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“I don’t want to die, Marek. When I used my magic, I talked to Betsy. She’d been reliving our childhood memories. We were so happy.” Olivia paused with a sad smile and took a trembling breath. “When my parents died, I thought my world was over. I only got up each day because of Betsy. I never wanted to feel that way again, so I kept everyone at arm’s length. Until you.”

Marek brushed away the single tear that escaped her watery eyes. Her grief and pain stabbed into him like a thousand knives, but he didn’t interrupt her and waited.

“I didn’t want to love you. I didn’t want to be vulnerable again, but those memories made me realize I don’t want to live my life in constant fear of the future. I want you. I want us.”

Every part of Marek froze at Olivia’s next words. “Bind us. I’m ready.”

While Olivia hadn’t expected Marek to jump for joy, she’d assumed he would be happy, not shutting down and pulling away from her. Her stomach dropped to the floor.

Was she too late? Had he changed his mind already?

Before her thoughts spiraled out of control, he said, “There’s something you should know about me.”

Olivia recognized the signs of someone holding back their emotions and nodded. “What is it?”

“Before, you asked me for my deepest, darkest secret. Do you still wish to know?

“Yes, but not if you don’t want to share.” She’d asked him that purposely to prove they weren’t ready to be bonded. Suddenly, their roles were reversed. Olivia said, “You don’t have to bind us now. I’m happy to wait.”

“No. I’m sick of waiting.” His blue eyes blazed with determination. “But you need to know before you make your final decision.” He rose to his feet and stalked to the window, tension tightening the lines of his body. “I told you before I had two brothers.”

“Yes, I remember,” Olivia said quietly, recalling the way Marek had shied away from her questions regarding his family.

“I was the youngest of three sons. A spare. My oldest brother, Alexander, was everything Father wanted for an heir. Aric, my other brother, modeled himself after Alexander to earn Father’s approval, but me? I learned early on I could never live up to his lofty expectations, so I did the opposite.” He slanted her a self-deprecating smile. “Anything Father disapproved of, you would find me in the midst. He’d be praising Alexander one second, then smashing me with his cane the next.”

“Yet you learned Ancient Greek somehow,” Olivia said with a smile.

“It was that or be strapped to the chair and table for days.” Her heart went out to the boy he’d been, and she wondered if anyone ever completely healed from their childhood traumas, regardless how much time had passed.

“Anyway, somehow, I grew up without being disowned, even if I gambled away my allowances every month and had to beg my brothers for money. I didn’t think about the future, had no interest in learning or joining my brothers in running our family’s businesses. If it weren’t for my brothers, I’d be out on the streets before I reached twenty. I didn’t deserve them.”

His sorrow stabbed through her. He was only across the room, but he might as well be an ocean away. Olivia grimaced and tried to scoot to the edge, to go to him. As she rustled the sheets, he turned to face her.

“Come here,” she said, already struggling for breath.

When he stopped before her, she pulled him down and hugged him. “You don’t have to tell me anything else. The past is over. That is not who you are now.”

“No, it’s not.” He exhaled, his big body shuddering with aching vulnerability. “But I need you to know.”

“Alright.” She released him and returned to her sitting position against the wall. “What happened?”

This time, he stayed on the bed beside her, with her hand remaining on his knee. His eyes were distant as he continued, “Our family’s business came under attack. A rival family wanted our trade routes. I didn’t know any of this until way later, because you see, I fell in love.” A bitter smile. “Her name was Evaline. She was beautiful and perfect in every way. For me.”

Olivia would’ve been jealous of this unknown woman if not for Marek’s acerbic tone. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, she exacerbated my worst qualities. Every time my brothers asked me for help, every time I even hinted at reforming my ways, she would find the most exciting parties or the latest gambling craze. She earned my trust and played me perfectly. While ensuring I did nothing to help my family, she still got information out of me. Our family’s trade routes, our business partners, my brothers’ movements, our family home’s defenses…”

Olivia’s stomach cramped as she saw where this was going. “She used you?”

“Yes, used and betrayed me. The night her employer slaughtered my brothers, she ensured I was in a drunken stupor at a masquerade party. I lost everything in one night, and it was entirely my fault.”

As he choked on the last word, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head over his heart. “I’m sorry,” she muttered.

She hated seeing him in pain but was forever grateful to be the one to comfort him. He was always so arrogant, so overprotective and infallible. Yet, he was human in every way that counted, with the same vulnerabilities and baggage.

“Now you know. I killed my family. That is the kind of person you’ll be bonded to.”

“That’s not true. Evaline and her employer killed your family. You and your brothers were all casualties of their greed. You’re not that person anymore.”