knew I was carrying that melts in the presence of the powerful alien warriors.

Maybe it’s that they saved my life twice. But I know that after our mad dash to escapeTheInstigator, I’m going to be thinkingwhat iffor the rest of my life.

“Thousands of years…” She trails off, and it really sinks in.

Being onTheInstigatorhas made me realize how little I know about Aurelians. “So, Tasha,” I ask her, “why do you think you might be Bonded to them? It’s rare, you know—likeinsanelyrare. My friend hoped for it—prayed for it—but most Aurelians never find their Fated Mate.”

She shrugs. “It’s…it’s just a feeling, but a strong one—do you know what I mean? It’s the way Aelon spoke about the Bond. He said an Aurelian can go mad if he thinks he’s Bonded to you—and he almost lost control.”

It’s a punch to my gut.

I scowl. I bet she thinks my face is contorted because I’m remembering the three bastards. In reality, I’m dealing with the fact that those three couldn’t control themselves but Garrick could. “You think he’d have tried something on you? Like Kit and his triad tried with me?”

She shakes her head. “No, not by force. I think if he lost control like that, he’d kill himself with the guilt. But hewasscared he might lose control. How…” she gulps. “How did your friend say it was? The one in the harem?”

I swallow, pushing down my fears. I need to be Tasha’s friend right now. She needs me to be my snarky, teasing self. I lighten up. “Howwhatwas?”