Page 39 of Crave Me

He shook his head, his expression revealing sadness. “Genocide, really. A mass extermination driven by a conflict between the Houses. It ended in a truce of sorts, but it’s heavily strained. You being my mate… could disrupt the tenuous balance.”

“Why?”

“Power,” he replied simply. “Our mating will grant Gold and Garnet a superior position, one that many will not accept or appreciate. On one hand, it might add certain protections to my territory and chase off potential intruders. On the other…”

“It might start a war,” I finished for him.

He nodded.

“That’s what you meant about feeling out their reactions to my temporary asylum,” I replied.

He cast me a sidelong glance, his lips quirking a little. “You really shouldn’t listen to other people’s conversations.”

I could lecture him on the importance of finding more secure locations for private discussions, but I could read the humor in his expression. He’d likely known I was listening, as I hadn’t bothered to hide it from him at the pub. “Information is valuable in all situations.”

“It is,” he agreed as he pulled over to the side of the road.

He didn’t cut the engine, allowing the warmth to continue to filter in through the vents. Given the chilly air, I appreciated it. While I could regulate my inner temperatures with my magic, it made it easier to accept heat from another source.

His silver eyes met mine, the eclipse from earlier having reverted back to his normal color. That told me his access to my powers had been temporary, likely because he hadn’t imbibed much of my essence.

“What if we rejected the bond and didn’t tell anyone?” he suggested. “You’ll still be given refuge in Gold and Garnet, and you’ll stay with me. But we’ll secretly deny the magic, to help us keep our heads clear, while we evaluate the acceptance of your presence in my territory.”

“So we’ll pretend that we’re still fated…”

“It won’t technically be pretend,” he clarified. “The bond will be broken, but if we ever have sex, the mating will snap back into place. Which means our souls are still fated, but we’re just not under the spell, as you call it.”

I removed my palm from my chest. “Meaning this pull inside me will be gone, but if wechooseto be together, it’ll return?”

He nodded. “Unless our second fated mate somehow disrupts things, but as I said, those are rare. And that mate can be rejected, too.”

“Would you reject yours?”

He stared at me. “That depends on where we are in our process. We might reject the magic and feel nothing for each other. Or we could feel exactly the same, just without…” He trailed off, his gaze going to where I’d been massaging my chest.

“There’s really only one way for us to know,” I said slowly. “Then if… if I decided to stay… I would know it’s for the right reasons.”

“And we’ll have had time to evaluate everyone’s reactions to it.”

“Except you weren’t planning to tell anyone, right?” I reminded him, thinking about his conversation with Kaspian again.

“I wasn’t planning to confirm or deny anything because that’s the best way to let rumors do their job. I’ll listen to what everyone is saying and use those reactions and stories to devise my next move.”

My lips curled. “You’re a very strategic king.” Which added even more reason to why I needed to reject him. Because I couldn’t risk his sanity for a decision that was driven by a spell, not logic.

While I enjoyed the sensation of being mated to him, I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep it forever. Eternity with one person was a very long time.

Just as eternity of commitment to one reality seemed a bit daunting.

“I think we should do it,” I said, feeling a bit more resolved on the issue now. My heart still hurt, but knowing there might be something else waiting for us on the outside of this spell drove my decision.

Maybe his magic wasn’t like chocolate.

Maybe his aura didn’t truly call to mine.

Maybe he was a troll, not a sexy-as-sin vampire.

I had no idea. This enchantment could be distorting everything in my mind, making me see a man who wasn’t truly my type at all. Just a soul I was meant to meet and potentially marry to mine.