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Would that link have been love? Or would it have just been the Bond, bringing us together?

I face my triad.

“It is my fault.”

My two battle-brothers turn to look at me. They’ve each saved my life a dozen times over, and I’ve done the same for them. We’ve never once betrayed each other...

…until now.

Until I decided to keep Natali’s doubts about a future with us private.

“What do you mean? Speak, Lazar!”

“We spoke alone. She told me she was having misgivings – that she needed to decide on her own whether she wanted to stay with us, or not. I told her to leave. I told her to think things through – but I always believed she’d choose us.”

I sigh.

“Now, it’s clear to me. She cut us off to take the benefits of the Bond – and let us rot in prison as she does so. We’re going to spend thousands of years in prison because ofme. BecauseItold her to go.”

But still… Does itreallymake sense?

I look to the others.

“Natali told me that if she could go back in time, she’d have still asked us to set her free.” But I’m fearing the truth. “Maybe those were just words. But they sounded true when she said them. She told me, you’ve set me free, and she meant them. Those words were important to her.”

Thousands of years we now face. The rest of our lives, rotting in prison.

Our only hope is to convince whoever is chasing us that we were working for the good of the Empire when we did what we did. If we can’t convince our accuser that he would have done the same – if he had caught scent of his Fated Mate – then our mission and lives are over.

Brennan’s anger flares, but he controls himself.

“You made the decision because you believed the same as we did – that Natali would choose us. I can’t hold it against you. You’re the smartest of the three of us – and ifyouwere wrong about her, then there’s no way we wouldn’t have slipped as well.”

He sighs.

“If Natali truly has betrayed us, then we’ll spend the rest of our lives in an Aurelian prison. That can’t happen. I won’tletthat happen. When the war comes, we need to be free to fight on the side of good.”

He’s talking about going Rogue.

He wants us to remain free – ready to fight a war that no one is certain will even happen. We don’t even know what enemy we face…

…but all of us know we won’t be able to face it from the inside of a jail cell.

But once we go Rogue? There’s no turning back.

We’ll never see Natali again.

“We don’t have a Reaver. Our accounts are already frozen. Escaping won’t be easy.” My eyes narrow. “However, Icancome up with a plan.”

There’s a flicker of emotion in Brennan’s aura. “I thought she’d care for us.” Then, his aura turns cold and intense. “I won’t make that mistake again.”

Our leader wheels around to face us.

“There are only two people in this universe I can trust. You two.”

Otho was silent during all this, drinking in our words. He grunts: “You weren’t wrong to do what you did, Lazar. Have faith, my battle-brothers. She has not betrayed us yet. Shewillchoose us. Natali will make the decision to help us.”

We both look at him – hoping desperately that he’s right.