Page 87 of Spark of Sorcery

“Funny, because Odessa was wearing hers when I punched her in the throat.”

I nearly choke on my food. “You what?”

“Punched her in the throat,” she says, with more than a little bit of satisfaction. “She was bad-mouthing my friends.”

“So you just walked up to her and punched her in the throat.” I tut. “This is what I mean by taking risks.”

This girl!

“No, I asked her very nicely to stop and in response she stabbed her knife into my hand. Then I punched her in the throat.”

“What the fuck! She is going to wish she was never born!”

“You don’t need to do anything. I already dealt with it. Despite her wearing that collar.”

“The collar works,” I say. “It will protect you.”

“Odessa’s didn’t.”

I stroke my chin. I shaved for her. The places I plan to kiss her tonight, I wanted to be smooth for her.

Why didn’t Odessa’s collar stop Briony from hurting her? It’s strange. And I will be looking into it.

“It’s just a necklace, Briony.” She shakes her head. “Is it so bad if people know you belong to us?”

“I don’t belong to anyone.”

“Sweetheart, you’re ours.”

“You mean the mate thing.” Her forehead crinkles.

Dray.

I’m going to fucking kill him.

“Who told you about that?”

“Dray keeps calling me that. Thorne said I’m your mate. But I don’t know why you’d think that. If it’s laughable that someone like me could be your thrall, it’s the biggest joke in the realm that I could be your mate.”

“It’s not laughable. It’s not a joke.” I peer into her eyes. “Don’t you feel it, Briony? This attraction between us? It’s like a magnet pulling us together. It’s fucking irresistible.”

“That’s just sex, Beaufort.”

“No, it’s not. You ever felt anything like this before?”

She hesitates, then shakes her head, biting at her lip. “But I haven’t exactly had much experience.”

“This is different. This is fate.”

“But how do you–”

“I saw it.”

“You saw it?” she says, looking even more confused.

I lean back in my chair and scrub my hands over my face. Time to come clean. Time to tell her the truth. It may be the only way to protect her. To keep her safe.

“I have visions, Briony. If you can call them that. More flashes of the future. Fleeting and vague.” I frown. “But always correct. Always true.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and close my eyes, trying to yank that vision back in front ofmy eyes. “I’ve had them for as long as I can remember. But only Dray and Thorne know.”