Page 77 of The Delta’s Rogue (Crescent Lake #4)

“No,” Sebastian replies with a fierceness befitting his title as a Dom. “I’m breaking her in, and I’m not letting anyone else see, hear, or touch her until I know I have her fully under my control.”

“Is she giving you a fight?” Amara asks, that fiery delight still in her eyes.

“She is, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Amara nods. “Well, if you need tips on how to manage her, I’m happy to give insight into what worked for us when we had her.”

Sebastian gives her a smirk. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

She smiles at him and lifts her glass to her purple-painted lips .

Sebastian watches her, waiting for her to speak, to continue their conversation and tell him why she’s there.

Her glass meets the table again. She licks her lips and brushes her hair over her shoulder. “I suppose you’re curious as to why I needed to meet with you so urgently.”

“I’ll admit I was surprised to hear from you so soon after the auction last night.”

“I can’t believe this, but I completely forgot to give you something that we give all of our winners when they take their prizes home.

I was so caught up in my excitement about the amount you spent on Anaís that it slipped my mind!

” She smiles at Sebastian with that pretend sweetness she always showed us during training.

I grind my teeth together and hug my knees tighter.

“Forgot”, my ass. She was hoping she’d get another glimpse of me. She just wanted to prolong my torture as much as she could.

“Oh?” Sebastian raises a brow.

She reaches into the black bag draped over the back of her chair and produces a vial and a card made from the thickest black cardstock. She slides both of them across the table to Sebastian.

He eyes them with apprehension, more so the vial than the card printed on heavy paper.

“This is the separatum amoris nexum potion.” She taps the vial before moving her fingers to the paper. “It’s heavily regulated and not readily available through normal avenues, so this is a list of where you can buy more of it on the black market when you run out.”

Sebastian angles his head and wrinkles his brow. “What does this potion do?” He lifts and examines it.

“Even I believe he’s never heard of that potion.” Dominic laughs behind me, but there is no humor in the sound. “He’s too good at this.”

“It blocks the mate bond from both parties,” Amara continues.

“This is how we ensure your investment is protected. The last thing any of our buyers want is for their new toy to stumble across their fated mate. That would cause way too many problems for everyone involved. You werewolves and lycans are incredibly possessive about your mates, after all.”

I can’t help but huff out a silent laugh. She brought him a potion to prevent me from finding my mate, but he is my mate .

The irony.

“Did they give you that potion while they held you?” Riven asks.

I shake my head. “They can’t have. Sebastian felt our bond as soon as he detected my scent on Brenna and saw me on the stage. He wouldn’t have felt it if I had the potion in my bloodstream.”

On the screen, Sebastian slips the vial and the card into his pocket. “Thank you. I’ve been wondering how to prevent that from happening. I plan to keep Anaís in my possession for…a long time…and her finding her fated mate would absolutely throw a wrench into my plans.”

“I’m always happy to help.” Amara’s smile widens, and the look she gives Sebastian sends a shiver down my spine and reawakens the bubbling nausea in my stomach. “In whatever way I can,” she adds.

Sebastian rises from his chair, signaling the end of their conversation and their meeting. He checks his rolled-up sleeves and moves away.

Amara’s voice stops him. “Are you sure I can’t see my sweet girl? Just a peek at her before I leave?”

He doesn’t bother turning around. “I’m sure. Thank you for the potion and the information, Amara. Enjoy your evening.” With that, he leaves the room.

Amara settles back into her chair with her wine, but I jump out of mine and bound to the door, anticipating Sebastian’s return.

“Wait.” Riven follows close behind me. He reaches for the handle, blocking me from grabbing it. “Wait until he’s outside the door.”

I bounce on my toes, the beat matching the pounding of my heart.

Two knocks sound on the door, followed by Sebastian’s voice. “It’s me.”

Riven unlocks the door. It flies open, and I rush into Sebastian’s chest.

My arms wrap around his middle, and he stumbles back a step, my affectionate attack surprising him.

Once he regains his footing, he enters the room with me attached to his body and closes the door.

I press my cheek harder into his torso, unable to get close enough to him, but he grips my shoulders and pushes my upper body back, so I’m forced to look up at him.

His expression is unreadable, but his body is as taut as a bowstring .

“I’m going to Crescent Lake,” he says. “There are some things I need to do there. You need to go back to Peter’s and rest.”

My heart plummets to my feet, but I remove my arms from his body and duck my head, letting my hair hide my face from him.

I don’t argue or ask questions. That’s not my place.

“We’ll make sure she gets there safely,” Dominic says.

They’re all quiet for a moment as I continue to stare at the floor and maintain my submissive demeanor.

Then the door opens and closes, and Sebastian leaves without me.